Apple Now Banning Potentially Competitive Apps From The iPhone
from the pissing-off-developers dept
Yet another day and yet another odd attempt by Apple to arbitrarily control what's in the App Store for the iPhone. A bunch of folks have submitted the news of a podcasting app that's been blocked because Apple claims it competes with iTunes. This should, of course, scare of iPhone developers even more than previous bans. After all, it means that should an app get particularly popular, Apple would most likely just create its own competing version and remove the popular app from the store.While some are decrying this as being an abuse of power, Apple certainly has the right to do it. It's just not a particularly good long term strategy -- and likely to backfire badly. Pissing off your developers or making them worry isn't going to get very many good apps written going forward. Also, limiting competition is actually going to hurt Apple, because it no longer has anyone driving them to be better. What if this podcasting app had certain features that were really cool and useful -- and not available in iTunes? Right now, Apple has no incentive to include that functionality, thus making its own software worse.
In the meantime, you've got to imagine that a number of iPhone developers may be eagerly awaiting the launch of Google's Android platform which won't have such arbitrary restrictions.
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Filed Under: app store, applications, competition, iphone, platforms, podcasting
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Who owns what rights?
Has anyone read the Ts&Cs for developers? It would be interesting to know who claims ownership to 3rd party runtime code developed for iPhone.
If people could develop the newest, coolest iPhone app until they are blue in the face, but if it can't be deployed, or killed in the field it creates a lovely situation!
Last think I'd like to do is spend 6 months of my life learning a new OS and XCode, to create a new whiz-bang app only to have it killed because some better funded company that inked a partnership with Apple months or years ago behind closed doors.
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They Should Be Smarter Than This
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More of the same
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Re:
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Not buying it
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Better?
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I *hope* Android won't have those problems...
Yeah, I hope Android is better. I signed up as an iPhone developer, but I have pretty much lost interest. I was initially enthusiastic about the iPhone, but it slowly dawned on me that the one app I use the most on the iPhone, namely email, is generally done much better on other platforms, and I'm probably going to switch when my current contract is up. The iPhone is sorta neat in some ways, but not sufficiently neat to stand in line for, much less camp out all night.
That said, I'm not going to sign on as an Android developer until I can actually buy and use an Android-based phone, and decide if it's good enough to warrant my attention.
--
Texas certified Concealed Handgun License Instructor
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just another
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Against terms...
"Without Apple’s prior written approval, an Application may not provide, unlock or enable additional features or functionality through distribution mechanisms other than the iTunes Store."
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just another
Just another bad decision, just another example, just another hiccup, just another just another....
Just another reason I won't own an iPhone.
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and microsoft cant install media player by default? tell me how this is not a double standard.
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Comparison
Strange, last time I checked XP and Vista have media player by default.
In this case Apple is banning an Application that duplicates Itunes features. It would be like MS saying you can't install VLC because it competes with media player.
And for the record MS has done far more to slow down IT development than MAC. But then again, it is kinda like comparing butterflies to apples isn't it?
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OS X?
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What? Im sure that many companies would love to have no competition in their market. I can't believe a company would think "man, I wish we had some competition to eat into our bottom line, we are making too much money"
Limiting competition doesnt hurt Apple, it hurts the consumer.
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Re: Comparison
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Android will have similar restrictions
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Suckers!!!
This is the "Captain Obvious" statement of the day. Apple has the right to bilk its customers over 300% markup of its products. Apple has the right to bed with a specific phone carrier known to have issues of its own. Apple has the right to make annoying commercials.
So it shouldn't surprise anyone Apple has the right to steal ideas from others, call it their own, and kick the crap out of the developer in doing so.
A bunch of fools and their money are soon parted.
I feel no pity on anyone who chooses Apple products.
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Jailbreak
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Re:
Not to mention, Microsoft does install WMP by default, so I am not really sure what you mean by this.
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@Reed
What you are saying is not the same thing. MS installing Media Player by default and Apple not allow you to install a product that competes with theirs is apple to oranges. I can still install another application and never use WMP if I want, Apple is preventing you from having that choice. That is what everyone is upset about here, If I choose to use iTunes fine, but we should be able to use another product that has better features if we choose to and not have Apple ban it because it does similar things to their software. If MS said you couldn't install Winamp because it competes with WMP what would happen? The world would explode. Stop letting Apple off the hook people...
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Re: Comparison
Really? I have yet to see a migration of developers away from the Windows platform to Mac. Usually it is the other way around (I went from Mac to Win for other reasons, but MS is less restrictive and far more open that Apple).
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Re: Comparison
Really? I have yet to see a migration of developers away from the Windows platform to Mac. Usually it is the other way around (I went from Mac to Win for other reasons, but MS is less restrictive and far more open that Apple).
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Re:
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Re: Better?
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Re: Against terms...
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Re: Re:
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Even their evil is better
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Banning potential users, too
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