Music Service Simfy Files Complaint Over Apple Blocking Its iPad App

from the no-competition-allowed dept

Mon, Jun 13th 2011 3:28am — Mike Masnick

We've talked in the past about Apple's quite arbitrary approval process for apps via its walled garden, noting at times that Apple just likes to keep out competitive apps. At least one company is questioning whether or not this is legal. Via Hypebot, we learn that Simfy (often called the Spotify of Germany) has complained to German regulators that Apple has not yet approved its iPad app, despite having submitted it months ago. The company pointed out that Apple has already approved an iPhone app from the company, and it seems strange that it's been stalling so long on the iPad app. Of course, given the timing of the announcement of Apple's new iCloud music service, Simfy certainly seems to feel that this move was anti-competitive. Of course, on the flip side, that's what you get for relying on a mostly closed platform. Time for Simfy to see if it can figure out a way to make an HTML5 web app instead.

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Filed Under: apps, competition, gatekeepers, music, phones
Companies: apple, simfy

15 Comments

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Svante Jorgensen (profile), 13 Jun 2011 @ 3:52am

Web Apps
Way to promote web apps - Googles ChromeOS team must be happy.
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Anonymous abuser, 13 Jun 2011 @ 5:29am

Well Duh. Thats the equivelent of suing Apple for being apple.
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xenomancer (profile), 13 Jun 2011 @ 5:51am

Maybe they should look at a more flexible platform, like the Xoom (Android OS).
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- DannyB (profile), 13 Jun 2011 @ 6:43am
  
  Re:
  Android OS is the platform. Xoom is one product built upon it.
  
  Similar to: Windows OS is the platform. Dell Optiplex is one product built upon it.
  
  There are other similarities to the analogy that Android is like Windows, and iOS is like classic Macintosh. (eg, Macintosh of the late 80's, early 90's.)
  
  Android devices are built by multiple OEM's. iOS devices are built by one company.
  
  Android devices come in every conceivable size, shape, style and color. iOS devices have very little variety.
  
  There are key differences however. Unlike the Microsoft monopoly, nobody absolutely controls Android. It is open source. While Google does control its own apps and services, the underlying platform can be used without those apps. Competitors could, in principle, emerge if Google becomes abusive.
  
  OEM's don't have to fear the Microsoft phenomena of living on razor thin margins, while Microsoft makes the bulk of the profit. Wireless network operators also have a significant measure of control, but again balanced by the fact that the underlying platform is available on competing networks.
  
  Android already has multiple app stores. Apple has only one -- and therefore control of whether you can even enter the market at all. Android has both Google Market, and Amazon app store for Android. Best Buy is rumored to be working on an Android app store for the Android devices they sell. Other lessor app "stores" also exist for Android.
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  - John, 13 Jun 2011 @ 7:09am
    
    And?
    What's the point of that? I think most people here already know about Android with the exception of maybe the Amazon Appstore.
    
    As for the MS thing, different platforms, different times and different competition. You can't compare what MS did when there wasn't any 'personal' technology to what Google is doing now with an established market and market leader. Times have changed a great deal over the past 35 years, they wouldn't survive if they tried that now but it doesn't mean MS did the wrong thing when they controlled it all.
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- Terry W, 13 Jun 2011 @ 7:01am
  
  Re:
  They could rely on the Xoom (Android OS), but that has hardly ANY users, compared to the iPad.
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  - DH's Love Child (profile), 13 Jun 2011 @ 9:43am
    
    Re: Re:
    They could rely on the Xoom (Android OS), but that has hardly ANY users, compared to the iPad.
    
    Citation needed.
    
    Everything I read claims that Android is the most used mobile OS, surpassing IOS and Symbian. If you know something we don't, please illuminate us.
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Anonymous Coward, 13 Jun 2011 @ 7:19am

So what's your point, that Apple is closed or that devs do not need their closed system? Which part of this post is not general knowledge?
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- The eejit (profile), 13 Jun 2011 @ 7:58am
  
  Re:
  You miss the point: that someone is now doing something about it, rather than sitting there and taking it on the chin.
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chuck, 13 Jun 2011 @ 8:26am

Personally I have been using the new iCloud service with iTunes and like it a lot.
With a Free (for music you buy on iTunes) or inexpensive ($25 a year for music not bought at the iTunes store) method to retrieve your music built into iOS5 I can not see a lot of folks spending money on a different app to do basically the same thing.
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- BeeAitch (profile), 13 Jun 2011 @ 11:37am
  
  Re:
  There are those of us who refuse to use an iAnything. Give me open source or give me death.
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mike allen (profile), 13 Jun 2011 @ 9:23am

I have a question WHY?I have loads of music on my hard drive at home If I want I can SSH into my home computer and stream from home. Why would I want to put my music in the hands of a company that could if it wished pull the plug at any time and I lose all my tracks?

Now I am not saying apple, Google or Amazon will but they could be forced to by the record companies, and I guess there is a charge for this storage.
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- Richard (profile), 13 Jun 2011 @ 1:28pm
  
  Re: Infintie music storage
  Given the likelihood of infinite music storage in the near future all they cloud services have at best a limited lifespan,
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mike allen (profile), 13 Jun 2011 @ 9:25am

I forgot to add good luck Simfy on this Apple are well known for not letting any one mess with Itunes.
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Rich Fiscus (profile), 13 Jun 2011 @ 9:45am

There is no small degree of irony in Apple's policies pushing developers to bypass the iTunes App Store with web apps. The reason no app store was launched with the original iPhone was Steve Jobs' decree that web apps were replacing local apps. Now his "vision" is becoming a tool for circumventing Apple's restrictions. It makes you wonder how it would have changed Apple's original plans with respect to HTML5 if he had understood the amount of control he would be ceding to developers.
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