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Apple Rejects iPhone App As Competitive To iTunes

DaveyJJ sends news of yet another rejection of an iPhone app by Apple, with perhaps a chilling twist for potential developers of productivity or utility apps. John Gruber of Daring Fireball writes: "Let's be clear: forbidding 'duplication of functionality' is forbidding competition. The point of competition is to do the same thing, but better." Paul Kafasis (co-founder of Rogue Amoeba Software) makes the point that this action by Apple will scare talented developers away from the iPhone platform. And Dave Weiner argues that the iPhone isn't a "platform" at all: "The idea that it's a platform should mean no individual or company has the power to turn you off."

7 of 375 comments (clear)

  1. Re:One Can Hope by BasilBrush · · Score: 5, Funny

    As an iPhone developer, I hope it will too. Less competition for me. :-)

  2. Re:Well, yeah by RyuuzakiTetsuya · · Score: 3, Funny

    I'm on an iPhone so take this as you will.

    my phone, their app store. no one is bitching about not being able to buy windows vista or a Zen at an apple retail location.

    --
    Non impediti ratione cogitationus.
  3. Openmoko by NoobixCube · · Score: 3, Funny

    Come on in, the water's fine in the Openmoko pool! A truly free platform, and anything compiled for Linux on an ARM CPU will run (assuming the dependencies are also present).

    --
    Admit it. You post strawman arguments as AC so you get modded Insightful for refuting them, rather than Troll
  4. Re:Well, yeah by iCEBaLM · · Score: 3, Funny

    It wouldn't be a problem if anyone could set up their own app store to distribute software to iPhone users.

    I'm also an iPhone owner, people and companies are already doing this.

    A vast amount of iPhone users have their phones jailbroken (if this poll posted earlier today is any indication, it would seem the majority do) thanks to the iphone-dev team. Cydia is a GUI application installed which uses apt at the backend, just like debian/ubuntu, for installing third party software. Pretty much anyone can get an app listed in the default sources, or you could make your own repository.

  5. Nono, they should! by alisson · · Score: 2, Funny

    They should allow it, and sell zunes in the apple store.

  6. Re:WHY?! by Hurricane78 · · Score: 2, Funny

    The competition honesty isn't up to scratch yet.

    Not up to scratch?? Well... I guess it depends on your POV.

    But I fully agree, that "The iPhone is a piece of shit, and
    so is your face."! :D

    --
    Any sufficiently advanced intelligence is indistinguishable from stupidity.
  7. Re:Developers, Developers, Developers by Stiletto · · Score: 2, Funny

    Exactly... The iPhone app store is Apple's first attempt at NOT treating third party developers with utter contempt. They're having growing pains. I bet in a few years, they'll be much better. They might even stop poisoning 3rd party developers' food and kicking their dogs.