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."

Comments

People are surprised?

[SerpentMage]

I have stated multiple times on Slashdot and have multiple times be called a troll...

THIS is EXACTLY the same behavior Apple exhibited with the Apple and their token program!

Ah, but this is so old news (over 20 years ago) that people tend to have forgotten!

Now Apple is all good and dandy! BS!

Re:People are surprised?

[riggah]

Apple has consistently and predictably followed the same practices for which people condemn Microsoft. The caveat is that Apple has always cultivated a "cult" attitude, as well. I know I'll probably be modded flamebait for this, but the fact is that it's "ok" for Apple to practice competition stifling policies if they continue to also perpetuate the "Cult of Mac" attitude.

Apple is no more nor is it any less evil than Microsoft or any of their ilk. Is it any surprise that they're exercising strict control over the iPhone? No. No. No, not at all!! It's the same behavior Apple has exhibited with everything it produces!

"Let's be clear: forbidding 'duplication of functionality' is forbidding competition. The point of competition is to do the same thing, but better."

Sure. Why would they want to possibly put themselves in the position of admitting that someone "did iTunes" better than they do? Their business practices and marketing are almost the same thing; they need to promote "Cult of [Apple]" and to effectively justify their approach they need to be able to say, "No. We did that application/utility better. See what our strict adherence to our policies brought us? A better product." If they can't say that then the millions (billions?) they've spent on their marketing for the last 30 years is worthless.

They built the cult for a reason.

Re:Competition?

[SUB7IME]

To ensure that developers keep using their platform?

To make sure that the Latest and Greatest apps are developed, first and foremost, for the iPhone and not for the Android or another platform?

Prepare to be spun

[squiggleslash]

Here's what's going to happen. It'll happen because it always happens.

Apple gets caught with its pants down. Everyone condemns Apple while its PR teams huddle together to find a way to deal with the issue. Finally, Apple announces that the issue was to do with an oversight caused by a miscommunication caused by an unrelated issue that actually was a case of the application not being approved yet, not that it was really rejected.

People outside of Apple circles will laugh, but then be flamed endlessly for laughing to the point that we no longer want to talk about it any more.

Happened when Apple was using cheap third world labour to build iPods. Happened when Apple stopped releasing source code to Darwin. And it's going to happen again. Apple will, as with those issues, completely reverse itself, while making it sound like it was its policy all along.

So I'm not even going to bother. Here's the thing though: this is Apple's mentality. They will try to lock down iPhone if they can. They do in many areas already, and they will continue to do so. I can swap out a SIM in an iPhone and tether my laptop to a real cellphone instead, and it'll work, but Apple bans applications that allows you to use iPhone for this. I can install any application I want on my Motorola V635 - which isn't even something most people would describe as a "smartphone" but is, thanks to J2ME, completely programmable and has oodles of storage space thanks to microSD - but I can only install "approved" applications on an "smart" iPhone.

So yes, Apple will reverse itself on this issue, and all of you criticizing it now will be criticized as lying Apple haters who misrepresented what Apple was doing. But iPhone will always be a locked down platform. And as long as it is, there will be many of us who will just steer clear of it.

And if what you want is a locked down platform, don't start whining when you hear some app developer has been screwed over because of it.