Apple Refusing Any BitTorrent Related Apps?

jamie pointed out what appears to be an unfortunate policy for Apple's app store that is refusing anything to do with BitTorrent. The example is a remote control app that allows a user to interface with their Transmission BitTorrent client. This certainly isn't the first complaint over app store policy. Issues from the return policy to the "objectionable content" of Nine Inch Nails have some developers concerned over what Apple is doing to the market. Of course, many are quick to remind that it is Apple's store and they are free to do whatever they want with it.

Comments

Jailbreak

[googlesmith123]

If you want torrent you can always jailbreak it.

Re:Jailbreak

[Shadow of Eternity]

Jailbreaking: "It may be your store, but it's my goddamn phone".

Re:Jailbreak

[aristotle-dude]

Unless if you bought an iPod touch, bought the iPhone at full price or you paid out the contract termination fee, it's not your phone until your contract is up.

Re:Jailbreak

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah the phone isn't yours until it breaks outside of warranty, or you drop the damn thing. Than it quickly becomes yours while you pay a monthy.

It's a win-win really ... as long as you are ATT.

Apple is free to do whatever it wants...

[Anita Coney]

The purpose of these stories, involving Apple refusing to sell apps, is not to debate the rights of Apple to do so. Everyone recognizes that Apple has a right to sell or not sell anything it so desires.

The purpose of these stories is to warn people to stay away from Apple, because Apple does not have your best interests in mind, only its bottom line.

Re:Apple is free to do whatever it wants...

[bennomatic]

The purpose of these stories is to warn people to stay away from Apple, because Apple does not have your best interests in mind, only its bottom line.

Or another way to put it might be that they are not trying to be everything to everyone, and while we do not necessarily know all the reasons for all of their decisions, anyone who is going to make a significant purchase ($200+ dollars plus ongoing fees) should have this information in order to make an informed decision.

If you're going to "warn people" to stay away from Apple because they're interested in their bottom line, you're going to have to warn people to stay away from pretty much all corporations. Of course, that means not having any sort of computing device...

Re:Apple is free to do whatever it wants...

[caitsith01]

If you're going to "warn people" to stay away from Apple because they're interested in their bottom line, you're going to have to warn people to stay away from pretty much all corporations. Of course, that means not having any sort of computing device...

Or to put it another way, if Apple are going to continnue to present themselves as the fun, shiny, easy, nice answer to everything, and both explicitly and implicitly suggest that everyone else is a bunch of crusty old business-oriented, consumer-hating corporations, then it will be totally legitimate and arguably even necessary for there to be a continued awareness campaign about the fact that they are behaving in this way.

Maybe we need a revised iphone advertisement:

"The great thing about the iphone is, if you want to find the nearest restaurant, there's an app for that... and if you want to use a spirit level thingo, there's an app for that... and if you want to use useful software developed by someone Apple doesn't approve of, you can go to hell... and if you want to use technology which Apple is nervous about, you can also go to hell... and if you think you actually own that phone you got when you handed over money, you are living in a fantasy world.

The new iphone. It's whatever Apple says it is."

They'd better stop approving Safari then

[Stuart Gibson]

Looking at the Transmission control interface through Safari on my iPhone right now. I guess now that Safari might be used to facilitate "this category of application" Apple will be pulling it from the OS?

I'm as much of a fanboy as the next guy, but Apple really need to get the house in order over the app store.

Re:Apple's store

[compro01]

From what I heard, corporations are able to be criticized for their actions.

Stop gobbling Apple's knob?

[Chas]

Seriously. If Apple wants to engage in practices that result in a chilling effect on your target market why the fuck are you going to support them?
Because it's [LOVE]Apple{/LOVE]? Puh-leeze!
Because it enables you to reach a large market of consumers? Oh wait, they're denying those customers access to your products!

I'm sure Apple is great and wonderful and really really nice. I'm sure their app platform is the greatest thing since sliced stupid-people. But if they're going to actively interfere with your ability to reach customers FUCK THEM!

And yes, it's Apple's store. They can sell or not sell whatever they feel like.
However, it's not JUST Apple's store. It's the sole "legitimate" gateway into the devices you're writing apps for. That's part of the problem.

To use a baseball-related metaphor. You're a beer-hawker at a ballgame. Heaven help you if you try to sell booze in OTHER than the approved manner or brand.

Re:First Post

[nicolas.kassis]

I'm I the only nerd who actually use it for mostly downloading ubuntu and feroda and for WoW patches? Who has time for movies anyway?

Uh oh, better watch out.

[Pichu0102]

You can use logmein or other vnc apps to control torrent programs on your computer. Better ban that. You could control it through a webui using safari. Better ban that too. Wait, you could set up a script to control it with a phone call or email! Better ban the phone and mail apps, just to be sure.

Rediculous.

Re:Fine, then Apple is not controlling you

[0xdeadbeef]

obviously not about control because you can get apps by other means

Are you referring to the DMCA violation known as "jailbreaking"? How deliciously absurd.

From an engineers perspective:

[leoc]

Option A) Apple products.
Option B) The freedom to do what you want with the stuff you buy.

Pick one and stop complaining.

Re:Apple's Store, my iPhone

[david_thornley]

I fail to see your point.

If you want to buy an iPhone and jailbreak it, feel free. It's your iPhone, after all. If you want to buy an iPhone and get your apps from the App Store, cool. It's pretty useful that way, also. If you don't want to buy a iPhone, for whatever reason, that's fine too. That's how a healthy market economy works, and the iPhone isn't the only smart phone out there.

What I don't understand is why you think Apple should sell you precisely what you want in the way you want it. Apple is willing to sell you a product with certain capabilities and limitations. They aren't required to sell something similar but different, although they do have to live with any negative effects on their market share because of that.

So, buy or don't buy, jailbreak or don't jailbreak, but don't claim Apple is being unfair just because you find them inconvenient.

Re:If you don't like it....

[Americano]

How this post got a +4, Interesting on the heels of this fumbling, childish attempt to draw a parallel, I don't know. I'd like you to supply examples of anybody legitimately using "this form of argument" in any of the debates you provided. Citations are most certainly needed.

I'm stunned at the logical gymnastics required to create equivalency between the legality of gay marriage, murder, and buying an app for your cell phone. Breathtaking.