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Google Latitude Arrives For the iPhone — As a Web App
An anonymous reader writes "After months of waiting, the Google Latitude social maps service finally arrived for the iPhone ... but thanks to an Apple rejection of the natively developed app, it's a web app. Says Google on their blog, 'We worked closely with Apple to bring Latitude to the iPhone in a way Apple thought would be best for iPhone users. After we developed a Latitude application for the iPhone, Apple requested we release Latitude as a web application in order to avoid confusion with Maps on the iPhone.' But it gets worse for iPhone users: 'Unfortunately, since there is no mechanism for applications to run in the background on iPhone (which applies to browser-based web apps as well), we're not able to provide continuous background location updates in the same way that we can for Latitude users on Android, BlackBerry, Symbian and Windows Mobile.' Latitude has been sprouting new features lately and is an interesting take on social networking, but it looks like Apple is determined to ensure its users only get a seriously crippled implementation compared to the Android and WinMo versions. PC World put it less politely than Google did, saying, 'Google's new Latitude Web app for iPhone is so hamstrung that Apple customers may be wishing they had a BlackBerry or Android handset instead.'"
Nah, fanbois will be on to tell you why worse is better soon.
Exactly! Google Latitude is just an inferior (and potentially confusing) version of the maps app. Sure the maps app might actually use Google Maps but it's the Apple extensions that really put the shine on it. It's absolutely right that this be limited to a web-app. Furthermore, who would want to allow an application to continuously run in the background? It opens up all sorts of angles of attack, it's dangerous, resource intensive, and Apple is right to disallow it. Apple know what's best for it's customers. They shound't, and they won't allow the likes of Google to undermine their customers' experience with the iPhone using shoddy, poorly designed applications.
Yup. Can't see any legal ramifications there.
== Jez ==
Do you miss Firefox? Try Pale Moon.
The iphone's OS has no mechanism for running applications in the background??? That's stunning! Is it based on Windows 3.1 or something?
...that the ultimate narcissist application (everyone needs to know exactly where I am every second!)... ...doesn't work on the ultimate narcissists cell phone.
This space available.
Apple know what's best for it's customers. They shound't, and they won't allow the likes of Google to undermine their customers' experience with the iPhone using shoddy, poorly designed applications.
You, sir, are the biggest idiot I have ever met online.
Satire.
The higher the technology, the sharper that two-edged sword.
Have you met yourself yet? Also, WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH.
Then the scheduler on the iPhone is does suck because I extensively use multitasking on my Windows Mobile device (HTC Touch HD) and the battery life is descent.
"It's such a fine line between stupid and clever" -- David St. Hubbins, Spinal Tap