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Spotify Wins iPhone App Store Approval
angry tapir writes "Apple has approved a streaming music application from Spotify for use on the iPhone, even though the program will compete with Apple's own iTunes service. Spotify is an advertising-supported music service that lets end-users stream music to their computers free of charge. The service is available in the U.K. and by invitation in countries including Sweden, Norway, Finland, France and Spain. Users can opt to pay for a version of the service without ads." The BBC also has a story on the app's acceptance.
That's not what makes this news. The fact it is competing with iTunes is simply a side issue.
What's significant is that this makes the iPhone a mobile streaming device, with access to a massive library of music. It is not an online radio station. It is having a practically unlimited choice of music available to you, anywhere. For free.
Seems like whenever an story about Hulu/etc somes on all the non-USians come to complain about that.
So can I complain about it not being offered here in the states and how that's so unfair so I'll just download the stuff instead of pay for it?
Your hair look like poop, Bob! - Wanker.
Personally, I think the story here is that Apple has done a 180 with this app & hope that this is a sign of things to come.
The app approval process is just broken. Way back when, Steve Jobs said that there would be limitations to the applications that would be available on the store and I can understand the reasoning as it started out; however, as of late, it's just arbitrary and capricious. It's becoming simply untenable as a development platform because the combination of seemingly arbitrary and conflicting decisions for rejection combined with the ultra slow-motion with which decisions are made -- not to mention that there is zero visibility into the approval process.
I can't run a business like that; I need to have some expectation that I'll see ROI in a reasonable time period and that Apple will act in an equitable manner regarding application submissions. My hope is that Apple is catching on to the fact that they will lose me and plenty of other developers if they don't turn the corner on the disaster that the app review process has become.
But maybe that's just wishful thinking as I head toward week 4 of waiting for my app to be approved... While developer.apple.com flaunts this in my face:
Based on the current volume of app submissions, 95% of applications are being approved within 14 days.
All while Facebook's new app gets approval in about five days...
Thanks.
Notes From Under *nix: blas.phemo.us