Posted on 02/06/2010 6:03:41 AM PST by webschooner
By now, we're all familiar with Apple's culture of control. Particularly when it comes to the App Store, the crew from Cupertino is famous for its frequent rejections and vague explanations. The process can make the satirical comparisons of Apple and a communist regime seem pretty reasonable at times.
This, my friends, is one of those instances. Apple has apparently just forbidden a developer from using the word "Android" in his app's description. The message: Drop the A-word, or drop your application.
Seriously, Apple?
Apple's heavy-handed use of the rejection stamp has hit everything from podcasting programs to breast-oriented offerings. If there's one company that knows the feeling of being banned, it's Google.
Apple banned Google's Google Voice app from its App Store last year, a move so strange-looking that even the FCC questioned it.
Apple also waved away Google's Latitude app.
This new godlike stance, however, gets even more petty. Tim Novikof, the developer of the Flash of Genius app, tried to submit his program to the App Store with a mention of its success in Google's Android Developer Challenge.
The Flash of Genius app was a finalist in the Challenge, and Novikof thought including that information in the description could help illustrate the program's value and increase its iPhone-based sales. Apple evidently didn't agree; Novikof says he received a notice from Apple's app approval department that stated the following:
"During our review of your application, we found that your application contains inappropriate or irrelevant platform information in the Application Description.
"While your application has not been rejected, it would be appropriate to remove 'Finalist in Google's Android Developer's Challenge!' from the Application Description.
"Please log into iTunes Connect to make appropriate changes to the Application Description now to avoid an interruption in the availability of Flash of Genius.
(Excerpt) Read more at pcworld.com ...
Sounds anti-competitive to me. I’m sure Eric Holder’s Justice Department will be all over it.
“These are not the (an)droids you seek...”
Like Eric Holder's Justice Department was all over the Black Panther voter intimidators from the 2008 elections? I wouldn't hold my breadth if I were you.
The Flash of Genius app was a finalist in the Challenge, and Novikof thought including that information in the description could help illustrate the program's value and increase its iPhone-based sales. Apple evidently didn't agree; Novikof says he received a notice from Apple's app approval department that stated the following:
"During our review of your application, we found that your application contains inappropriate or irrelevant platform information in the Application Description.
"While your application has not been rejected, it would be appropriate to remove 'Finalist in Google's Android Developer's Challenge!' from the Application Description.
"Please log into iTunes Connect to make appropriate changes to the Application Description now to avoid an interruption in the availability of Flash of Genius.
The above is really hilarious when you consider that Apple paid huge bucks wayback when to air this commercial:
Apple 1985 Super Bowl Commercial
Shhhhh Big Brother is listening, and his name is Steve Jobs!
Maybe is wasn’t the A word. Maybe it was the G word.
I’m not sure I understand the issues here, but I will say that corporate and product branding all seems petty and irrelevant — until I consider that it makes companies billions, and in the aggregate, trillions of dollars. My initial impression of this tempest in a teapot is to let Apple protect its brand and attack its competitors brands in any way that it wants to, free of my criticism.
I don’t blame them for this. It IS a competitors brand/trademark after all isn’t it?
Besides, they own the distribution method and do all the hosting themselves.
Sorry, their toy, their store, their network... their rules.
I love how this is an issue. You want a better approval system just so you can use “Android” as an app name? Go invent yourself a 4g, touchscreen, robust OS device to do it on. Oh and while you’re at it find an exclusive national carrier, fund the staff to approve and bug test apps, do the marketing, sales, put up a web site, host the storage, pay for the bandwidth and continue to upgrade the OS to remain competitive.
Sorry folks, playing on a closed system... you play by the system holder’s rules. This reminds me so much of software companies complaining about the stranglehold Nintendo had on the video game business in the 80’s. No one could beat them at their own game so it MUST be Nintendo was breaking the law.
What you said.
As long as Apple keeps being such an effective competitor they get to make the rules.
Historically speaking, it’s likely somebody will knock them off their perch before too long.
Hey, this is Jobs all over. He has been trying to figure out how to provide closed, proprietary hardware ever since the original Macintosh.
Apparently, market forces have not allowed him to succeed in general purpose computing, though even those are as closed as he can get away with.
I find it hilarious that the "Apple-cores" think Jobs is the great counter-culturist, when in fact he is probably the most hard-core anticompetitive capitalist in the computer business, with the possible exception of Larry Ellison.
The REAL counter-culturist in the PC business is Bill Gates, who has been about "open systems" from day one.
“Maybe is wasn’t the A word. Maybe it was the G word.”
Or, heaven forbid, the “R” Word, which is now (”F” word) forbidden.
Ah, I love the new Amerika. We can all write in PC Code*
* Except anyone who’s come out of public education in the last 20 years. THEY can barely write AT ALL.
It’s more the G word. Google is crazy strong and Steve knows the threat.
As he said about their credo, “Don’t be evil” - Steve adds, “That’s bulls^^^”
Who cares? Apple is a business and a great one. Steve Jobs is the reason.
I actually remember that commercial. I also saw it spoofed a bit on The Simpsons.
Into the wayback machine to ‘94...Apple names a beta project “Carl Sagan” as they want to make billions and billions of them. He being a jerk objects. Apple engineers complied with his demands and renamed the project “BHA” (for Butt-Head Astronomer).
This is retarded.
Many years ago, didn’t Apple Records file suit against Apple Computer - everything being settled when Apple Computer agreed not to enter the music business...which is ironic since you can now download the Beatles on iTunes. And now Apple wants to protect their brand, eh.
Yeah.
Imagine the "conservatives" on this website continuously bashing a company and its founder who:
Started with nothing but their skills and determination.
Created over 75,000 jobs over their history
Currently employ 35,000 people.
Have 284 retail stores
Generated over 43 BILLION dollars in yearly revenue in 2009
Made 8 BILLION in net income last year
Yeah, the Steve Jobs sounds like a real commie to me...
Ah yes, us old farts remember those halcyon days:
DOS isn't done until Lotus won't run...
“Yeah, the Steve Jobs sounds like a real commie to me...”
He hired Al Gore didn’t he? Nuff said.
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