Comments on: Apple kills iPhone app, claiming API violation

But the developer swears his iPhone application followed all the proper rules, and in any case, Google's admitted use of off-limits APIs has drawn no rebuke from Apple.

[sting7k]

Look people go on all you want about Apple not being fair and how they should let anything into the app store that gets submitted. But it's not your store, it's not cnet's, and it's not an open system no matter how much you want it to be or think that it is. It's Apple's store and as such it is basically a private club. They can do anything they want and deny and sell anything they want, it's their choice and theirs alone. Sure it's not fair to "the little guy" but that's life, and it's not always fair. Google is Google is that's it. If you don't like then get something else, no one is forcing you own the iPhone and go to the app store. Just like Apple can decide what to sell, you can decide where to shop.

What will they demand next? That Apple MUST sell Zunes in their retail stores because it's not fair to Microsoft? No, that doesn't make sense. Just like those retail stores the app store is Apple's alone, if they don't want something sold in it that's the way it goes, period.

[umbrae]

Sorry but I will never use a device that tells me what I can and cannot do with it. Even Windows Mobile (which is horrible) is easily configurable to do whatever you want or install whatever you want.

[rk2469]

No, Apple is worse the Microsoft. Microsoft never did this to their software developers. In fact, Microsoft treats their developers very well. You should go to one of the Microsoft's developer's conferences. Microsoft is amazing. From .NET to XNA, Microsoft does very well with developers. Microsoft is really about sharing their resources, just look around MSND and their other websites, very inclusive.

Apple, by nature is exclusive. That's why the company is snotty and people who use their products are snotty and superficial. I don't know why Obama doesn't have iPhone. Apple and him are perfect fit. Maybe, the phone is bit too white. Don't they sell black iPhone? Yes, they can!

Apple products cost more by 15% to 30%. Replacing battery cost lot of money. .. and Really, If what Apple said were really true, Apple would have stayed with their PowerPC... The whole PowerPC thing was a lie. If I had a wife who was really great, I don't go out to get another wife after I've telling other people how great my wife is/was for a long period of time.

I can't stand Apple. Apple represents what's wrong with this world: Superficial, Snotty, Rude, Self-centered, narcissistic, and fashioned-oriented...

Apple sticker back of the Prius driven by a vegan who votes democrat by feelings who is living with her boyfriend unmarried... that's a killer.

I don't think Apple people has heard the "Banking Queen"

[Maelstorm]

Personally, I think that Apple makes a good product that people are willing to pay a premium price for. But, one thing that the Apple fanboys and fangirls seem to forget is that Apple is a company. And just like any company, they do not care who they step on, or how they step on them to make a buck and come out on top. So if you think that I am wrong, then you are living in a fantasy world, period. End of argument. Besides, this incident is a prime example of corporate behavior. Legally, they have to treat the smaller developer like Peeps the same as they treat Google, because to do otherwise is a violation of several federal laws, including the Sherman Act. This is the *SAME* type of behavior that landed Microsoft in hot water with a federal complaint back in the mid 1990s. Even blocking apps that duplicate functionality from existing Apple apps is illegal and violates anti-competitive laws. All the developer has to do is file a formal complaint with the Federal Trade Commission and I guarantee you something will happen then.

If Apple says that he is using an undocumented API, then they need to point out *EXACTLY* which API he used was undocumented. If they fail to do so, he can very much take them into court and win his case, and make Apple pay his legal bills too.

[rwarfel]

Those of you who think the anything i from apple is open are dillusional.
Did you buy the phone or are you renting it? Only way to get apps on the iPhone, through the iStore and only if they are iapproved. If you install an non-iapproved app, big brother will wipe it off your phone remotely. Who are they to tell me what I can install on a device I paid for! Excuse 1: It's a bandwidth hog - so throttle it back. Excuse 2: It monopolizes connections - hmmm, how about the stealth roaming mode that could not be disabled which racked up big bills for all their users travelling abroad. Good thing they partnered with a carrier. Ka-ching!
More than likely, this app was disallowed because it was too close or better than something apple supplies and they do not like competition.
Apple used the same model to control the music market as only itunes could be used with iPod. Naturally developers worked around that and came up with winamp drivers, etc. for ipod to bypass the peoples republic of apple so apple just constantly updates the firmware on the players to break third party code.
If you changed nothing about these products except for the company name in front of them to MS, there would be class action suits, SEC filings, and everything "i" would be banned from the EU.

[johnlabarge]

My iPhone has become way more useful since I jailbroke it. Backgrounder lets me keep my chat application running (just like blackberry does with gtalk) and the wifi tivo remote is great. Also, you can get ssh and other great tools (I understand copy/paste as well). Nothing bad happened to the phone, it restored all my settings via the backup in iTunes. Installing new apps after jailbreak is also a cinch.

I would recommend jailbreaking to everyone who has an iPhone.

[ideveloper]

This has been done for other applications too. There are hardly any apps out there which stream video coz it is too complicated (or impossible!!) to do so with the published SDK. But the YouTube app seems to do this magnificently!

[tinkerer13]

Why has there not yet been a class action lawsuit against Apple? Apps are getting denied for reasons despite there being other apps that do exactly the same thing. It would be one thing if the iTunes store was one of many outlets for applications, but it's not... it's the ONLY one. And banning an app even though it does identical things to other apps is outright unfair business.