Apple Bites App Developer


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http://www.forbes.com/2009/08/10/riverturn...-riverturn.html

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Apple Bites App Developer

Brian Caulfield, 08.10.09, 06:00 PM EDT

The App Store is a wonderful thing, but getting--and keeping--your work there can be unpredictable.

BURLINGAME, Calif. -- When giants fight, smaller companies can get squashed. Just ask Riverturn Chief Executive Kevin Duerr.

Apple ( AAPL - news - people ) pulled the Durham, N.C.-based company's application, Voice Central, from the iPhone's App Store last month. The move came as Apple rejected an app submitted by Google ( GOOG - news - people ) that would have made it easier to use the company's Google Voice service on the iPhone.

The move sparked outrage from bloggers, and it led to tough questions for Apple from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission.

The stakes, however, are higher for start-ups than they are for Google. The Mountain View, Calif.-based search company has thousands of engineers. It even has its own mobile phone software, Android. It won't have any problem putting its service on mobile phones.

By contrast, Riverturn, which creates apps for companies, has fewer than 20 employees, so building applications for the iPhone is a bigger bet for the start-up than it is for Google.

There were signs of trouble from Apple early on. When Duerr's team built its application, it was careful to mimic Apple's own user-interface, a move Apple recommends for outside developers. Duerr's team submitted the application to Apple in February.

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Can you think of a reason why Apple wouldn't want Google Voice running on the iPhone? How about a reason, or several, why they wouldn't want Voice Central, which does the same thing as Google Voice o....

Read All Comments (3)Comment On This StoryThree to four weeks later, Apple got back to Riverturn with a concern: The application looked too much like the iPhone's voicemail interface.

While Apple didn't offer any details on what elements of the interface could be changed to get the application approved, Riverturn's developers took a crack at it and resubmitted the software a few days later.

That seemed to do it, and the application was accepted and put on the App Store at the end of March.

On July 27, however, an Apple employee called Duerr to tell him that his application has been removed from its store. The explanation, Duerr says, was vague. (Read Duerr's account of his interaction with Apple here.)

All this has made Duerr reconsider a plan to build other iPhone applications. Duerr says he can't be sure what applications Apple will approve, or if they'll be yanked from the store even if they are approved. "How do I stand in front of a prospect and look them in the eye and say this is going to be successful for you? Because I have no idea if Apple is going to pull the rug out from under them," Duerr says.

Another problem: Duerr's customers can now ask for refunds, since he's no longer able to provide updates for their applications. "If those customers complain enough to Apple they'll get a refund," Duerr says. "But Apple doesn't pay it, we pay it."

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and that is why app stores are stupid, long live windows mobile where you can install what you want, when you want, without fearing it might some day be pulled from your device (not that that is the case here, but I see apple doing it :p)

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Keep reiterating the point, the App Store process is murky, and Apple are not being open enough at all about the reasons for their removals. A reform is badly needed, hopefully the competition authorities can step in and finally put an end to Apple's shameful app store practises.

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Keep reiterating the point, the App Store process is murky, and Apple are not being open enough at all about the reasons for their removals. A reform is badly needed, hopefully the competition authorities can step in and finally put an end to Apple's shameful app store practises.

That is mainly why many people Jailbreak their phone, otherwise the fact you can unlock your phone doesn't interest me at the moment since in order to get my Iphone I had to sign a 3 years contract with rogers.

being able to change the theme, SBsetting functions,... these are some basic stuff that anyone would like to have on their phone, but since apple doesn't approve it...you have to follow the jailbreak path.

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Although the iPhone is a pretty neat device, for me the cost is still prohibitive at the moment, but I jailbroke my iPod touch for the same reason, their app store policies just plain suck

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and that is why app stores are stupid, long live windows mobile where you can install what you want, when you want, without fearing it might some day be pulled from your device (not that that is the case here, but I see apple doing it :p)

Yeah long live Windows Mobile where you have to rely on 3rd party "chefs" to bring you a phone that doesn't remind me of Symbian 10 years ago in both speed and features. Seriously, it's the worst phone os I've ever used - thank god I'm finally rid of it.

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Let me preface this with I own a Macbook, use iTunes and and iPod.

I'm REALLY starting to see Apple as a double faced company what CLAIMS they are anti-DRM and all about openness but are the MOST locked down software company. Much more so than Microsoft.

They Screw App Devs

They Lock iTunes to ONLY and iPod and work on locking out other media devices(palm pre)

Over charge for what you get in performance.

Yell how much better they are then Microsoft then brag how they are still years behind as though they are ahead of them. (IE: I LOVED Grand Central... When it was called NT4)

They take the time to knock on Windows 7 for being only "a bunch of fixes and updates to Vista" then brag about Snow Leopard, which is only "up dates and fixes to Leopard"

They don't even allow you to change the search in Safari FROM Google to anything else.

All they do is play dirty, I'm heavily thinking of canceling my SL pre-order lately an just running Windows on my Macbook till the hardware is out dated, and i need an upgrade.

I don't understand for all these Apple fanboys drool at the mouth when Apple pushes 7-15+yr old tech on them as if they invented it. Maybe when Steve Jobs leaves it will be a better company.

Edited by AltecXP
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I actually like the fact that every application needs to be approved, it stops the worst apps from polluting the app store, and it gives me confidence that the apps are safe.

However, I don't think they should be able to block applications without a justifiable reason, although I use cydia anyway,

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I actually like the fact that every application needs to be approved, it stops the worst apps from polluting the app store, and it gives me confidence that the apps are safe.

However, I don't think they should be able to block applications without a justifiable reason, although I use cydia anyway,

That isn't true though. You get 10 million useless fart and burp apps, but real quality ones like Google Voice get ditched.

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That isn't true though. You get 10 million useless fart and burp apps, but real quality ones like Google Voice get ditched.

+1

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That isn't true though. You get 10 million useless fart and burp apps, but real quality ones like Google Voice get ditched.

Thats because there isn't a fart/burp app crafted by Apple for it to compete with....If Apple made one themselves of course, then maybe it would. Mind you, if Apple made a fart/burp app, it wouldn't be farts, it would be singing, thus not amusing :s

To the original poster: Could you remove this:

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Can you think of a reason why Apple wouldn't want Google Voice running on the iPhone? How about a reason, or several, why they wouldn't want Voice Central, which does the same thing as Google Voice o....

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From the quotation, it kinda ruins the flow of the article. :)

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I agree. I personally find some of the Fart apps quiet funny, I was just trying to point out that quality isn't necessarily what decides whether an app gets in or not.

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Let me preface this with I own a Macbook, use iTunes and and iPod.

I'm REALLY starting to see Apple as a double faced company what CLAIMS they are anti-DRM and all about openness but are the MOST locked down software company. Much more so than Microsoft.

They Screw App Devs

They Lock iTunes to ONLY and iPod and work on locking out other media devices(palm pre)

Over charge for what you get in performance.

Yell how much better they are then Microsoft then brag how they are still years behind as though they are ahead of them. (IE: I LOVED Grand Central... When it was called NT4)

They take the time to knock on Windows 7 for being only "a bunch of fixes and updates to Vista" then brag about Snow Leopard, which is only "up dates and fixes to Leopard"

They don't even allow you to change the search in Safari FROM Google to anything else.

All they do is play dirty, I'm heavily thinking of canceling my SL pre-order lately an just running Windows on my Macbook till the hardware is out dated, and i need an upgrade.

I don't understand for all these Apple fanboys drool at the mouth when Apple pushes 7-15+yr old tech on them as if they invented it. Maybe when Steve Jobs leaves it will be a better company.

Many other manufacturers lock their media player to their hardware, however as it has already been said the XML is there. It's Pre's fault for shipping a phone with a hack for someone else's software. I could understand it if apple and Palm reached an agreement, but no agreement was ever made.

I don't understand the similarity between Windows NT 4.0 and Grand Central? Grand central uses CPU + GPU to perform parrellel processing on apps. No one is saying this is multitasking it is a completely different thing. NT4.0 and indeed no Windows has GPU Processing without a 3rd party like CUDA.

Ive also not seen the Windows 7 bashing from apple, it may be some fans have said it, but ive never heard or seen apple say it. Ive only heard / seen apple bash vista.

Apple pushes old technology in the same way that Microsoft does in the same way linux does. What apple does do is repackage technology in a better wrapper. The iPod was not the first MP3 player, however it was the first to be user friendly with a good looking design.

As many others have said Microsoft and Apple are simply companies, they don't care about people arguing which is better in the same way BMW and Audi don't care. They are each competitors and each work together more than people give them credit for.

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Many other manufacturers lock their media player to their hardware, however as it has already been said the XML is there. It's Pre's fault for shipping a phone with a hack for someone else's software. I could understand it if apple and Palm reached an agreement, but no agreement was ever made.

Ive also not seen the Windows 7 bashing from apple, it may be some fans have said it, but ive never heard or seen apple say it. Ive only heard / seen apple bash vista.

Where is the issue with Palm making it possible to use iTunes to put music on it? Another company gives your customers more functionality and Apple tries to block it.

https://www.neowin.net/news/main/09/06/08/a...ndows-7-at-wwdc

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I actually like the fact that every application needs to be approved, it stops the worst apps from polluting the app store, and it gives me confidence that the apps are safe.

However, I don't think they should be able to block applications without a justifiable reason, although I use cydia anyway,

Just to clarify, I kind of meant malicious/unsafe applications, which google voice isn't and therefore should have been approved(twice).

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Ive also not seen the Windows 7 bashing from apple, it may be some fans have said it, but ive never heard or seen apple say it. Ive only heard / seen apple bash vista.

You obviously missed their last release conference where they started with a shot at Windows 7.

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Ive also not seen the Windows 7 bashing from apple, it may be some fans have said it, but ive never heard or seen apple say it. Ive only heard / seen apple bash vista.

You must have missed WWDC. "Frankenstein" said how Windows 7 is nothing more than a fixed Vista, and then he said how Snow Leopard is a "better" Leopard. So, apparently, it's a terrible move for Microsoft to improve upon Vista, and yet it's a wonderful move for Apple to improve upon Leopard.

Apple pushes old technology in the same way that Microsoft does in the same way linux does. What apple does do is repackage technology in a better wrapper. The iPod was not the first MP3 player, however it was the first to be user friendly with a good looking design.

Opinion =/= fact

I recall MP3 players released in 1998 that supported things like gapless playback, something Apple didn't add until almost eight years later.

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You must have missed WWDC. "Frankenstein" said how Windows 7 is nothing more than a fixed Vista, and then he said how Snow Leopard is a "better" Leopard. So, apparently, it's a terrible move for Microsoft to improve upon Vista, and yet it's a wonderful move for Apple to improve upon Leopard.

So true, I get tired of his rubbish... Time to grow up and stop with the finger prodding Apple.

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