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It pains me to write this post. Recently, Apple has seemed to have turned a corner in the way they treat apps in the App Store. They are now rejecting and removing without notice any apps that they or AT&T see as competition to services they offer or will offer. Apple seems to be abusing users and developers with the one source for apps and locked down device that the iPhone is.
Scenario: Developer works hard creating an app – spending time and money, trying best to follow Apple’s stated, but changing rules. The app then gets rejected without a decent or reasonable explanation. Worse YET the app gets accepted into the App Store, gets updated several times over a period of time. iPhone owners buy and depend on the app. Then without notice after months of being in the app store the app gets REMOVED by Apple without notice or a decent explanation!
This leaves developers stuck as well as users. Users are left with an app they paid for that can no longer be updated and may possibly even stop working. All while the same apps are freely available on Blackberry, Windows Mobile, Palm and Nokia in many cases – even on the same carrier (AT&T)! This devalues your investment.
Why is this not done on Blackberry, Windows Mobile, Palm and Nokia devices. Simple, they are not locked to just ONE app store that is controlled by a single vendor!
Apple is actively trying to stop the U.S. Copyright Office to allow an exemption from the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 requested by the EFF to make jailbreaking legal. Apple has seemed to have abused their ultimate control of what you can do with your iPhone. They need to either get real with App Store rules or unlock the iPhone for third party developers! Rejecting apps just because you can should not be acceptable.
Take a look here and see just how Apple treats developers:
Developer of VoiceCentral: http://www.riverturn.com/blog/?p=455
Developer of GV Mobile: http://www.seankovacs.com/
Developer of FitnessTrack: http://carpeaqua.com/2009/07/28/where-do-i-sign-up/
Developer of several iPhone apps: http://www.polarbearfarm.com/blog/?p=124
What can you do? COMPLAIN!
Complain to Apple: http://www.apple.com/feedback/iphone.html
Complain to AT&T: 1-800-331-0500
Other Apple Contacts:
I know Steve Jobs has had his health problems, but he needs to step up and address this issue now. I will step down from my “soapbox” now.
I complained to Apple and AT&T, not that I expect them to care.