Apple Bans Android Magazine App From App Store 574
recoiledsnake writes "Apple dialed its battle with Android up a notch today by banning an Android magazine app from its App Store, leaving no way for users to install the app on iPads, iPhones and iPod Touches without jailbreaking. The reason for rejection, as given by an Apple rep, was: 'You know... your magazine...It's just about Android.... we can't have that in our App Store.' The bi-monthly publication — the Android counterpart to an iPhone magazine Dixon began putting out earlier this year — launched Nov. 11. 'It's funny really because I don't think we would sell many magazines on Android through Apple App Store,' Dixon told Media Watch. 'But the question is where this is going.' This comes on the heels of Jobs lashing out at Android, calling it fragmented, and its patent attacks on Android."
Re:Apple getting desperate? (Score:3, Informative)
Really? Desperation? Is that what it is? And is that why we don't see more BK ads in McD's? Or Macy's promos at Marshall's? **rolls eyes**
Or ads for satellite TV on your cable TV service... oh wait. We do see those, all the time. **rolls eyes**.
Long standing policy not desperation? (Score:3, Informative)
This seems like an act of desperation.
Or is it merely long standing policy? Haven't apps promoting/offering certain competing products and services been banned from day 1 of app store development? Whether this policy is right or wrong is a different question, but this app rejection does not seem to be any sort of reaction to Android's recent successes.
Counter-productive move, I'd say. (Score:2, Informative)
I see it as kind of funny, really.
Most Iphone users are very happy with their phones and I don't see them likely to switch- not due to a magazine app, anyway
The main thing I see this doing is again emphasizing how tightly Apple restricts content on the Iphone, and how limiting that is.
I DO know a few people who have chosen to get a different phone because of this.
I also know a couple of people who have switched from Iphone to Android because of this.
Re:Apple getting desperate? (Score:5, Informative)
They are refusing to publish a magazine in what they're trying to promote as a publishing platform.
Re:Success (Score:4, Informative)
I've started a company dedicated to making unique mobile apps -- the current product has no peer among Android apps because it's literally impossible to do the same thing in the current Android APIs, and so it's iOS-only. Do you think Google will let my company advertise in their conferences and meetings, or include my company's logo among the others they show off when they're advertising Android? Given that Android can't do what my app does, we're not even direct competitors and should therefore be brothers-in-mobile-innovation. Surely, they'd welcome us as an advertiser (if not highlight us among developers) and let us have a presence on the floor of any Android conferences, because to not would be evil or -- according to you -- it'd be lashing out at me in anger. I like Google, so that would be hurtful.
Could you tell us what the functionality is literally impossible in current Android APIs but possible on iOS? Also, you can submit an app to Android market which does nothing but promote your iPhone app. It will get on the Android Market place because there's no approval process. Sure, it may get bad ratings. Even if it's taken off the store, Android users can still download it from your website without jailbreaking their device.
CONCLUSION, iPad is not suitable for me (Score:2, Informative)
iPAD is not an EBOOK / MAGAZINE READING PLATFORM
Reason: They are biased. Apple censors / reject publications that Apple does not like, publications that assist developers and users who need to work on competing platforms,.
Any publications that promote or discuss platforms Apple believes are the competition
I am relieved, thank you Apple for making my decision for eBook reader an easy one. I now know that iPad is a bad choice
Re:Apple getting desperate? (Score:1, Informative)
Re:Apple getting desperate? (Score:4, Informative)
No one is trying to control what you see on your phone, that is your imagination running away with itself.
Apple is choosing to offer or not offer a product through their own store. I don't see any justification at all for you to force them to do something they don't want to do.
Seeing as how that store is the only way to install third party applications on your phone (outside of hacks), then "controlling what you see on your phone" is EXACTLY what what is happening here.
This is just denial at this point. It'd be as if Steve Jobs was personally running around crazy bashing people's toes with a hammer and your response was "lets not get carried away and say that Steve is going to start bashing toes with a hammer". It's flat out refusal to accept reality.
Re:Long standing policy not desperation? (Score:5, Informative)
Indeed it's longstanding policy.
App rejected for menioning Android [slashdot.org] in the description (it was an Android Developer Contest finalist). Once that was removed the app got posted.
Even on the app store guidelines [engadget.com] it mentions:
"Apps with metadata that mentions the name of any other mobile platform will be rejected." We're guessing this means you can't advertise your app in the App Store by saying it's also available on Android, or has been ported from BlackBerry, or whatever.
So the question is, how was it approved in the first place?
Re:Apple getting desperate? (Score:3, Informative)
Nope, this is them playing dirty.
Real desperation is banning the CNET / GSMArena / Consumer reports apps if one of them posts a negative review. Oh wait, they did... http://www.cultofmac.com/apple-censoring-discussion-forums-ref-consumer-reports/50597 [cultofmac.com]
Re:Apple getting desperate? (Score:0, Informative)
And in related news ... Ford Cars use only Ford Engines and Parts ... unless you root it.
It isn't a monopoly, you don't have to buy a iPhone to get a smartphone that does things the iPhone does.
I think Yamaha, along with anyone else that has half a brain, would find this statement utterly false. Seeing that they built the engine in the original Ford Tauruses...
Brains 1; Fanbois 0.
Next?
Re:Success (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Non-story: Developer generating product buzz (Score:2, Informative)
Sole marketplace? Sole market? Monopoly? (Score:3, Informative)
Mobile app stores: BlackBerry App World, Google Android App Market, Nokia Ovi Store, Palm App Catalog, and Windows Marketplace for Mobile. Android App Market has over 30k apps and is growing rapidly.
Mobile operating systems: Blackberry, Android, Symbian, Palm, Windows Phone. By some measures Android has already overtaken iOS in marketshare.
Mobile hardware OEMs: Nokia, LG, Samsung, HTC, RIM, Motorola. Apple is well behind the leaders in global volume of mobile hardware sales.
So if we're talking about smartphone operating systems, Apple does not have a monopoly. Nor does it have a monopoly in mobile hardware. Finally, it doesn't have a monopoly on mobile application app stores.
Apple controls on its own app store, in the same way that Amazon controls its online store, or Microsoft controls the XBox Live Marketplace. You can call it a monopoly if you like, but there the fact that Apple decides not to allow some apps in its store does not curtail consumer choice at a level that comes even remotely close to being a monopoly.
Re:Success (Score:1, Informative)
Even if it's taken off the store, Android users can still download it from your website without jailbreaking their device.
Actually that's not true. AT&T Android users cannot install 3rd party apps on their phones.
They have every reason to be desperate (Score:3, Informative)