Apple’s rejection of the Podcaster app from the iPhone App Store has been widely blogged. Apple rejected the functionality because it “duplicated” functionality in iTunes.
This is just the tip of the iceberg for a bunch of messy policy decisions facing Apple. Let’s say a third-party $9.99 WidgetExpress app is making $50k day, with 30% to Apple. What happens when a developer submits a $0.99 (or free) competitor?
Will Apple start to reject apps that threaten an existing app’s revenue stream?
i admit, i adore apple’s products
but why o why does the valley and geek community like (or even tolerate) apple the company?
everything is properietary and closed
intellectual property (other than apple’s of course) is worthless, or at best, worthy of simplistic flat pricing (rather than market driven relative pricing)
management is not only not transparent, it is transparently hostile, e.g. the app store and suing bloggers and the like. not to mention option backdating et al. not to mention treacly faux-altruistic but entirely bogus politically correct initiatives like “red”.
New SUVs are totally cool and beautifully engineered products, but we also are intolerant of arrogant and ignorant management and practrices at auto manufacturers. its time we take a similar attitude to the tech industry – stop hosing consumers and start obsessing on the green/national defense front (less planned obsolesence, more renewable materials, less waste, more energy efficiency etc)
Unfortunately Apple can get away with this for now because the competitors have done such a terrible job of innovating. I’m hopeful that the BB Storm or Android can step up and change the situation, but I wouldn’t bet on it. I’m not hearing good things from my contacts about either device, and let’s just say I’m not holding my breath for the Zune phone either.
The reality I believe we all face is that the iPhone will grab iPod like market share for mid and high end mobile consumers. And watch out if the iPhone can get momentum in the corporate market. Every major company is evaluating the iPhone platform and it’s only a matter of time in my mind till RIM starts to feel the pain.
We better figure out how to make money in a Steve Jobs world!