Apple App Store: The beginning of the end

Just came across a very interesting article on the net that talks about Apple driving developers away from its App Store. Huh!!! Is that possible? After all Apple and it’s iPhone/iPod are supposed to be the best thing that has ever happened to the world. The truth is actually quite different my friends.

At one point the iPhone was probably the best platform for mobile applications. But the situation is quite different now. RIM’s Blackberry, Google’s Android and Palm’s WebOS have all changed the dynamics of the game. Consumers and mobile app developers have a lot of choice now. All the operating systems are quite capable and worthy and some of them are actually easier to develop for. For example if you want to develop for the Android or the Palm Web OS all you need is the SDK and a computer running Windows, Linux or Mac OS. But if you want to develop for the iPhone you need to have an Apple Mac computer. Ridiculous!!! What were they thinking? By constraining the development environment you are already alienating some of the developers.

The thing that takes the cake is Apple’s policies for applications that can be hosted on the App Store. In fact there is a clear lack of a consistent policy and every application, and by extension the developer, is at the mercy of the whims of an Apple employee. So if the Apple person reviewing your application on a particular day had a harrowing time tackling brutal traffic, or just learnt that his/her partner is cheating on him, then you could be doomed. Your application would be rejected for some seemingly vague reasons. And I am not pulling something out of thin air here, this has happened….on multiple occasions….and continues to happen even today. So here’s the million dollar question:

Who the f&*^ is Apple to decide what I can run on my iPhone/iPod ?

In some of my previous posts I had talked about how Apple might be losing developers if it does not get it’s act together. Here are a few of them:

• Apple iPhone will lose to Google Android powered T-Mobile G1
• 22 steps through iPhone development hell
• Arrogant Apple good for Google

In fact Apple has started losing developers. Check out this article. Most of the fanboys would be quick to dismiss this as a one off case of disgruntled developers. Probably true now but how long would this take to snowball into something bigger? More importantly can Apple afford to take a hit to their reputation? Google Android and the Web OS have opened up development to all and their store policies are more lenient towards developers. So what does Apple have to gain? The iPhone on Verizon seems to be a distant dream specially with the Motorola Droid faring quite well. Looks like it might pretty much be all downhill from here for the iPhone.

Disgusting Apple

Apple, the consumer electronics giant, makes products worth drooling over. The iconic iPod and iPhone have taken the world by storm and literally reinvented the portable music player and cell phone markets. But does that justify Apple’s high handed behavior with customers and developers?

Many Apple App Store developers have been complaining about Apple’s arrogance in disallowing their applications on the App Store even though similar applications were being listed. Apple has been totally silent on it. Very recently Apple denied Google Voice iPhone application an entry into App Store. Like always no reasons were given. This has been going on for quite sometime. But for how long are we going to tolerate this?

Recently, a kid’s iPod exploded when her father dropped it. Like any other consumer, the father approached Apple for a replacement. After going through several departments, Apple agreed to refund for the damaged product only if – check this out – the father agreed to sign a sort of NDA that would allow Apple to bring litigation against the customer if the customer spread the information about the exploding iPod. Here’s the link to the story.

Hey Apple, how about sticking a label on the product warning people that the damn thing might explode if dropped? Would they do it? Of course not. If they do, will those thousands of people who wear their iPods while jogging everyday morning buy them anymore? Surely not.

There are some people who are of the opinion that Apple is justified in asking for an NDA from the customer. If that is so, shouldn’t we, the consumers be justified in asking Apple for a label on their iPods informing us about the dangers? Cigarette packets have to have a warning from the Sugeon General, maybe Apple iPods and iPhones should also have something similar.

I am sure, if people who like Apple were to read this post, I would be flamed. But had something similar happened to a product from Microsoft or Dell, these very folks would be first in line to denounce those products and praise Apple’s offerings. Agreed Apple is a great company producing great products, but it is time Apple’s ardent supporters and all others start to realize that Apple might not have been doing proper checks when coming up with frequent generations of its hand-held products.

Switch to Linux: Blue Screen of Death (BSoD) in Apple Mac OS X

Apple seems to be going the way of Microsoft and the rest of the crowd of pedestrian software vendors. First their iPhone 3G failed to deliver the goods. Then there were security issues galore. Then the Mobile Me fiasco. And now the last bastion has also developed chinks in its hitherto impregnable armour. The famed and fabled Apple Mac OS X has been greeting its users with the Blue Screen of Death that has always been associated to Microsoft Windows. Windows, a victim of vicious derision from the Mac fan boys, probably had the last laugh.

With the OS X 10.5.6 update Apple has left many of its loyal customers with unusable machines. Some complain that the only thing they are able to see after start up is a blue screen like the one with which Microsoft Windows users are all too familiar. Many others have complained about an infinite reboot loop, while others have seen their spanking new and expensive systems freeze up. One business customer actually had the misfortune of suffering from seven of his Apple computers freezing up with the update. When he contacted the customer service he was told that the reason for the freeze up may have been due to the number of third party applications that have been installed. WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This comes from a customer service that is supposedly the best in the business? So does Apple expect us to only install applications that it has “approved” ? Are we going to see an App Store concept for the computers soon? Imagine Microsoft selling its Office suite for the Mac OS X through Apple’s App Store. That would be a day to remember. )

This is yet another blow to the bloated up egos of the Apple fan boys ? Is Apple’s bubble about to burst? I sure hope so.

To all the people who have been blind loyalists to Apple, WAKE UP!!! Embrace the power of open source. Switch to  Linux.

Android can beat Apple and the iPhone

The latest entrant in the sphere of mobile operating systems in Google’s Android. The OS has been received well by the mobile content development community and has been gaining steady momentum. T-Mobile’s G1 has also received very good reviews and some(including myself) have called it better than Apple’s iPhone. 

There are quite a few reasons that are in favour of Google Android. Here are a few:

• Android is open source and free to use and customize. This also makes it more attractive for adoption by a large number of mobile phone vendors.
• There are certain features in-built like cut-n-paste that are still to make their way into the iPhone. 
• Android apps are developed using Java that run on a specialized virtual machine. This aspect makes it attractive to a larger pool of developers than the iPhone.
• The Android Market has set policies that would let developers keep a majority share of the revenues earned through it. This is in contrast to Apple’s App Store policies.
• Google has promised to have very little control over the Android Market.
• Coming from Google, Android has the backing of a behemoth and top-notch quality is ensured.
• Being open source, community based development can introduce newer features to this operating system much faster than any other.

In fact Android adoption has seen a steady rise. From developers to mobile phone vendors everybody seems to be jumping on to the Android bandwagon. Here’s a list of few news item that come up on CNET.com when you search for Android in the news section:

• Kyocera joins Android phone bandwagon
• Google Android and Symbian to merge?
• Report: Motorola expanding Android team
• Coders get 70 percent of Android Market revenue
• MySpace’s Android application goes live
• Maverick puts Google Talk on Android G1
• Motorola preps its own Android phone
• Capitalism still alive: EA on Android games
• Google adds Android app for Flickr photos

It’s pretty clear that interest amongst developers and vendors is increasing with respect to Google’s Android. Amongst mobile phone vendors Kyocera, HTC, and Motorola are already on to it. It’s only a matter of time before a lot more follow this trend. If this continues, Android’s appeal would surely surpass that of the iPhone’s. 

So is Android the beginning of the end of Apple iPhone’s dominance in the smart phone segment?

Apple iPhone will lose to Google Android powered T-Mobile G1

The Google Android powered T-Mobile G1 was being waited for ever since reports leaked about it. Now its a reality. The G1 is the new kid on the block with the goods to give Apple’s hallowed iPhone 3G a run for its money. Spec wise the G1 surely has a lot more to offer than the iPhone. Check out my feature comparison between the two. T-Mobile’s network is not that bad even though it has limited 3G capabilities. But all that is going to change once T-Mobile rolls out its 3G network in full.

So does Apple need to worry? You bet it does. 

The G1 comes with a lot more goodies for its price. It beats the iPhone in most feature comparisons. The only thing that the iPhone has going in its favour is looks. The G1 is positively ugly. But it more than makes up for that with its feature list. Being powered by an open source operating system from Google also gives it an advantage. The thriving open source community is more likely to come up with future enhancements of the OS than any proprietary company can. 

The iPhone’s success was accelarated by the launch of the App Store from where users could download third-party applications for the device. Google has already announced the launch of the Android Market on the lines of the App Store but having a lot better and transparent policies for developers. With the Android Market, Google has ensured availability of a rich set of third-party applications for users. Google’s approach with the Android Market is going to be very hands-off thus encouraging more development of applications for the Android platform.

Apple’s arrogance in dealing with developers of the App Store is bound to hit it where it hurts the most. In fact, chances are high that a lot of miffed developers, whose apps were unreasonably rejected from the App Store, may be switching allegiance to the more open Android Market. 

In spite of the outcry from developers asking Apple to come clean on its publishing policy for applications on App Store, Apple has kept quite. Its attitude is more like a dictator and some developers might even view its policies as tyranny. And they would be right. What was bad with IAmRich,  NetShare, BoxOffice, MailWrangler or Podcaster applications? What was the reason for Apple banning these applications from its App Store? Will someone from Apple please answer? Or is it below their hallowed self esteem to answer such questions?

If Apple does not act quick and take certain important decisions, it runs a very high risk of alienating those loyal group of developers who are the reason behind the resounding success of the iPhone 3G, even though the device itself is plagued by many serious flaws. The sooner Steve Jobs and his group of control-freaks open things up in the App Store, the better it would be for Apple.

Comparison: Apple iPhone 3G vs. Google T-Mobile G1

Here’s a cursory feature comparison between Apple iPhone 3G and the new T-Mobile G1 powered by Google Android:

Feature	Apple iPhone	T-Mobile G1
Keyboard	On screen	Full QWERTY slide-out keyboard
Connectivity	3G, WiFi, Tri band GSM, UMTS, Bluetooth	3G, WiFi, Quad band GSM, Dual band UMTS, Bluetooth
Messaging	Email, Instant messaging, Microsoft Exchange support	Email, Instant messaging, Special GMail push support, Multimedia messaging, multi-tasking while messaging
GPS and other services	Assisted GPS	GPS, Google Maps, Google Maps Street View with compass mode
Media store	Apple iTunes music store	Amazon MP3 store
Camera	2 mp	3.1 mp
Dimensions (HxWxD)	4.5 x 2.4 x 0.48 in	4.6 x 2.16 x 0.63 in
Weight	4.7 ounces	5.6 ounces
Storage	8/16 GB	Expandable up to 8GB
Screen resolution	480 x 320 163 ppi	480 x 320 65K color screen
Talk time	5 hour talk time, 300 hour standby time	5 hour talk time, 130 hour standby time
Application support	Apple App Store	Google Android Market
Voice dialling	No	Yes
Removable battery	No	Yes
Copy & Paste support	No	Yes

As seen from the above comparison, the phones stack up pretty well against each other. In connectivity, messaging, GPS and the camera, the T-Mobile G1 has an edge over the iPhone. Some would argue that having a full QWERTY keyboard is also a major feature. So we can consider the T-Mobile G1 better in that area too. In the others the iPhone is pretty good. The overall user experience should be better with the G1 because of certain features like copy & paste, etc. Also the fact that the G1 has a removable battery makes a big difference.

If T-Mobile can provide service and coverage at par with AT&T, the G1 does have the goods to give the iPhone a run for its money.

22 steps through iPhone development hell

Apple has drawn and continues to draw a lot of flak for the way it is handling its App Store. There have been quite a few instances in the past where Apple has taken off or barred applications from being sold through its App Store for dubious reasons; the most popular of which seems to be duplicate functionality. The latest app to bite the dust is an application called MailWrangler. This application makes it easy for people to manage multiple GMail accounts. MailWrangler uses WebKit and thus allows certain functions like starring and threading to be done with GMail e-mails. Apple has barred this app since it supposedly “duplicates” some function that is already available. So how does Apple allow all the notepad apps and Sudoku games? Isn’t there any duplication there?

The way Apple is proceeding with its bullying, it shouldn’t be far when somebody sues it for anti-competitive practices. Why on earth should a user not have the choice of using different mail software on an iPhone? And what right does Apple have in stopping them? Pertinent questions.

Notwithstanding these “malpractices” that Apple seems to engage in when it comes to monitoring its App Store, developers are still writing apps for the iPhone due to the sheer popularity and mass appeal of the device. Even though there is a whole lot of applications available for the iPhone, the development process is not really a simple one.

In his article, software developer, Mike Ash, describes the 22 steps that he had to go through to get his application on the iPhone. Ash sums up his experience neatly saying:

Development for iPhone is an incredibly difficult process, much more difficult than it needs to be. The arduous process of shipping an application for the Mac suddenly appears to be absolutely straightforward after going through this mess. I really don’t envy those companies who have staked their success to the iPhone platform. The amount of arbitrary hassle, uncertainty, and delay in the process can only feel vastly worse when your livelihood depends on it.

To read about his 22 steps through iPhone app development hell click here.

Arrogant Apple good for Google

Another one of the prospective Apple App Store applications bites the dust! The application in question is the Podcaster. Podcaster enables people to download podcasts to their devices directly without going through iTunes. Apple thinks that’s a bad idea since iTunes already gives that function. The result – Podcast rejected from App Store. 

So what’s Apple’s policy for App Store applications? Apparently only two entities are in the know. God and Apple. I am pretty sure God is not interested in it. As for Apple, they want to control everything in their eco-system. Controlling everything is fine for stuff that Apple creates. But how can they intend to exercise this same level of control over third-party applications.

Time and again we have heard that Apple’s policy of examining each and every application that goes on the App Store is to ensure quality and stop malicious and offensive content. Malicious we can understand, but what is the yardstick that Apple employs to determine offensiveness? There have been no answers from Apple on this.

Here is a list of a few of the apps that have been axed by Apple from the App Store for no reason:

• Podcaster
• I Am Rich
• Pull My Finger
• NetShare
• A comic book

In not publishing a clear policy of conformance for application developers, Apple is actually hurting itself. Already a lot of developers have vented their frustration over such high-handed behavior. Yet they still stick to Apple because of the popularity of its portable devices. But for how long? After all there is a limit to everything. Unfortunately Apple is not ready to listen to their woes.

A potential winner may be Google’s Android powered mobile phones. People have expressed their concerns about the viability of Android phones without a vibrant eco-system to sustain its growth. Google has answered that, even though partially, with the Android Market. What remains to be seen is how popular the Android phones become. Google can bolster this popularity by making the hosting policy for applications on the Android Market more open and transparent. Maybe even have community participation in forming a policy. This would surely encourage developers to write content for Android. In fact, if Android becomes a success, we might see a lot of switch in allegiance from Apple to Google. If this happens Apple will only have itself to blame.

Apple’s double standards: Big brother Apple bans comic book

Apple has done it yet again. This time it has banned a comic book from its App Store. The reason this time is the violent nature of the comic book.

The comic Murderdrome, was created by Infuriouscomics specially for the iPhone. Apple has turned down their application to put the book in the App Store because it finds it offensive in its ‘reasonable opinion’. What the …. ?

What about the movies available on the App Store that belong to the horror or slasher category? In fact why should the App Store have movies of this genre at all? Horror/slasher movies always seem to offend someone. For instance the movie Apocalypto is full of blood and gore but its still on the App Store? So why these double standards Apple?

Looks like Apple has constituted a censor board of sorts that is responsible for the release of movies on App Store. And this censor board is doing a very lousy job. There are a whole bunch of R-rated movies available for download. So why ban this comic book?

I am not a big fan of violent movies or comics but I am against this kind of policing. After all I should have the independence of watching anything that I like that can be acquired through legal means. Apple does not seem to subscribe to this view. Its policy of inspecting applications for malicious code is still understandable, but movie sensorship????????????????? Naaah. Utterly distasteful.

What’s next? Banning Frank Zappa’s marvelous songs because of indecent language that Apple finds offensive in its ‘reasonable opinion’?

The iPhone 3G disaster continues

It just does not seem to end! Apple’s problems with the iPhone 3G continues. This time its a less publicized but more widespread bug that is in focus.

The bug in question sometimes freezes up the iPhone when an application bought from the App Store is launched. Also this bug sometimes launches an App Store application but then goes back to the home screen. Looks like this occurs only for third-party applications from the App Store and not the default apps.

The chief suspect is iTunes though the problem has also been reported with on-iPhone downloads. A fix has been promised in September this year.

So much for Apple ensuring quality of software through App Store.

There have been so many issues bugging the iPhone 3G ever since its launch. Has Apple reduced the rigor of testing products before releasing them? Or have they found Microsoft’s approach of testing products at the cost of consumers more appealing?

This is definitely not expected of Apple who have set very very high standards for themselves ever since their first product.