RSSGoogle to FCC: Apple and AT&T lied
By Tim Conneally | Published September 18, 2009, 2:46 PM
The text of a letter from Google to the US Federal Communications Commission dated last August 21 -- the un-redacted contents of which were only made available today -- directly contradicts information given by Apple and iPhone partner AT&T, regarding the apparent rejection of a key Google mobile app from Apple's iTunes App Store.
Google Voice is a beta project which allows several phone lines to be united under a single new number, accessible from any phone. Earlier this year, Google submitted to Apple an app that would make the service usable on the iPhone. The fiasco over Apple's rejection of the Google Voice application from the App Store came to a head when the FCC began a formal inquiry into whether the relationship between AT&T and Apple is fair and encouraging to innovations in communication.
The FCC sent letters of inquiry to AT&T, Apple, and Google last July 31. Responding to the inquiry, AT&T stated its position that it had nothing to do with the rejection. Apple said it had "not rejected the Google Voice application, and continues to study it," and confirmed that AT&T was not involved in the iTunes App Store approval process.
Apple went on to suggest that Google could potentially compromise users' private data, "In addition, the iPhone user's entire Contacts database is transferred to Google's servers, and we have yet to obtain any assurances from Google that this data will only be used in appropriate ways. These factors present several new issues and questions to us that we are still pondering at this time."
Google's response to the FCC last month appeared to be the least straightforward of all those involved in the inquiry, and large sections of the text were redacted.
"When we submitted our letter on August 21, we asked the FCC to redact certain portions that involved sensitive commercial conversations between two companies -- namely, a description of e-mails, telephone conversations, and in-person meetings between executives at Google and Apple," Richard Whitt of the Washington Telecom and Media Counsel posted in Google's public policy blog today.
But certain individuals filed Freedom of Information Act requests to make the FCC release the information, and the full seven-page letter is now available for public consumption.
Within the letter, Google says nothing of continuing investigation, but rather that the app was rejected outright.
"...The Google Voice application was rejected because Apple believed the application duplicated the core dialer functionality of the iPhone. The Apple representatives indicated that the company did not want applications that could potentially replace such functionality."
To prove this, Google listed with whom it had spoken (Apple SVP Phil Schiller, no less) and the various meetings Schiller had with Google's Alan Eustace, Vice President of Engineering and Research, over the rejection of Google Voice and Google Latitude, an application which was later converted into a Web app.
ATT just announced their new A-List feature that lets you pick 5 numbers (10 for family packages) that you want to have unlimited calling to. I suspect ATT asked Apple to not approve Google's GV app and to remove the old GV Mobile app from the store because they feared people would add their GV number to the A-List and then route all calls through their GV number essentially giving them unlimited calling to everyone. I didn't understand why ATT would be so against GV before because it would still use voice minutes. But now it all makes sense.
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|An Apple a day keeps me away.
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|Apple is a lemon!
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|All this talk of lies....what are you guys....racists?
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|that is the most vague, unwarranted, reasonless, angry post I've ever seen, short of actual flaming
You see that -1 on your score? Yeah, that's me
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|Yep - off topic political snarkiness...you are correct sir. My bad.
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|lol JUICY
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|And your -1 score was NOT me.
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|Apple is an more evil than MS and the Chinese Government put together...
This isn't the only app rejected because it may mean someone can do something with their iPhone that doesn't involve or necessarily help Apple (although it doesn't hurt it either). Next Apple will be book burning...
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|Jailbreak FTW!
EDIT: If I had an ipone.
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|FYI: by ip0ne 5.0x jailbreak could land you in jail.
Plus you should NEVER rely on a hack to use a device.. That is just plan asking for a virus..
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|My, what a surprise...this stuff probably happens all the time.
Anyway, rejection of apps like this shows why jail-breaking is a good thing...
The people with an iPhone likely don't care that it "duplicated the core dialer functionality of the iPhone.", or that they are doing it the "non-Apple" way. Apple should really stop caring about this sort of thing and give users more freedom.
In addition, Google Voice doesn't completely bypass AT&T (after all, the data needs to transfer somehow), so they really don't lose money.
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|So Google says Apple lied. Apple says they never rejected the application, which means Google is lying. AT&T says they do not have any restrictions on what apps run on their network. Apple says AT&T does restrict what VOIP apps can do, like not run over their 3G network.
Apple is not a monopoly so they can do whatever they want with their phone. Just like Walmart can chose what products they wish to stock. Just like a BMW dealership can choose to only stock cars from BMW. Etc....
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|"Apple says they never rejected the application, which means Google is lying. "
Leave it to you to blindly accept anything Apple says as Gospel....anyone shocked?
"Apple is not a monopoly so they can do whatever they want with their phone. Just like Walmart can chose what products they wish to stock. Just like a BMW dealership can choose to only stock cars from BMW. Etc...."
This...is actually quite rational.
I think your doctors finally found the right c***tail...now they just need to up the dosage a little.
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|lol nice, 'lets use monopolistic practices because can!' who cares if its wrong and hurts the consumer, hurts developers
fatty and his/her/its fat head, no brains inside ;) all gray matter
oh, careful, got some leakin out your nose
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|it is reality, but no company should just do things like this because they can ;P
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|"Apple is not a monopoly so they can do whatever they want with their phone. Just like Walmart can chose what products they wish to stock. Just like a BMW dealership can choose to only stock cars from BMW. Etc...."
Actually, this analogy isn't quite accurate. Yes, Apple can choose to only carry Apple phones in their stores, but why can they control what gets installed after they are purchased? That's like BMW forcing you to install their stereo in your BMW when you want a different stereo.
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|Indeed. It's like buying a BMW & them telling you that you can't replace the built-in stereo with a different brand as it's replacing core functionality ;)
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|They can suggest that you don't. They can refuse to support the new stereo and any issues that may arise from it having been installed.
They cannot sue you for doing so and they cannot forbid it.
Just like Apple can say it won't host or support this application, but they cannot sue you for jailbreaking it and installing it anyway.
Apple is not in the wrong here. Their product, their support agreement, their store. Don't like it? don't buy it, don't expect support if you do and then jailbreak it, and don't expect them to put anything on their store they do not want to.
They aren't taking away any of your rights. Why take away theirs?
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|@Fatty: Can you imagine Apple charging you for everything you click? LOL, they would if they could and a shill like you would give a left nut to be apart of it (That is if you can still find it).
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|How did AT&T lie? I get the Apple lie, but AT&T says it wasn't involved in the rejection. The Google letter doesn't contradict that.
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|Maybe, just Maybe
AT&T lied about not being involved
i know, shocking
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|But Google didn't say that. But Tim says in the headline that Google says AT&T is lying.
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|Not saying they didn't lie... but the headline states Google says AT&T is lying and the facts don't support that. If this is was "Weekly World News" that might be okay.
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|Cry me a river....Apple makes it abundantly clear that they can and will reject whatever apps that it feels like. They spell out the risk and Google accepted it. Like any other store, it simply doesn't have to carry your product.
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|True that.
If Apple and ATT want to lose customers over their brain-dead rejections, so be it. They have every right to commit business suicide. (At least until the shareholders start suing...)
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|exactly. Google can not make any apps for the iPhone if they want. No one is forcing them to make apps for the iPhone.
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|Your right.. and if Google had BALLS (Which I don't think they do) they should step it up and block the iphone/itouch and OSx from using google maps and apps.. and google.com itself..
Kinda like the opposite of the apple rejection. then let the FCC have something to talk about.. Apple can reject but google can not?
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|you want Google to make apps that no one can take advantage of? ;P that sounds brilliant...
sure could make it for an Android device but are you going to go buy another device to use Google Voice? Nope
and so Google develops for the iPhone, Android, perhaps BlackBerry, WinMo...
thats the way she rolls in the real world fatty
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|they could... but then folks would scream Monopoly Monies!
and everything goes to sh*t :)
but its ok for Apple to kick ban other apps, device extending ideas to the curb ;) we can't stream at Apple for awhile yet
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|Oh man, that would be halarious, lol.
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|"you want Google to make apps that no one can take advantage of?"
Apple users make up less than 5% of computer users online world wide. The iPhone has less than 0.4% of online market share.
Google has enough search share to lose 5% and still be well ahead of Yahoo/MS. However, with Apple having less than 5% of their market, if any users decided to leave Apple for something else, that could hurt them greatly.
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|Who said NO ONE???? Only 5% of the desktop/laptop market and 10% of the phone market.(Sure apple 0wns 70% of the "smartphone" market) Apple is not everyone. But as I see it 99% of apple users use google maps and google.com. This would force change.
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|Where do you get your numbers?
70% of the SmartPhone market?
Guess it's just 14%. :P
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10308173-37.html
And I agree they should disable Google services for Apple iPhone (and maybe Apple MacOS as well) but they are not kids like Apple so they won't do it.
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|To Google is very important to provide us with the search engine as much as possible, even if the people they have to work with don't like them, they adapt to the provider rules, like they did in the case of China.
by not doing what Apple did to them they are proving that they are not like them.
"Do no evil."
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|WTF!!!! No Freaken way Apple or AT&T would EVER lie!!! Google lied!!
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|i have the a sneaking suspicion all three have lied about something er other in this matter ;P
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|Apple and AT&T, Lie? i'm shocked
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|They lie every day to every one of their customers making them believe they are special. No wonder they will keep lying...
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