RSSCreator of banned iPhone app goes his own route
By Jacqueline Emigh | Published September 15, 2008, 1:15 PM
As Apple continues to reject applications for its iPhone App Store without any apparent consistency, the developer of a mobile podcasting application has taken matters into his own hands by turning to a little known workaround.
After having squelched more controversial applications, including the "Murderdrome" comic book and a fart joke application dubbed "Pull My Finger," Apple turned around and banned Alex Sokirynsky's 'Podcaster' application from the iPhone App Store. Now, instead of just waiting and hoping that Apple will change its mind, developer Alex Sokirynsky is using a feature of the iPhone/iPod Touch called "Ad Hoc App Distribution" to distribute his "Podcaster" application himself.
Sokirynsky's application -- an iPhone version of Podcaster.fm -- streams podcasts over Wi-Fi and EDGE wireless networks, allowing users to download the podcasts for offline access.
The App Store has offered a hodgepodge of reasons for turning down certain apps. Apple claims that Murderdrome violated a section of its SDK agreement banning applications containing "obscene, pornographic, offensive or defamatory content."
Then, curiously, Pull My Finger -- an application that produces five or six sounds of human flatulence -- got rejected not on the basis of offensive content, but on grounds that it is "of limited utility to the broad iPhone and iPod touch user community."
As the official reason for banning Sokirynsky's Podcast, Apple claimed that "since Podcaster assists in the distribution of podcasts, it duplicates the functionality of the Podcast section of iTunes."
Sokirynsky says Apple's decision on Podcaster doesn't make much sense, since numerous other apps have been accepted for the App Store that also duplicate the functionality of other apps. "For example, any calculator app is duplicating the functionality of Apple's calculator app. Any app that tells you the weather is duplicating the Yahoo weather app. Any app that let's you listen to music is duplicating the iPod portion of the iPhone," he wrote in a blog post last Thursday. "There are also several apps that simply allow you to listen to a podcast (Diggnation and Mobility Today just to name a few) that are not denied from the App Store."
Following the rejection of Murderdrome, comic strip co-creator Paul Jason Holden argued for the establishment of a rating system for the App Store, similar to the one used by the movie industry.
Sokirynsky, however, is believed to be the first developer to turn to Apple's Ad Hoc App Distribution. He contends that Apple had "nothing in the terms prohibiting developers from duplicating features currently available on desktop application," and that he "followed all the guidelines and made sure everything is in the correct place."
In informal debates on the Web, a lot of other developers are siding with the Podcaster developer. "I will never write another iPhone application for the App Store as currently constituted," wrote developer Fraser Speirs last Friday. "Apple is now selecting for anti-competitive reasons. It came to light today that an app that will deliver a capability I really, really want was rejected by Apple because it replaces a feature in Apple's own software."
Last month, Apple for a short time allowed a $999 application called "I Am Rich", before taking it down later. All that application did was to install a graphic on the screen proving the app had been purchased. About eight end users reportedly downloaded I Am Rich while the app was still available through the App Store.
Go play inside an active nuclear reactor. You might get super powers.
EDIT: This was in response to a spam comment.
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|This is probably the only company that can repeatedly abuse its loyal fans and keep getting away with it because most of its fans believe whatever it does is best for them. Cultish indeed.
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|Agreed!
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|iPhone is owned by Apple. It's their baby. They can do whatever they want and sell whatever they like. Don't like it, don't develop for it.
Pretty simple.
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|Yes, go develop in other platforms already and leave the iPhone to the snobs err... sheeps... err... whatever those people are called.
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|Stupid reason for banning apps - not a god thing, whether its their baby or not.
Open source should attempt to stamp this out. Proprietary just gives way to too much control and destruction.
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|^^^this.
Closed system. Don't like it? Why are you coding for Apple then?
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|Apple is all about control. The Mac is an "experience" and they *need* to control that experience or it's just another PC with a BSD-based OS.
Proprietary just gives way to too much ... destruction.
*laughing*
Drama queen, alert!
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|Actually no. I OWN MY IPHONE. My iPhone is not licensed, it is purchased and owned by me. Under the law, Apple has no rights to prohibit or stop me from using the device as I SEE FIT.
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|Open source isn't the answer at all. On the contrary, open source would most likely bring "destruction" to mobile software developers since they would have had almost no other avenues to make money.
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|Have much more clear does Apple have to make it? It's their marketplace and they will accept whatever they happen to deem acceptable. The same approach that they use with iTunes and it's exactly what retailers do. You can't force a company to carry your product. It's an inherent risk.
Make no mistake, the platform exists to make money for Apple. That means filtering out anything againts its interests and showcasing what will sell in large quantities. Just like its music model.
Also consider that despite the massive amount of blogger coverage, the user base of the iPhone isn't all that large.
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|The Apple has become rotten.
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|lol so true...
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|It's becoming stinkier by the minute.
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|This is hilarious. I hope Apple takes the next step and applies this sort of system to the Mac desktop.
Steve is just daring the justice department to move in.
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|They are worse than microsoft in terms of monopolistic actions they are doing.
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|WARNING: turning to the Apple's Ad Hoc App will void all iPhone features and support/warranty. Also, Steve Job's will be sending his personal hit team to have a "talk" with Mr. Sokirynsky. After this Mr. Sokirynsky will remove the software from the internet. (once he can access a computer again since all his hands and arms have been broken. They say he slipped and fell down the stairs.)
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|This is a classic case of Apple not having their act together internally. The public may think that Apple is being unfair...and they are right. But not because Apple is operating in some deliberate fashion. It's because Apple has multiple approvers of varying intelligence and/or arrogance without a well-defined, common criteria. Shame on Apple management for allowing this to continue.
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|Apple is closed monopoly. where is anti-trust cases when you need them.
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|In the US, to be considered a monopoly, you must have at least 75% (the lowest share yet held by a company considered a monopoly) share of the market in which you are being considered a monopoly.
Apple, at least as far as PCs go, has nowhere *near* that kind of market share.
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|@ PC_Tool
Apple has it's own market and has 100% of that market, and as like Apple likes to point out it's not a PC. Until you can buy a Dell Apple clone or install OS-X on to any computer you wish, the Apple market is a closed one and there for Apple does have monopolistic powers over it's segment of the computer market.
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|Please tell me you're not actually that stupid.
Apple makes PCs with the MAc OSX Operating system.
Aside from the OS and the TPM chip, they are commodity PC parts.
Apple sells PCs and *their* OS. They also sell Windows.
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|Well let's see where to begin.
I worked for Apple and they drill into you that a Apple is not a PC.
Up until now Apple used it's own hardware and OS.
Try taking and installing OS-X on to a PC and see what happens.
Apple does not sell Windows lol
You can buy Windows and get boot-camp and put Windows on a Apple but if you need work done on it you will have to take Windows off it will void your warranty.
Just because something is made with common parts don't mean squat. OS-X is what makes a Mac a Mac, and unless you have forgoten PC stands for Personal Computer it does not mean a computer running Windows or one running OS-X or one running Linux.
Apple in there own market is the defacto monopoly. You can buy the parts and make a computer and then buy Windows and put on it and you can have something better then what Dell or HP can put out but if you take those same parts and try to buy OS-X you will find that with out some hacking it will not work.
A computer is a computer it's the OS that makes it a Mac or Windows machine not the hardware.
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|We call you "sheeple"
"I believe everything Apple tells me"
Open up your apple computer if you look inside it uses the same parts and manufacturers NONE of those manufacturers are named Apple either...Unless of course INtel, Asus, WD and Nvidia are synonymous with Apple.
You can buy the majority of the parts off of newegg, your only issue is finding a mobo that supports efi and is part of the osx tpm.
"A computer is a computer it's the OS that makes it a Mac or Windows machine not the hardware."
How brainwashed are you? That doesn't make any sense whatsoever, none!
"You can buy the parts and make a computer and then buy Windows and put on it and you can have something better then what Dell or HP can put out but if you take those same parts and try to buy OS-X you will find that with out some hacking it will not work."
Ok, I won't call you an idiot just clueless.
All the hack does is tell osx that the hardware you are using is part of the tpm and that its using efi.
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|Wow....where to begin, indeed...
I worked for Apple and they drill into you that a Apple is not a PC.
...and if you worked for Apple and they told you the world was flat, you'd believe that as well?
Up until now Apple used it's own hardware and OS.
Right. Up until now. Until now. One more time: Up until now. Meaning: No longer.
Try taking and installing OS-X on to a PC and see what happens.
I re-installed OSX on our new Mac last week. :)
Apple does not sell Windows lol
You are right. It was a rumor I had heard recently. You get a pass on that one.
Just because something is made with common parts don't mean squat. OS-X is what makes a Mac a Mac, and unless you have forgoten PC stands for Personal Computer it does not mean a computer running Windows or one running OS-X or one running Linux.
PC means personal computer. Very good. Macs are PCs. See? We're getting somewhere. So much for your statement that "Apple isn't a PC", eh?
You can buy the parts and make a computer and then buy Windows and put on it and you can have something better then what Dell or HP can put out but if you take those same parts and try to buy OS-X you will find that with out some hacking it will not work.
Only due to a commodity TPM chip by Intel. Not by Apple, not even solely available to Apple. Point being, the parts are the same. Same CPU, same northbridge/southbridge, same GPU, same everything.
A computer is a computer it's the OS that makes it a Mac or Windows machine not the hardware.
A computer is a computer it's the OS that makes it a Mac or Windows machine not the hardware.
You're making my argument for me here... It's not the hardware, as the hardware is the same. Therefore, they *sell* an OS. On common hardware. See?
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|they have more than 75% of the mp3 market. Time for the government to step in! Fairplay for everyone.
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|Exactly... and GM has 100% of the market for Chevys. It's not a truck, it's a Chevy! Makes sense!
*laughing*
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|"Try taking and installing OS-X on to a PC and see what happens."
"I re-installed OSX on our new Mac last week. :)"
Well... *I* got it. ;)
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|;)
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|*laughing*
You guys are coding apps for the *ultimate* closed system.
Seriously...what were you expecting???
Choice has *never* been in Apple's vocabulary.
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|What's next? Banning anyone from buying a Mac that doesn't have Blonde hair and Blue eyes?
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|apple just announced plans to annex austria!!
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|Never seen a Mac with Blonde hair and Blue eyes. Maybe in a new version. :>
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|Hooray for the double entendre!
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|King Steve knows best what you should or shouldn't have.
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|King Steve? When did he get demoted from Emperator of teh Known Universe? ROFL.
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|Emperator? haha!
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|as opposed to King Bill ?
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|