Filed under: Business, News, Apple, Google, iPhone
Apple responds to FCC inquiry about Google Voice rejection
After Apple decided not to allow Google's phone app, Google Voice, into its application store, the FCC opened an inquiry into Apple's reasons for rejecting Google Voice, and its notoriously inconsistent app store approval policies. Now, Apple has not only responded to the FCC's questions, but publicly released the response on its website. Here are some of the highlights: - Apple claims it didn't reject Google Voice, but continues to study it. The semantic distinction between "rejected" and "not approved" doesn't offer much comfort to Google Voice users who would really like an easy way to use the service from their phones."
- The reason Google Voice hasn't been approved (yet?) is that "it appears to alter the iPhone's distinctive user experience by replacing the iPhone's core mobile telephone functionality and Apple user interface with its own user interface for telephone calls, text messaging and voicemail."
- AT&T was not at all involved in the decision not to approve Google Voice, Apple says: "Apple is acting alone and has not consulted with AT&T about whether or not to approve the Google Voice application. No contractual conditions or non-contractual understandings with AT&T have been a factor in Apple's decision-making process in this matter."
The inquiry is still in its early stages, and it's too early to make a good prediction about what will happen. So far, I agree with Daring Fireball's read on the situation: Apple's decision seems to be all about its competitive relationship with Google and maintaining control over the phone experience on its own device.
So, just how good at time waster games are you? Think you've got the stuff? Well, The World's Hardest Game 2.0 doesn't think you do.
Yes, amazingly, it's possible to have a sequel to a game called "The World's Hardest Game". It doesn't seem logically possible, since if the first one was actually the world's hardest, how could another one come along and share the moniker? It made me doubt the name in the first place. That is, until I tried the game.
The mechanics of the game are very simple. You are a small red square, ...
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
ipwnguru said 7:44PM on 8-22-2009
it's b.s. like this that good apps like spoofapp don't get approved. I hope the FCC pwns apple.
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Brian! said 4:10AM on 8-23-2009
+1
I used to like Apple when they were the underdog. Now they are a company that acts morally horrid.
daniel free said 5:02AM on 8-23-2009
just want google to say "ohh you dont like our stuff, guess we will just disable maps for any iphone user agents then...."
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