What, you didn’t think Apple would ever kill an app you actually wanted? :: The Future of the Internet

What, you didn’t think Apple would ever kill an app you actually wanted?

August 4th, 2009 | by elisabeth | Published in Future of the Internet | 12 Comments

Apple has long been killing apps—sometimes inexplicably, sometimes because they compete with other Apple products (Podcaster), and sometimes because they compete with AT&T’s exclusive deal (Netshare). This week brings another example of killing an app because it competes with AT&T, and the tech world is disgusted, outraged, and furious—even the New York Times noticed. The app is Google Voice, which “lets users route all of their phone calls through a Google number, giving them cheap overseas calls, text translation of voicemail, per contact call routing rules, phone recording and free text messaging, among other features.” This makes it awfully easy for users to switch carriers and avoid a lot of charges, so of course AT&T is not a fan. Apple’s official line is that it rejected the app from the App Store because it duplicates iPhone functionality. Google Voice is still available through the Safari web browser, but is more awkward to use.

As TechCrunch points out, this rejection is more offensive than prior app disapprovals because Google Voice is really useful, unlike (say) iFartz, and has no downside for consumers, arguably unlike NetShare (which theoreticallycould have overloaded the network). Maybe it’s surprising that the mighty Google couldn’t work out a deal here. But it’s not at all surprising that having a single profit-driven company in charge of the slickest handheld computer in the world is going to stifle innovation. It stifles generativity, too: a generative technology is one that accepts “unfiltered contributions from all corners,” where tinkerers know what they have to play with. The iPhone could be a tiny generative computer, but Apple’s policies make it much less so.

I’m hopeful that killing Google Voice will be the one step too far that inspires consumers and regulators to sit up and work to get sensible open-access rules. EFF is already working on it; Apple has come back with dire claims of national security threats if they don’t completely control the phone, with no second-guessing from regulators. As Prof. Zittrain argues in the book, we should take security threats seriously, and some tradeoffs may have to be made—but Apple needs to back up its claims in a realistic way, and it sure doesn’t look like Google Voice is a threat to the nation.

ETA: The FCC Commissioners apparently want Google Voice on their iPhones too! They’ve sent a letter to Apple asking exactly the questions I’d want them to ask: why Google Voice was rejected, whether Apple and AT&T jointly decided to drop the app, why this was rejected but similar apps weren’t, and how and why applications are approved or rejected.

The FCC says they’re interested in light of their proceedings on “wireless open access” and “handset exclusivity.” It’ll be great to see where the FCC goes with this. Apple has three weeks to answer.

—By Elisabeth Oppenheimer

Responses

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Bertil Hatt says:

August 5th, 2009 at 2:40 am (#)

“ever kill an app you actually wanted?” Of course they would never do that: that’s Economics 101 to you.

> having a single profit-driven company in charge of the slickest handheld computer in the world is going to stifle innovation.

I beg to disagree: that *ego*-driven (and not expected-profit-driven company, otherwise they’d be mimicking Dell) made the said device and proved you could make something fantastic. Hackers rapidly proved (through web-based apps) that the best was yet to come, and Apple quickly put together the App Store system. *Now* that the mythical innovator has proven his point, we need untethered competition and Android, but blaming your woes on Jobs is missing half of the cycle. No engineer at Google would have let his 20% on Android if he hadn’t seen the iLight first.
Bertil Hatt says:

August 5th, 2009 at 2:40 am (#)

My ‹ /sarcasm › tag was deleted!
Kesava M says:

August 5th, 2009 at 12:04 pm (#)

Waiting for the day when apple blocks websites thru iPhone’s Safari
Tony Cosentino says:

August 10th, 2009 at 1:42 am (#)

In regards to

“Maybe it’s surprising that the mighty Google couldn’t work out a deal here”

I believe Google have run the numbers for possible outcomes in this latest ‘chess move’ by Apple in restricting one of their services and realised that the possible outcomes might be:

- press coverage of consumer outrage over the apps withdrawal gets Google’s new product on the top of new and tech blogs globally
- Apple consumers seeing Apple as a little bit more evil and picking on Google who didn’t fight back
- Another reason to get a Google android phone to get unique services not available on iPhone

results are Google 1, Apple 0. I wouldn’t say ‘Check’ from the Chess game analogy above but one move closer for sure.

Tony
Tony Cosentino says:

August 10th, 2009 at 1:47 am (#)

correction to last post:

Google +1, Apple -1

Tony
Tama Leaver dot Net » Privacy, Power, Permanence & Politics! says:

August 14th, 2009 at 1:22 am (#)

[...] app store has also been under fire for rejecting a Google app which would allow many users to access cheaper calls and services. Elisabeth Oppenheimer, writing at [...]
Wall says:

August 23rd, 2009 at 2:46 am (#)

Apple capturing the market fast even in now third world countries APPLE +10
John says:

August 29th, 2009 at 12:51 pm (#)

Every big corporation is really concerned with one thing, making money for its shareholders. if it makes sense long term to get rid of competing technologies and companies, they will do it. This happens in every market.

And nevertheless the Internet is evolving so quickly in my opinion, from a user perspective.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2114653/evolution_of_the_internet_a_user_perspective.html?cat=15
Tommy Poloski says:

September 3rd, 2009 at 9:05 pm (#)

I can say that Google is more reliable than Apple. If they’re keep on killing apps, including their competitor Podcaster, they could lose everything. Unlike Google Voice in Safari Browser, much reliable but awkward to use.

My rate: Google +1, Apple 0.
John Bent says:

September 19th, 2009 at 2:26 am (#)

Hi,

Google is much better then Apple, Basically they want profit and growth nothing else. Killing app it will continue as new innovations coming.
Google, Apple, AT&T, FCC, cont’d :: The Future of the Internet — And How to Stop It says:

October 2nd, 2009 at 7:34 pm (#)

[...] little behind the times, but here’s the update on the Google Voice story. Apple and Google both responded to the FCC’s letter; Apple’s reply is here and [...]
Patrick says:

October 28th, 2009 at 6:37 pm (#)

This article is about how the internet will effect commerce of the future

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