
Google Voice iPhone app rejected - nreece
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/28/google-voice-iphone-app-rejected-current-gv-apps-lose-connectio/
======
crescendo
Apple is making a huge mistake here. I love my iPhone, but in the wake of this
GV business, I find myself seriously considering a switch to an Android phone.
I can't speak for everyone, but I'm sure I'm not the only iPhone fan out there
who feels this way.

~~~
bjplink
How many people out there know someone with an Android phone? I personally
don't know anyone but I run in a decidedly non-techie social circle.

I think we sometimes think our outrage over "huge mistakes" have something in
common with the general population's attitude when that is most definitely not
the case.

Issues like removing Google Voice apps to protect their core business won't
cause enough of a mass exodus to competing phones to make Apple flinch because
the majority of people interested in an iPhone don't give a damn or know what
Google Voice is.

Full disclosure: I'm an extremely satisfied iPhone owner.

~~~
ROFISH
I agree. I think all theses articles are nonsense because I have yet to get a
GV invite, and I have been waiting for one since it was GrandCentral. It's one
thing for Apple to block a popular, well-known service (and I mean Facebook
popular, not "I read TechCrunch daily popular"). It's another to block an
admittedly beta service that isn't even public.

As sad as it may be, the general consuming public doesn't care, or maybe
doesn't even know about the "plight of the developer" on the iPhone. The fact
of the matter is that as long as people get their Facebook and fart apps, the
general public is happy with their iPhone.

~~~
anigbrowl
I too have been wondering about the slowness of GV invites, but I finally got
mine. And it is everything they said it would be. Of course, it's not perfect;
text transcription of voicemail is pretty weak...but nevertheless, the tools
for managing it (playback through your browser, with word highlighting as it
plays back) are good enough for it to be useful.

Don't want to sound like I'm shilling for GV here, but it does feel like gmail
for your phone. Although this might not switch many or any away from the
iPhone, it's going to highlight the weakness of the walled garden approach,
and put off potential new buyers (like me).

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zacharypinter
"GV Mobile developer Sean Kovacs relays a phone call he had with Apple where
he was notified of his app being removed from the iTunes store for duplicating
built-in iPhone features."

It's worth noting that instead of actually addressing the AppStore approval
process, apple is trying to get around the controversy by sending rejections
by phone. The idea being that it's more difficult to show an official record
of Apple saying what they said. Ironically, Google voice can help there with
call recording :)

I wonder if Apple's worried about an upcoming lawsuit?

~~~
bkudria
Lesson learned: If you pick up the phone and it's Apple, request an email or
letter, and hang up. Or maybe, ask to start recording?

~~~
snprbob86
It would be easier to record if the call came in via Google Voice...

------
sfphotoarts
Vote with your feet, don't buy the iPhone. There are a lot of arguably better
smartphones out there that are not handicapped in the way that the iPhone is.

~~~
misuba
They're all handicapped in other ways, though. And sadly, the handicap that
seems to matter most to most people is "no apps."

Vote with your feet; write something cool for Android.

------
octover
The Apple apologists say it cuts into Apple's recurring revenue stream. This
is based on speculation that Apple is receiving a fixed amount per iPhone
subscriber every month. Though even this speculation says it is a fixed amount
for each subscriber and is not based on how much the monthly phone bill is.

I like my iPhone, I like developing for the iPhone, but moves like this are
making me reconsider.

------
teeja
I'm still waiting to read something about an Android fon written by someone
who can tell me about _its_ pitfalls. There's _very_ little press about them,
other than reactions to PR.

------
teilo
And once again, Apple is shooting itself in the foot. Do they really think
that Google will just lie back and take this? I mean, is it _really_ a good
idea to piss off a company that has: way more money, a massive talent pool, a
customer base which contains of a very large number of iPhone users, and _an
OS platform that directly completes with Apple's flagship product_?

~~~
dminor
I dunno, I think Google knows the DOJ is waiting for an excuse to come after
them, and it's hardly worth the risk over something that has no impact on
their bottom line.

~~~
jrockway
If anything, the iPhone rejection weakens any case against Google. Google
creates a way to make free phone calls. Google wants to let its competitors
use that, but the competitors won't allow it. Google is trying to play nice,
but Apple won't let them. They could restrict GV to Android, but they chose
not to.

~~~
mbreese
The potential DOJ interest in Google isn't about android, it's about
advertising. Playing nice in a non-core area won't win you any points from the
DOJ in another.

