Category: iPhone

Developer Pulls a 180 on Apple’s App Store Approval Process

Last April, an unnamed Australian developer wrote a lengthy blog post about how the media was wrong about the “evils” of Apple’s approval process for its iPhone App Store. It was flowery — full of rainbows, unicorns, and pots of gold. Here’s are a few lines from the post:

I love the app store and the amazing hassle-free distribution it provides and I only really have a few niggling concerns with how Apple has dealt with us, as developers.

I don’t think there’s that much that is ‘murky’ about their approval process, every time our apps have been rejected it has been for a reason that is documented in either an interface guidelines document, or some other part of their documentation. In my experience (and that’s all I can comment on) it’s extremely well documented as to what you can and can’t do.

Several weeks later, the developer has changed its tune. Its iPad application, MyFrame, is being removed from the App Store and it’s not sure why.

Our application is being removed for a very murky reason, one which is nowhere to be found in any documentation that Apple give us developers, even worse one which Apple themselves refuse to explain, or put in writing. Reminds me a little of Alice in Wonderland: ‘I think I should understand that better, if I had it written down: but I can’t quite follow it as you say it.’

The developer even emailed Steve Jobs and received an unsatisfactory response. One month was free or murk and the next was completely murky. It’s funny how things can change so quickly.

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Coffee Talk #152: Is Google Mobilizing a Fanboy Army?

At Google I/O 2010, I was fascinated by a number of comments delivered by vice president of engineering Vic Gundotra during the show’s keynote sessions. His not-subtle-at-all jabs against Apple were entertaining and a little curious. Here are two of my favorites.

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Celtics vs. Lakers, Bryan Danielson taking it to The Miz and Michael Cole, or walking the bases loaded to pitch to A-Rod, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

At Google I/O 2010, I was fascinated by a number of comments delivered by vice president of engineering Vic Gundotra during the show’s keynote sessions. His not-subtle-at-all jabs against Apple were entertaining and a little curious. Here are two of my favorites.

On why Google started Android:

If we did not act, we faced a draconian future where one man, one company, one carrier was the future.

On why Android OS will support Flash in contrast to iPhone OS shunning it:

It turns out, on the Internet…people use Flash!

Although Google I/O is a developers conference, the keynotes were being covered by the press and recorded so that millions of people could watch them on YouTube. Enticing developers to create for Google platforms is certainly the primary goal, but in this day and age, keynotes have a performance element to them as well. I was wondering what Gundotra was trying to achieve.

Over the weekend I read this great article by TechCrunch’s excellent MG Siegler about Android fanboys arriving. In the tech world, you won’t find a more passionate bunch of nerds than Apple fanboys. They will rip your heart out (you know, the Internet equivalent of ripping your heart out) if you tell them that the iPhone isn’t a form of sorcery or that Steve Jobs isn’t God’s other son. No group of fanboys comes close to matching their zeal, but they certainly need competition.

With Android 2.0 and the release of the Motorola Droid (late 2009 for both), the iPhone finally had a worthy competitor. Things have just been getting better and better for the platform with the release of the Nexus One, Android 2.1, and Droid Incredible. Soon the Evo 4G and Android 2.2 will be here to add fuel to the fire. Apple and Google are competing on so many fronts these days — advertising, web browsers, mobile operating systems, television, etc. Perhaps Gundotra’s comments were made to bring fanboys into the Google fold. If so, it’s a wise move.

In the end, Google will not be able to get its fanboys to be as passionate or numerous as Apple’s. In the end, it doesn’t matter. It just needs enough numbers to be a strong #2 or #3. As I told RPadholic smartguy recently, Google’s core competency is advertising and it doesn’t need to be #1 as long as it has millions of customers to serve ads to.

Apple Sells Two-Million iPads in Two Months

Apple has announced that it has sold two-million iPads in less than 60 days. Considering that the device is only (officially) available in certain countries, the number is extremely impressive. I expected the iPad to be tremendously successful, but this situation is different from the success of the iPod and iPhone. There were popular MP3 players before the iPod and popular smartphones before the iPhone. In both of those categories, Apple took things to another level be offering a refined and consumer-friendly experience. In the case of the iPad, Apple was the first company to bring tablet computing to the masses.

The iPad is just a fantastic device for media consumption. I know that a few of you had doubts about the iPad before its release. After seeing those sales figures, how do ya like ‘dem Apples?

AT&T Launches Free WiFi in Times Square NYC

In an interesting move that’s part cool and part “our network sure sucks in this town”, AT&T has launched a free WiFi program in New York City’s Times Square. AT&T customers with a WiFi capable smartphone or high-speed Internet device will be able to access the WiFi free of charge. It’s similar to how current customers can use the AT&T WiFi at Starbucks for free, but now they can get run over while they’re browsing on their iPhone while crossing 47th and 8th. Here’s a clip from the press release:

AT&T has installed Wi-Fi service in the north central part of Times Square, near 7th Avenue between 45th and 47th Street, to provide a large outdoor hotspot zone that AT&T users can access using any Wi-Fi enabled device. The AT&T Wi-Fi hotzone at Times Square is available at no additional charge for nearly 32 million AT&T customers with qualifying smartphone, 3G LaptopConnect and AT&T High Speed Internet plans.

The Times Square WiFi program will serve as a pilot. If it takes off then AT&T will deploy it in other cities. I know loads of San Francisco iPhone users that would love network congestion moved off of the mobile network and onto WiFi. While I take a fair share of shots at AT&T, I have to admit that this program is very cool.

Sam Mendes Directing iPhone HD Commercials

In a move that could only be described as “Apple Cool”, Cuppertino’s fruitiest company has nabbed Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Road to Perdition) to direct the launch commercials for the upcoming iPhone. One actor and one actress tweeted about their auditions for the commercial. Engadget added more:

A trusted source has confirmed to us that the ads will feature at least one spot where a mother and daughter are having a video chat conversation using the new front-facing camera that’s been spied on the face of that iPhone floating around Vietnam and Northern California.

Whether you love Apple or hate it (and I think most of you around here love it), it’s just completely cool that the company gets people like Sam Mendes to direct its commercials. That reminds me of this vision I keep having — if I ever win the lottery, I’m getting Alex Ross to paint my house.

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Disabled Woman Denied iPad Because She Wanted to Pay in Cash

Diane Campbell, a poor and disabled woman, was unable to purchase an iPad at a Palo Alto Apple Store because she wanted to pay in cash. Apple’s policy states that iPads can only be purchased with credit or debit cards. KGO-TV San Francisco reported:

Being disabled and on a fixed income, Campbell held off on buying a computer until the Apple iPad came along. It was small, mobile and perfect for her needs. So, little by little she saved up the $600 she needed to get one.

“It took quite a long time for me to just save up this small amount of money to go down and purchase one,” she said. “I had my cash in the backpack and I went up proudly to the counter and told them, ‘I would like to purchase an iPad.'”

“They said, ‘Sorry, we don’t take cash.'”

People are currently allowed to purchase two iPads with a credit or debit card, according to KGO-TV. The idea behind the policy is that Apple doesn’t want people buying up oodles of iPads, exporting them, and making a killing by selling them in regions where they aren’t available. I get that. The policy also makes it so that people like Campbell have difficulty buying a product. Sure, it might be easy to say, “Well go open a ‘free’ bank account or get a pre-paid credit card,” but shouldn’t she be able to use common currency to purchase goods?

*sigh* I think I’m just sensitive to money issues today. Sorry!

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The iPhone HD/4G Finder Was Ratted Out By His Roommate

Brian Hogan — the dude that “found” the iPhone HD/4G that made all the headlines in April — is probably guilty of a lot of things, but is certainly guilty of picking crappy roommates. According to Wired, Hogan was narced on by his roommate, Katherine Martinson. Here’s my favorite bit from the article:

“Sucks for him,” Hogan allegedly told Martinson about Powell. “He lost his phone. Shouldn’t have lost his phone.”

Martinson turned Hogan in, because Hogan had plugged the phone into her laptop in an attempt to get it working again after Apple remotely disabled it. She was convinced that Apple would be able to trace her Internet IP address as a result. “Therefore she contacted Apple in order to absolve herself of criminal responsibility,” according to the detective who wrote the affidavit.

Thinking back on the roommates I’ve had since my sophomore year in college, I can’t think of a single one that would have ratted me out. Let this be a lesson to you. Most of all, let this be a lesson to Brian Hogan. Pick your roommates wisely!

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Rumor: Apple Orders 10-Million CDMA iPhones From Pegatron

Here’s some interesting news for those of you wishing for an Apple iPhone on Verizon — Apple has allegedly ordered 10-million CDMA iPhones from Pegatron. Pegatron was formerly a division of Asustek and is not a Transformer. According to DigiTimes:

Pegatron Technology has received orders for an iPhone based on CDMA from Apple with annual shipments expected to reach 10 million units. The orders should start contributing to the Taiwan-based company’s revenues in August or September, according to sources from component makers.

As I mentioned the other day, Verizon’s ad agency is supposedly working on a campaign for an iPhone launch. The Pegatron rumor fits in nicely with that rumor to create a lovely iPhone-is-coming-to-Verizon-rumor sandwich.

Anyone else hungry?

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iPhone HD/4G Caught on Video

I love this video of the Apple iPhone HD/4G, but not because it shows off one of the most anticipated consumer electronic devices of 2010. Don’t get me wrong — that part is definitely cool, but this video’s use of the Vietnamese language and the Bee Gees is brilliant. I’m pretty sure this clip would win several awards at Cannes. Also, I can hear Steve Jobs asking, “And it’s me you need to show, how deep is your love?”

More iPhone / AT&T / Verizon Rumors

Ah, the rumors of the Apple iPhone going to Verizon and the speculation that it will remain exclusive with AT&T never end. Here’s a double dose for you today. First up is Engadget Mobile’s Nilay Patel, who confirmed that AT&T and Apple entered into a five-year contract in 2007, but questions whether it’s still valid:

Contracts can be canceled, amended, and breached in many ways, and AT&T’s spotty recent service history plus the explosion of the iPhone and the mobile market in general have given Apple any number of reasons to revisit the deal. In addition, the two companies obviously hit the negotiating table again to hammer out the iPad’s pricing plans, and there’s no way of knowing whether that deal involves the iPhone as well.

Next up is CrunchGear’s John Biggs. He received a tip that Verizon’s advertising agency is working on a campaign for the upcoming iPhone:

A company called Landor Associates “working on an advertising campaign” for Verizon for the upcoming iPhone (you know, the one that the police knocked down Jason Chen’s door down to get generally more information about?). Ladnor has been working on Verizon branding since 2007 and is, according to a tipster, now hard at work preparing for the iPhone HD launch.

Naturally I’m more interested in how these rumors impact your purchasing decisions. Are you going wait for an iPhone on Verizon or go with an excellent alternative like the HTC Incredible? Will you stick with AT&T if it remains America’s exclusive iPhone carrier? Share your feelings — like a Care Bear…or not — in the comments section (please)!

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