Apple Showing Leniency Toward iPhone Apps?
Is Apple taking a more lenient approach to approving App Store developers? After being beaten about the head and shoulders for it penchant to toss violators, the Cupertino, Calif. has approved a number of applications that used private software references. In the latest case, Apple approved iSimulate with only a warning.
“While your application has not been rejected, it would be appropriate to resolve this issue in your next update,” Apple e-mailed developer Vimov. The problem: iSumulate uses a private API to gain access to the iPhone’s multi-touch and accelerometer features.
In two other instances, Apple approved video-streaming apps Knocking Live Video and Ustream Live Broadcaster. They too violate Apple’s rule against using private APIs but were approved. (Although we later learned Apple CEO Steve Jobs may have personally okayed Knocking Live Video, despite its earlier rejection.)
The apparent shift is only the latest move Apple has made in an effort to keep developers from jumping ship to another platform. In September, the company provided some tutorials and explained to developers how the process worked. In November, Apple introduced a way for developers with applications in the pipeline to check on the status online, rather than via email. This month, Apple added a RSS feed for developers to learn more.
- Via AppleInsider and iPhoneCentral
Ed Sutherland is a veteran technology journalist who first heard of Apple when they grew on trees, Yahoo was run out of a Stanford dorm and Google was an unknown upstart. Since then, Sutherland has covered the whole technology landscape, concentrating on tracking the trends and figuring out the finances of large (and small) technology companies.
