Apple rips off student's rejected iPhone app

  • Thread starter Thread starter kingrob
  • Start date Start date
K

kingrob

Guest
Apple is famous for going to absurd lengths to enforce its patents and trademarks. It recently sued Amazon for calling its app store Appstore. And it has publicly lectured competitors to “create their own original technology, not steal ours”.

But the company isn't always as fastidious about respecting the ideas of others. Consider the case of UK-based developer Greg Hughes. Last year, his app for wirelessly syncing iPhones with iTunes libraries was unceremoniously rejected from the official App Store. The software developer took the denial in stride, submitting Wi-Fi Sync to the Cydia store for jailbroken iPhones, where the app is a top seller.

Fast forward to Monday, when Apple unveiled a set of new features for the upcoming iOS 5, including the same wireless-syncing functionality. Cupertino wasn't even subtle about the appropriation, using the precise name and a near-identical logo to market the technology.

“Obviously I was fairly shocked,” said Hughes, referring to his reaction on Monday when he saw the new feature promoted on Apple's website. “I'd been selling my app with that name and icon for at least a year. Apple knew that, as I'd submitted it to them, so it was surprising to see that.”

A student at the University of Birmingham finishing his third year in the Computer Science program, Hughes said Wi-Fi Sync was rejected from the iTunes App Store in May, 2010, one month after he submitted it. He said an iPhone developer relations representative named Steve Rea personally called him prior to sending a formal rejection email to say the app was admirable, but went on to explain there were unspecified security concerns and that it did things not specified in the official iPhone software developers' kit.

“They did say that the iPhone engineering team had looked at it and were impressed,” Hughes told El Reg. “They asked for my CV as well.”

Since the official rejection, Hughes's app has become one of the most popular offered in the Cydia store, with more than 50,000 sold in the past 13 months. Throughout that time, Wi-Fi Sync has cost $9.99, not including occasional promotional discounts. Hughes declined to say how much he has grossed in sales, but it's probably fair to say the sum is considerable for a college undergrad and almost certainly would have been much higher had his app been available to people who hadn't jailbroken their iPhones.

As Apple strives to maintain the allure of its aging iDevice lineup, it's inevitable that the company will integrate features and technologies into the underlying iOS that were once considered ancillary. Microsoft learned the dark side of this success story decades ago, and it has been branded as an imitator rather than an innovator ever since.

Apple's obsession with protecting what it perceives as its intellectual property is so great, it's impossible to generate an exhaustive list. Other recent examples include app store police's rejection of an iPhone app for using Apple images meant specifically for developers and the suing of a teenager who sold White iPhone 4 conversion kits.

But the next time Steve Jobs and company chides a competitor for blatant copying, remember that in the world in which Apple – and indeed any dominant company – resides, originality is in the eye of the Goliaths.

The Davids, it seems, don't stand a chance.
Click to expand...

Full story here : http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/06/08/apple_copies_rejected_app/
 
moer said:
I would boycott Apple if thats true
Click to expand...

Appears to be true, I wonder how many apps did they copy. I won't be surprised if more developers start coming forward with similar claims
 
Kingrob, you and The Rat should start your own iHate.co.za website where you can post all your anti Apple drivel to your heart's content. This topic has been dealt with in another thread where an Android fan - Elimentals - showed objectivity and offered good reasoning. Some fandroids are unfortunately objectively damaged beyond repair.
 
marine1 said:
Another reason I will never purchase anything Apple
Click to expand...

If you won't purchase Apple products because of something like this, then how do you justify buying any MS Products, Intel Products, AMD Products, basically ANY commerical technology product?
 
But my question still stands... if this is a reason, then how do you justify buying any other technology product out there?
 
iHaters never gonna buy anything Apple anyway... They just like telling us why, again and again and again and again... and again.
 
greg0205 said:
iHaters never gonna buy anything Apple anyway... They just like telling us why, again and again and again and again... and again.
Click to expand...
Well you have to admit there's something to this story, besides, why the windoze linux apple debates get personal so quickly is beyond me. Preferences and variety are the spice of life. Imagine a world without linux, windows or apple... with only one of the three...
 
There half a dozen or more apps on the app store making use of wireless syncing protocols, I use 2, AVPlayer and FlashDrive. This story is more to do with a disgruntled developer than Apple stealing a piece of code that they couldn't manufacturer for themselves...

In any event why would Apple include wireless sync free in their iOS update rather than sell it at a profit on the appstore for $2.99...??
 
sandmanm34 said:
Yip, any negative press for Apple and the thread starters are falling over themselves to post it on mybb...
Click to expand...

Actually it goes both ways, as I have seen WP and BB and Apple users do the same, like I said its perfectly fine as long as we dont make it personal. Its the same with Xbox vs PS3 or Nvidia vs ATI or even Microsoft vs Linux....
 
Elimentals said:
Actually it goes both ways, as I have seen WP and BB and Apple users do the same, like I said its perfectly fine as long as we dont make it personal. Its the same with Xbox vs PS3 or Nvidia vs ATI or even Microsoft vs Linux....
Click to expand...
What duplicate threads started about the same non-issue? Linky?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X