Edible Apple

For some reason, Google Books appears to have been wholly removed from the iTunes App Store. First observed by 9to5Mac, they theorized that it might have been a temporary glitch, but it’s now been quite a few days and still no sign of the app. Users attempting to access the Google Books app page are now greeted with an error message that reads, “Your request could not be completed. The item you’ve requested is not currently available in the US store.”

So why is it gone now?  The timing with Apple’s new, controversial Terms of Service would seem like the most obvious explanation.

Was Google in violation of Apple’s new in-app purchase terms of service?

And now we have word from Gotta be Mobile that the Google Books app did, in fact, violate Apple’s new iTunes TOS. Apparently the app had a “Get eBooks” button that directed users to Google’s eBook store. Naughty naughty.