Edible Apple

The Whitepages launched its Localicious mobile OS app today, but you won’t find it in the iTunes App Store just yet. Indeed, if you want to download the app, you’ll have to check out that Android Market instead.

Here’s why, courtesy of All Things D:

Although WhitePages still sees iPhone owners as a key target, Apple’s approval process is just too difficult to time a launch around. As evidence, the Seattle company notes that one of its apps, a reverse phone lookup directory, has been in Apple’s hands for the past two months awaiting approval. So, this time around, the company decided to go Android first.

“I think we are going to see a lot of people start to ship Android first,” WhitePages Chief Operating Officer Kevin Nakao told AllThingsD. “You can’t be held hostage.”

Localicious isn’t the first app that WhitePages did first for Android. The company also has launched a Caller ID app for Android after finding, like others that wanted to offer such a service for iPhone, that Apple wouldn’t allow the needed access.

Even when Apple does approve apps, it generally doesn’t give a clear enough time frame to fully plan a launch, Nakao said.

Ah, we haven’t heard this kinda story in a while. It’s like we’ve been transported back to 2009!