Apple’s removal of Google Voice apps last week prompted 2 high-profile individuals to publicly renounce iPhone ownership. First, Mac software developer Steven Frank was so furious with the removal that he decided to switch to a Palm Pre. Second, TechCrunch founder Michael Arrington was equally pissed, so he penned a post titled “I Quit The iPhone” and announced that he’d be switching to an Android phone.
Are these guys for real?
Now the iTunes App Store admittedly has had its fair share of speed-bumps, but if you get rid of the iPhone because Apple removed Google Voice, it makes me wonder why you even had an iPhone to begin with? Is 1 application so crucial to your existence that without it you’re inclined to switch phones? Or are you taking a stand against Apple’s somewhat convoluted and ambiguous app store approval process?
Either way, who gives a shit? It’s somewhat mind boggling how people can be so self-righteous as to think that they’re sticking it to the man by moving on from the iPhone over the removal of a single app in a sea of 65,000. It’d be one thing if people absolutely and unequivocally needed Google Voice, but come on, iPhone users have been happily going about their business without it for 2 years now. And yes, AT&T blows, but if you’re stuck in an area with shitty coverage, wouldn’t you have switched by now?
Frank writes in his article,
Was Apple behind the rejection? AT&T? Who cares?
Well, as of now, it appears that AT&T was behind the removal and despite what Frank writes, it does make a difference. The iPhone doesn’t live in a vacuum. It’s a product that relies on AT&T providing acceptable cell-phone coverage, a responsibility that they haven’t quite lived up to. But for whatever reason, people are so quick to disparage Apple that they admittedly concede that it doesn’t even matter to them if Apple was behind the removal of Google Voice apps.
TechDirt hits the nail on the head when it writes that many of these holier-than-thou individuals who dump the iPhone in an ill-conceived attempt at protest are failing to see what the iPhone actually is.
So why do so many criticize the iPhone, if it’s so great? I think it’s because they make the classic marketing mistake of thinking “It’s all about ME.” It isn’t. The iPhone haters see the limitations (hard keys, cut/paste, tethering…) of the phone, and they focus on how the phone doesn’t have any tech breakthrough or meet THEIR specific needs. But the mass market is what really matters in business. Is the mass market even aware of the limitations of their iPhone? If you told one of them, would they care? They would tell you that, on the contrary, their iPhone has not limited them, it has empowered them to access the mobile services and networks that have been “available” since 2000, but were blocked by poor user experiences and walled gardens.
First they came for the iPhone, then they came for the BlackBerry..
Frank correctly points out that Google Voice is available on a number of BlackBerry devices. But is there any doubt that if BlackBerry users started using the app en masses that AT&T would force RIM to remove the app as well?
Frank writes,
But forget developers. You, the consumer, are getting screwed too. You are missing out on some great software that’s available on other phones on the same network, without issue, for no apparent logical reason.
I disagree. What great software are users missing out on.. SlingPlayer? NetShare? I think I’ll be able to survive without them no matter how cool they might be. And the reason they’re not there is because of AT&T. I mean, tethering is already supported in a number of overseas markets, so how can you blame Apple’s approval process for hindering tethering apps here in the US?
I’m not trying to argue that the app store is perfect as it of course has a number of kinks, but overall it’s a great place for consumers to purchase great apps. Many, if not most, of the app store removals have either been because of tasteless content or at the behest of AT&T.
Frank also writes,
But at least my conscience is clear. I hope change is coming. I’m really going to miss my iPhone terribly.
Oh come on, that’s just being a tad over-dramatic, don’t ya think? And if he’s really going to miss it, then why bother switching at all? And quite comically, he notes that he’s going to switch over to a Palm Pre, a platform that doesn’t even have a Google Voice app available. And he then writes that “Sprint’s coverage sucks in my neighborhood.” Seriously?! Well at least his conscience is clear, whatever that’s supposed to mean.
2 years ago, iPhone owners were clamoring for third party apps. Now there are well over 65,000 of them, but people are still bitching because not everything is up to their liking. Well to them I say, “Get over yourselves.”
August 3rd, 2009 at 12:17 pm
“Now there are well over 65,000 of them, but people are still bitching because not everything is up to their liking.”
Frankly, if a product or service is not up to par, I’m not going to buy it. Even if it has a shiny Apple logo on it.
I’m going to start a new trend, and I’m hoping others will join in. Whenever some Mac columnist mentions 65,000 apps, I’m going to mention that Windows has significantly more applications available than Mac OS X. Therefore, Windows must be the better product.
65,000 apps doesn’t mean anything if it doesn’t include the 1 app that I need. I don’t care how many tip calculators, digital whoopie-cushions, or glorified web pages the app store has.
August 3rd, 2009 at 1:03 pm
I can understand how, if someone bought the iPhone with the expectation of using it to run Google Voice, that person would be unhappy if they were prohibited with doing so. If these guys bought iPhones for that reason, then they are justified in returning their iPhones for refund.
Otherwise, this smells like BS. Is the iPhone no longer everything it was when they bought it?
August 3rd, 2009 at 1:48 pm
Steve W.: These two high-profile folk are engaging in a time-honored old-fashioned form of protest known as a “boycott.” The point is not to switch to something better, but to protest a policy with which they disagree–even if it means a personal sacrifice. Personally, I don’t feel so exercised about the App Store’s opaque and frustrating approval process that I’d give up my iPhone, but I can’t fault those who feel more strongly. Yes, they may end up with a less capable or enjoyable phone as a result, but their goal is not to switch to a better phone but to register a protest. Garnering media attention is the point of the exercise, and it appears to have had some success.
August 3rd, 2009 at 2:01 pm
I applaud Steven Frank and others that drop the iPhone. As soon as my contract is I up plan on doing the same.
For me, it’s not over anything as trivial as a single application, although I *do* use Google Voice. It’s also not over the “speed bumps” the app store has experienced.
It’s over the outright hostility towards developers from Apple. They’re actively fucking with people’s livelihoods without so much as an apology. It’s clear that Apple despises the fact that they had to allow third parties on *their* phone just to be competitive.
The ridiculous bullshit and information blackhole that iPhone developers have to put up with from Apple is disgraceful.
This is why people are leaving for admittedly inferior devices and feel good about it.
August 3rd, 2009 at 2:43 pm
I read somewhere that AT&T publicly stated that they had nothing to do w/the removal of Google Voice. I can’t be bothered to find a reference.
August 3rd, 2009 at 3:16 pm
Premature!
First I think Apple is crazy to do this or allow this to happen. That said, can everyone just take a breath? Seriously this is way out of hand. Think about the reality of this.
GOOGLE has not fully released the product. Why didn’t GOOGLE fully release the product? Why do I have to sign up for an invitation If GOOGLE is worried about the impact of letting the masses on their service. isn’t it reasonable for Apple and AT&T to have a few weeks/months to evaluate the product before legal action is brought?
So as unreasonable as I think this is for Apple to do I think it is more unreasonable to be attacking them a week after the soft launch of a new internet service.
Just my $.02 worth
August 3rd, 2009 at 7:12 pm
Rich, are you a developer? I am, with seven apps in the App Store (six free, one for $0.99). I’ve made a total of $40 so far, clearly this is not a money-making deal for me. I mention this to demonstrate that I’m not afraid of Apple taking my livelihood away if I criticize them.
You seem very angry about Apple’s treatment of developers (“outright hostility”, “fucking”, “despises”, “ridiculous bullshit”). I’ve received no ridiculous bullshit from Apple during my development process, nor did I notice any information blackhole. The terms of service are clearly laid out. For each of the submissions I’ve made that were rejected, I received a short but clear explanation of where my submission did not meet the terms of service.
Since I work in a company that has an 18 month budget cycle and a five year planning cycle, and regularly work on projects that take months, I find the two week turnaround for App Store submissions refreshing.
That’s one developer’s perspective.
August 3rd, 2009 at 11:06 pm
Can I have his iPhone? 🙂
August 4th, 2009 at 2:36 am
@Peter: “65,000 apps doesn’t mean anything if it doesn’t include the 1 app that I need.” So, you purchased the product before it supported that 1 app you needed? It’s one thing to say I’m not going to buy an iPhone because it doesn’t support GV. It’s another to say, well, now that they’ve rejected that app, I’m giving it up. And the latter is pretty stupid.
It’s akin to all those people who complained that the price was dropped after they had purchased their iPhones. What, you didn’t *really* mean to spend that much on the product? Absolutely nothing about the product has changed – it’s entirely the user’s perception that has.
@Rich: “It’s over the outright hostility towards developers from Apple.” There’s a difference between hostility and incompetence.
August 4th, 2009 at 3:34 am
@Peter: “65,000 apps doesn’t mean anything if it doesn’t include the 1 app that I need.” So, you purchased the product before it supported that 1 app you needed? It’s one thing to say I’m not going to buy an iPhone because it doesn’t support GV. It’s another to say, well, now that they’ve rejected that app, I’m giving it up. And the latter is pretty stupid.
It’s akin to all those people who complained that the price was dropped after they had purchased their iPhones. What, you didn’t *really* mean to spend that much on the product? Absolutely nothing about the product has changed – it’s entirely the user’s perception that has.
@Rich: “It’s over the outright hostility towards developers from Apple.” There’s a difference between hostility and incompetence.
OH! You’re my new favorite blogger fyi
August 4th, 2009 at 4:58 am
Indignation. Hostility? Who cares? Instead of just giving up their iPhones quietly, they need to announce it. They are definitely trying to stick it to Apple because they feel that Apple is unfair to developers and users. I think these people that are so down on Apple and the iPhone should just cool off for a while. Apple may change their decision on GV. It’s happened before with other apps. I don’t believe that Apple is trying to deliberately handicap their own platform. There must be a conflict and maybe Apple is trying to resolve it. It’s just that getting bent out of shape because one app is rejected seems a little extreme. One app out of 65,000 really seems like a trifle.
The iPhone platform is evolving and Apple probably has definite goals or plans and maybe the Google app is in the way. Maybe. These users should just take the good with the bad and I would think the good far outweighs the bad. I really don’t believe the other mobile platforms will never have any problems with apps but maybe I’m wrong. I believe most of the developers and users of the iPhone are happy and Apple should try to please the majority at the expense of a few. As an Apple investor, I’m going with Apple’s decision.
For those that are upset enough to toss their iPhone over one or two incidents, fine. Good luck with your new smartphone. You should be able to exercise your choices. Every time you run into a problem just chuck your cellphone and get another.
August 4th, 2009 at 11:15 am
It’s not the 1 app that is at issue, it’s the imperiousness. I thought Microsoft was the evil empire.
August 9th, 2009 at 12:12 pm
I have to say that some people are missing the point completely, at least from my point of view. This isn’t about shunning apple or the Iphone. It’s simply about the fact that there are now other alternatives. I’m switching to an android phone for example. I find it’s usability on par with the iphone. As far as apps go, it’s simply my situation that the apps I want to use, the ones that are useful to me, are almost all jailbreak only apps. I can do this without a hack on android. 65k apps has done me no good apparently. Another factor, I’ve tethered every phone I’ve owned for 5 years, why would I want to have to hack my phone to do it?
It’s just simply a case of android phones being goo enough, without any hassle.