Image Source: www.appvault.com
Seeing the number of apps in the App Store grow exponentially has been nothing short of fascinating. No one – not even Apple – could have predicted how overwhelmingly successful the store would become. This, then, begs the question: Was Apple ready?
We’ve all read the stories, blogs, tweets, and message board posts from angry developers and fans claiming that their favorite app was rejected by Apple for no good reason. While these people could use some perspective – after all, managing a store of over 100 thousand applications is no easy task – it does call into question Apple’s App Store’s approval process. No one is really sure how it works.
This latest tale, laid out at AppVault’s blog site, only adds to the intrigue of the mysterious App Store.
Two similar applications – AppVault and AppBox – are butting heads, and Apple is caught square in the middle. The story allegedly goes like this: AppBox complained to Apple that AppVault was too similar of an app to AppBox and that it infringed on their app’s copyrights. A week or so later, without warning or a provided reason, Apple yanked AppVault from the App Store. AppVault claims to have attempted to resolve the issue with AppBox and Apple, but to no avail.
Again, I stress that this is all alleged and that I have not independently confirmed what exactly went down between all of the involved parties. But assuming that this is close to what really happened, it casts an even darker shadow over Apple’s approval process.
Image Source: e2ndesign.blogspot.com
Why did Apple pull the app without first contacting AppVault? Shouldn’t they have given the developer time to respond? It seems odd to pull an app from the store just because a competing app has some claims against it.
Even if we assume Apple did their research and decided that pulling the app was the right thing to do, their lack of communication is a bit unsettling. Much like managing the App Store, developing an app is no easy task. It takes time and dedication. Imagine spending a few months creating an app, only to have it yanked from the store with no explanation given.
We will probably never know what really happened in this particular case, but the questions it raises remain relevant regardless. Should Apple define the App Store approval process more clearly and publicly? Or do you think that, since it’s their store, they are entitled to make up rules on the fly and in this cloud of secrecy?
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Comparing two binary modules the AppBox Pro and the AppVault Pro, I found there are same 193 exactly same files exist. The AppVault Pro copied it’s data file from the AppBox Pro binary.
We are all for free competition in the market—naturally! However, I actually checked into this and let the truth be known that the initial launch of AppVault was 98% identical to AppBox. I’m talking colors, graphics, menus, you name it. I heard that even a bunch of the code was at some point directly copied…. Sure, now they have back-peddled and have added some features and altered some of the designs, but they chose the easy route to begin with. It was unfair, dishonest and misleading to customers–and very likely illegal. Shame on AppVault for trying to cut corners and then crying when the other company simply tries to protect their rights. Think of it this way…What if someone took a popular book, copied the pages verbatim as well as the cover design, changed only a few letters in the title and then re-printed and tried to sell as their own? Even if they later tried to cover this up, added chapters, etc…It was still clearly Intellectual Property theft. I for one wouldn’t buy that book if I knew the full story.
I see a link to AppVault’s side of the story; it would be great to get the other side as well.
Take care!
Sam
PS, Agreed that Apple should notify developers when they pull software from the site.
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