NetShare banned from AppStore

[MacBytes]

Category: News and Press Releases
Link: NetShare banned from AppStore
Description:: With no official tethering solution in sight, Apple closes the door on the one commercial solution...

Posted on MacBytes.com
Approved by Mudbug

[Saladinos]

Where does this leave existing customers? Apple should guarantee compatibility (or allow for service upgrades), or refund existing customers if the application breaks.

I didn't know, when I bought NetShare, about the industry politics meaning my purchase was likely to stop working without notice or potential for fixes (well, alright, I did, but some people may not have). We're customers, and we paid for this application. We have the right to expect it to work.

[robanga]

I bought it for the day it was up and never got it to work for some reason. (although I did not try that hard I admit)

Tethering would be nice from AT&T, then I could drop the second phone with its data plan that does work for tethering.

[alphaod]

It would be nice to get a refund, considering I bought the app expecting to get an iPhone, but I never did and never will.

[hotshotharry]

What a shame!!! Apple really needs to loosen their grip...

This will just make the jail breaking community all that much stronger !

I know i am going that route now since apple is restricting every thing far too much!

[m2uk]

I canclled my waited purchase of an Iphone 3g and bought a Nokia e71 and share the wifi with my ipod touch instead. The b.s. coming from Apple with this app, Podcaster etc is leaving this long term Apple fan a little uneasy. Sure I love my iMac and Touch but something as important as the phone (in its own context) I am not going to start carrying two phones just to pleaase Apple.

[mel64]

Apple has started it progress to the Dark Side and they will become the evil empire.

[ntrigue]

I have a $4.99 donation waiting for you in Cydia

Actually iPhoneModem is already there...

[Rybold]

I think AT&T's reasoning is that they would rather have that bandwidth available to sign up more iPhone users instead of allowing current iPhone users to essentially use their phones a modems for their computers. If they allowed millions of people to use Netshare, I'm sure a large number of people would be using it as the primary modem for their computer. This would REALLY create a problem for AT&T's bandwidth. You think your iPhone's connection is slow now ... just wait until everyone is using it as a computer modem! Then the servers will REALLY be slow!

Apple and AT&T are missing out on an opportunity though. The could make more money by converting Netshare to a paid service. Just as Black Berry users can pay an extra $30 per month for the tethering service, AT&T and Apple could do the same thing with Netshare.

I think the reason they are allowing existing Netshare users to continue to use the App is so that they can study those users' usage patterns and get an idea of the comparison of data usage between the average Netshare user and the average non-Netshare iPhone user. Think of it as "guinnea pigs;" a test run.

[OS X Dude]

Originally Posted by mel64

Apple has started it progress to the Dark Side and they will become the evil empire.

Darth Jobs? Or maybe he's the Emperor whilst Jon Ive is the Darth

I'd laugh if at Macworld Steve came out dressed as Vader lol

On topic, i didn't know this was still available so recently. Was it on the UK store?

[Erick880]

Originally Posted by Rybold

I think AT&T's reasoning is that they would rather have that bandwidth available to sign up more iPhone users instead of allowing current iPhone users to essentially use their phones a modems for their computers. If they allowed millions of people to use Netshare, I'm sure a large number of people would be using it as the primary modem for their computer. This would REALLY create a problem for AT&T's bandwidth. You think your iPhone's connection is slow now ... just wait until everyone is using it as a computer modem! Then the servers will REALLY be slow!

The thing that stinks the most, is that here in Australia we pay for a finite amount of data per month, so I have one GB. Our phone companies have no problem with tethering phones, as if you go over, you just pay more (at a rate higher than you would probably wish to).

They should at least allow NetShare to be in the iTunes store for countries where the service provider is not stoopid ole AT&T and where tethering is okay.

[thefunkymunky]

Why is it what happens in the US affects the whole world? What about countries where tethering is allowed? The UK and O2 for example allow tethering.

[a456]

Not good. Apple has always advertised itself as being for designers, film makers and photographers who are on the road and in out of touch places. But this shows the iPhone's true colours - it is intended as a consumer item not a productivity tool. It may do a little bit of office business, providing workers with email on the train home, but it doesn't empower the core Mac user group.

[Rybold]

Originally Posted by a456

Not good. Apple has always advertised itself as being for designers, film makers and photographers who are on the road and in out of touch places. But this shows the iPhone's true colours - it is intended as a consumer item not a productivity tool. It may do a little bit of office business, providing workers with email on the train home, but it doesn't empower the core Mac user group.

I highly doubt this was Apple's decision. I'm pretty sure AT&T's CEO called Apple's CEO on the phone and said "Our networks won't be able to keep up if everyone out there with an iPhone is running this Netshare software. You need to remove it from the App Store or else you are going to have millions of iPhone users complaining about a slow and jammed network." And upon hearing that, I'm sure Steve gave his orders to have Netshare excommunicated in an instant.

[yetanotherdave]

Originally Posted by thefunkymunky

Why is it what happens in the US affects the whole world? What about countries where tethering is allowed? The UK and O2 for example allow tethering.

I thought it was prohibited in the iPhone specific t&c for O2?

[a456]

Well, maybe the 3G network can't handle an unlimited amount of people demanding an unlimited amount of data, and maybe, just maybe AT & T have the right to be concerned that people will replace their home broadband with a tethered iPhone.

But in reality these days most households have two or more computers networked together sharing an Internet connection. Those savvy enough to ditch their home broadband and connect all the computers through a single iPhone will be low in number. (Especially, since as soon as the iPhone goes mobile the connection will be lost for all, and will need to be reestablished every time this happens.) The majority will want to tether when away from home for a very short time - to send a file, for example from their computer (not currently possible from the file viewing programs available - but if enabled would reduce tethering need even further).

Time tethered is time not surfing on the iPhone, so no increase in use there. And if the phone dropped the tethering when an incoming call was received then this would also lower the practicality of using it as an everyday means of getting online. (Users should be able to opt to turn off incoming calls though, otherwise frustration could hit boiling point and many friends could be lost.)

[citrate]

Expect a big increase in Jail Broken iPhones from this moment on!

[a456]

Originally Posted by citrate

Expect a big increase in Jail Broken iPhones from this moment on!

Yes. Just like the lack of a PAYG phone drove people to buy unlocked and jailbroken phones from suspect sources. A lot of these people don't want to jailbreak, they want to buy legitimately and they want to use legitimate software.

[Hawkeye411]

Originally Posted by citrate

Expect a big increase in Jail Broken iPhones from this moment on!

Yes! If you need tethering, I bet there is an apple available for JB iPhones!

[Malcster]

Hopefully the amount of fuss caused by this makes Apple realise how much an official solution for this is required.

As a UK o2 customer there is nothing in my contract to stop me tethering (used to all the time on my N95) so i should be allowed to pay nullriver for this application and use it.

o2 have no issue with me using it providing i follow the fair use agreement.

[Fidgetyrat]

I cannot fathom why people are upset with Apple on this one. Tethering is against AT&T's service policy. Why should Apple allow a program to be sold that goes against their contract with AT&T

Some people need to complain about everything. At least they let you keep the program rather then just removing it and forcing people to be out $$

I understand for people outside the US that don't have tethering restrictions, but it would be impossible for Apple to limit app downloads to those who are on certain carriers.

[a456]

Originally Posted by Fidgetyrat

At least they let you keep the program rather then just removing it and forcing people to be out $$

They posted the App on their specially vetted site. People downloading it would expect not to buy illegal downloads from Apple's own site. If they scrap it, they need to refund people's $$

[rcfa]

I used to pay $20 for unlimited internet use through my Ericsson T39m, which worked as a BT modem for my mac.
I gave that up, because it was somewhat slow, and with Safari on the iPhone, I can do most of the "emergency" internet access I need without tethering.
So giving up these $20 made the 1G iPhone calling plan reasonable and affordable.

The 3G calling plan is another $15/month more expensive, and tethering is still not allowed. There is only one consequence for me: buy an unlocked iPhone from oversease, jailbreak it, and then use a 3G iPhone with a 1G calling plan and tethering over a VPN for when I need it.

Apple is doing too well. Unfortunately, the sad truth is, that Jobs & Co. only listen to customers when the company is suffering, the moment things go well, they turn arrogant.

That was true for NeXT, it's true for Apple.

I hate to say it, but it's gotten to the point where I wish for Apple to do worse again, just so they start listening again.

[babyj]

I think Apple and the mobile phone companies are making something out of nothing. All you need are sensible fair usage caps and there isn't a problem. Whilst you get unlimited data with the O2 iPhone plans, I accept that means fair usage and if I started using Gb's every month there would be a problem.

I've been using NetShare a fair bit recently and provided you don't do anything stupid (such as big downloads) it doesn't use that much more data than usual. I'm still averaging well under 200Mb a month, which isn't that much.

Obvious solution is for them to offer it as an extra option, kind of stupid they don't already as most mobile phone companies offer it with other plans.

[Full of Win]

Originally Posted by hotshotharry

What a shame!!! Apple really needs to loosen their grip...

This will just make the jail breaking community all that much stronger !

I know i am going that route now since apple is restricting every thing far too much!

Ever think that Apple might be contractually obligated to do this? Since I've not seen the contract, I cannot say either way, just something to consider.