France Asks EU to Examine Apple's Removal of AppGratis From the App Store

[Plutonius]

I disagree. McDonald's makes Big Macs, but Apple doesn't make AppGratis. The AppGratis developers should have the option to sell it anywhere, and as a user I should be able to buy it from wherever I like.

Agreed. I think a Ford auto dealership should sell VWs and that I should be able to buy any brand of car in any dealership.

 

[4TheLoveOfTech]

He left the part out that said his business was founded on a practice that was very clearly not allowed in the developer agreement. They didn't just change the agreement, they just started enforcing something that was already there. He may have a chance if apple just changed the policies after the fact, but I don't think he has much of a case here. If his investors were too stupid to read his business plan, not apple's fault. He can go develop for android now.

So this guy works his behind of for 5 years on a global product and Apple just decides to say By the way you're screwed we're pulling your App.

By the way he is hiring a Senior Android Developer in France. This guy and his employees deserve better than Apple.

Edit.
And Tim Cook apology letter in 3...2...

 

[Bubba Satori]

Apple should just buy the EU and replace the Euro with iTunes giftcards.

 

[waveboreale]

Apparently, Apple is now the EU's biggest cash-cow and ticket out of this economic depression.

You sir are just a troll

 

[Stella]

Agreed. I think a Ford auto dealership should sell VWs and that I should be able to buy any brand of car in any dealership.

There are many dealerships. One apple.

If apple rejects your app you cannot sell it anywhere else.

 

[apolloa]

Yeap, opened the thread, read the first page, pretty much concluded the usual trash talking un-intelligent childish arrogant (American?) responses to the story...

leave thread... hmm seems to be a running theme on here lately.

 

[Derpage]

Last time I checked, it was Apples' App Store. They own it, they curate it. What is there to examine?

Last time I checked, France was a sovereign state which can and has banned corporations from doing business in their country for not playing by their rules.

 

[Bubba Satori]

There are many dealerships. One apple.

If apple rejects your app you cannot sell it anywhere else.

When you're in the Mafia's neighborhood, you do what you're told, shut up and pay your 30% business fee.
If you don't like it, tell Tony, er, Tim about it.

 

[cocky jeremy]

This. AppGratis supposedly just closed a multi-million dollar seed funding round. Now the company has effectively been shut down by Apple.

It is not in the public interest for Apple to have that amount of power over other businesses. Only the law should have that power.

Develop for Android then. There are other places they can make their app for. It's Apple App Store, if they don't want it, they shouldn't add it. Besides, Apple made rules, they clearly saw their app went against Apple's rules. It isn't Apple's fault the idiots raised money to build an app that is clearly not even allowed on the App Store.

 

[roxxette]

99.99% of apps are third party. I don't get your statement at all.

I guess he meant apps outside of the appstore.

 

[NUR6]

Last time I checked, France was a sovereign state which can and has banned corporations from doing business in their country for not playing by their rules.

From the Reuters article "In an email to Reuters, Apple said it had had a discussion with AppGratis before removing it from its platform and that the company had disregarded its technical specifications."

So you agree with Apple in principle.

 

[waveboreale]

Apple should just buy the EU and replace the Euro with iTunes giftcards.

Maybe you could purchase a brain at Walmart for a change ?

 

[adnbek]

I'm pro-Apple but threads like these are embarrassing when I see unabashed fanboys that'll defend anything Apple does or defend it from *any* criticism even when it's legit. I saw this back when iFixit criticized them for the low reparability of their products... oh, the amount of venom that was thrown at iFixit such as being evil and profiteering just made me cringe. Kinda reminds me of gun fanatics for some reason in gun threads.

And can someone care to explain the rule about apps not being allowed to advertise other apps? I see it all the time in tons of apps so I don't understand why it's being enforced here.

In any case, this was wrong on Apple's part. Their desire for control goes too far sometimes and the negative backlash will hurt them in the eyes of consumers.

 

[herr_neumann]

Yeap, opened the thread, read the first page, pretty much concluded the usual trash talking un-intelligent childish arrogant (American?) responses to the story...

leave thread... hmm seems to be a running theme on here lately.

Or some of us noting the antibusiness climate in France for non-French companies.
A bit dated, but still a good read on the hurdles to doing business in France:
http://www.invest-in-france.org/Med...ss-in-france-english-version-october-2012.pdf

 

[Schmitty11]

Since when did the EU rule USA?

Since when does Apple only do business in the USA? There's a whole world out there. Apply for a passport and go see it!

 

[Bubba Satori]

Maybe you could purchase a brain at Walmart for a change ?

"When one speaks to another man who doesn't understand him,
and when the man who's speaking no longer understands, it's metaphysics." François-Marie Arouet

 

[genovelle]

This is true, but Apple doesn't fit that definition. They don't even hold half the market which I'd call an extremely bare minimum for having this conversation.

thats not true. The difference is Apple has the device too. Apple allows them in their store as a privilege. Try breaking the guidelines for xbox or PS3 and see if you are allowed on the platform.

----------

There are many dealerships. One apple.

If apple rejects your app you cannot sell it anywhere else.

Yes you can. There is a jailbreak community for those who don't want to follow the rules. It's Ford killing a sync service from a company that is breaking their rules and promoting GM cars on their in-car stereo systems.

----------

The difference is that an app is an extension of ios. It's not just a "product". The very reason "an ios app cannot be sold anywhere else" is because it has no independent existence-- it is a meaningless entity outside of ios.

Now, one could argue the opposite-- that an ios app could be ported to Android, thus having a distinct existence. But in this case, the app CAN be sold somewhere else.

BTW, this is exactly the same line of reasoning argument that a woman should have the legal right to abort a fetus she is carrying. So if you were to favor legalized abortion, you should certainly be siding with Apple on this. (The converse doesn't work precisely, because someone may object to "murdering" a fetus on moral grounds that wouldn't extend to a piece of software).

They should learn to follow the rules. If you cheat in college you get expelled.

 

[cmwade77]

Retail stores don't have to carry items they they don't want to because those items can be sold at other retail stores. With the App Store, an ios app cannot be sold anywhere else. So if Apple can just determine arbitrarily what apps can and can't be sold, they can effectively destroy the software companies because there is no other market (IOS apps will only work on iOS, and can only be bought from the App Store.) That is extraordinary power, and frankly too much power. I don't get why some people can't see this.

I agree with this completely. Apple should be required to allow apps from third party stores, but perhaps with a warning that any apps from other stores will be deleted if warranty issues arise. Or Apple could simply make another section for unapproved apps in their own store. I think the second solution is the one that would be most profitable to Apple, but either way, something needs to be done.

 

[Dr McKay]

Apparently, Apple is now the EU's biggest cash-cow and ticket out of this economic depression.

I guess that makes BP the USA's ticket out of the depression then. They fined them too.

 

[linuxcooldude]

Does not surprise me in the least. Their app store within an app store was stepping on Apples toes. The terms of service was clear, but the CEO chose to ignore it, even when Apple gave them prior notice.

At the time, however, AppGratis CEO Simon Dawlat told PocketGamer that he wasn't worried, and suggested the move was Apple's way of weeding out low-quality apps - a category in which Dawlat felt AppGratis did not belong.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,281.../pcmag/breakingnews+(PCMag.com+Breaking+News)

Might also effect App store rankings unfairly, something unfair to other developers.

 

[springsup]

I don't like AppGratis. The AppStore was best in the early days (before it became too commercialized), when it was a true meritocracy and you could discover great, innovative apps.

I think it's tasteless to pay for push adverts. I'm glad Apple don't allow it; or the AppStore would be a junk-shop.

App discovery is hard these days (don't I know it!), but this isn't the answer.

 

[Dr McKay]

WRONG, you can make what ever product you like, no one can be forced to sell it for you.

Apple has always been up front about the IOS devices being a curated environment, so if you bought a device it was bought with that knowledge, so dont complain after the fact that you now cant do what you want. It would be like buying an XBox and complaining you cant buy games from Sony.

That comparison is wrong. Nobody in their right mind would complain they can't run playstation games on their Xbox, your comparison would only make sense if somebody was complaining they can't run Android apps on iPhone.

 

[genovelle]

the EU should do something against apple forcing their apps on us without giving us an option like a different browser set as default. wasnt microsoft fined for exactly this and the IE once?

Apple makes a complete device, microsoft only sold the OS that was force by contract. They prevented their partners from being able to change the software. All Apple products are design as appliances meant to give an end to end experience just like your playstation or television.

 

[Stella]

t
Yes you can. There is a jailbreak community for those who don't want to follow the rules. It's Ford killing a sync service from a company that is breaking their rules and promoting GM cars on their in-car stereo systems.

Not valid.

Apple do not make Jailbreaking easy and shuts it down pretty promptly with the next iOS release.

If it was a setting within iOS, aka Gate Keeper in OSX then I'd agree with you, but it isn't.

 

[Jimeny]

I can promise you that Apple would decide to stop selling iPhones in France before they would give up their currated store.

France isn't the only EU country you know!