Its now Apple against Google, HTC, Motorola,
Sony, LG, Samsung and some others combined.
Theres not much of an update he can come up with
that can't be eclipsed in a short matter of
time. He will never again have any appreciable
lead with the iPhone feature wise and he is
pissed about that. Google went ahead and cut the
iFanboy battlecry of multi-touch short. And
even though the shear number of iPhone apps
outnumber Android apps its getting to the point
where they are 1 for 1 on the actual features
people want out of apps. Developers are starting
to port and companies are starting to support
both. I bet that QR code add for the Weather
Channel Android app that was on The Weather
Channel didn't help him either. He knows the
cash cow is now limited and they don't have some
"magical" new product to focus on.
Ok this is crazy. PC World’s JR Raphael reports that Apple has apparently forbidden a developer from using the word “Android” in his app’s description.
ZDNet native son Garett Rogers notes that the developer of Flash of Genius (App Store, $0.99), an SAT prep app that was named as one of the finalists in the Android Developer Challenge, was denied the ability to mention the award in the app’s description on the App Store because it contained the word “Android.”
And to be clear, Apple isn’t banning ported Android apps or Android code or anything, it’s banning the word.
Let’s disregard for a minute the questions this raises about Apple’s insane App Store approval processes. The move would mean that Apple is facing more pressure that it’s willing to admit from Android and that it feels genuinely threatened by the Android Market. But, I thought that Apple had an “A+” iPhone update in the pipeline that Android won’t be able to catch up to?
If so, why is Apple so worried about a developer mentioning an award that his app won? Wouldn’t Apple want it’s devs having better app descriptions so that they can sell more apps? No. Apple is willing to forgo some additional sales in an attempt to hide the fact that Flash of Genius is also available on a competing app store. Amazing.
It’s a foolish move for Apple to even acknowledge Android in the first place. When you’re the market leader you shouldn’t give publicity to the guy in second or third place. Apple’s policy of banning the word Android in app descriptions is going to have the unintended consequence of giving tons of publicity to the Android Market which will draw more of the inevitable comparisons between the Nexus One/Droid/etc. and the iPhone.
Ironically the word Android is allowed in almost every other context in the App Store. As of this writing there are 26 apps that use the word “Android” in their title or description, but zero that use the phrase “Android Market” or “Android Developer.”
Apple should allows its developers to tout their app’s awards in the Android Developer Challenge and not give it a second thought.
