[Macworld]

Post your comments for A rogues' gallery of iPhone apps here

[Schneb]

They better bury these bodies vertical. The cemetery is running out of real estate.

[thomashk]

There is one more website which lists unavailable Apps:
http://thomas.infoxe...-available-apps

[heyjp]

While I wonder about the justification for Apple pulling some of these applications, one does have to keep in perspective that 11 apps have been pulled out of, what, 4000-5000 apps that have been accepted and are available? (Last statistic I heard anyway).
At this juncture I could equally argue that with only 11/4000, why doesn't Apple just let them go. Verses with 11/4000 there's not a lot of realistic worry that YOUR app is going to go to waste.
Jim

[thomashk]

Actually I started tracking the Apps about 3 weeks ago mainly for price changes.

In this time 66 (at this moment) have been removed from the App Store. Some of these Apps might reappear some time later in the App Store again, e.g. the developer found a major bug and wants to fix this first.

The problem is nobody knows. For all unavailable Apps you only get the same standard message. It would be really helpful if Apple would give some more hints, like "the developer is improving this and it will be back soon"

[Dan Frakes]

heyjp said:

While I wonder about the justification for Apple pulling some of these applications, one does have to keep in perspective that 11 apps have been pulled out of, what, 4000-5000 apps that have been accepted and are available?

That's 11 that have received publicity; there are many more that have been rejected without fanfare. As noted by thomashk, he knows of at least 66, and that's not counting those known only to Apple and the developer.

[lwdesign]

Dan, I've been reading and enjoying your articles for years on Macworld, but this one gives little in the way of information and seems mere rabblerouse. Your articles are normally well written and logically though out, and I usually agree with your conclusions and observations. This article left me parched for information, however.
I can understand Apple rejecting apps that are similar to others that already exist. Back in April, 1875, Alexander Graham Bell was working out how to transmit the human voice via wires and came up with, and patented, the telephone. About a year later, Elisha Gray invented a very similar device but wasn't able to get the his patent registered. Bell got there first, won the glory and made a tidy sum in the bargain, as well he should.
Similarly, the first app developer that comes up with a unique app should have the right to have his app in the App Store. Yes, I know there are umpteen tip calculators, notepads and calculators, but I'd hardly call these type of apps unique in concept and development. I have no idea how Apple chooses the apps that get rejected, but an in-depth article on this specific subject, with researched specifics, would be very helpful in determining whether Apple is being high-handed or is just logically protecting the rights of developers who got there first.

[johnnydo]

lwdesign said:

Back in April, 1875, Alexander Graham Bell was working out how to transmit the human voice via wires and came up with, and patented, the telephone. About a year later, Elisha Gray invented a very similar device but wasn't able to get the his patent registered. Bell got there first, won the glory and made a tidy sum in the bargain, as well he should.

Quote

Interesting idea but may not be true.
it seemd the real story is much more complicated:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ElishaGrayandAlexanderBelltelephonecontroversy

[lhudd]

It's embarrassing that Apple would pull an app because it's similar to the Tetris (or any other) game. Making a game that has play similar to another game is NOT copyright infringement. Sure, you can't use the name (like Tris) because that would be a trademark issue, but merely making a game that plays the same way is not copyright infringement. Copyright covers the artistic expression fixed in a media only, not the idea. You must patent an idea. If you photograph a subject, i can photograph the same subject without infringing, because that's MY artistic expression. Unless the screen shots are idential, or unless the music or actual code are ripped off, it's not copyright infringement.

[pcharles]

Looking at the list, I'd have to say that Apple is doing us a favor.
Sure, there are some apps that were pulled for questionable reasons, but slasher, pull-my-finger and similar apps are hardly going to be missed by the majority. Certainly not by parents!

[hugoking]

Not sure if behaviour of objects was the issue with these cases lhudd. I read earlier that S.Jobs has only just had the 'dock' patented and that took nearly 8 years to process.

Anyhows, I'm going to be buying an iphone soon but remembered this link which I thought might interest some, I thought Apple had good customer/developer relationships...

http://www.techradar...-rejects-470545