Apple App Store blocks Android magazine app
Although all has been quiet on the App Store bans front recently, it seems that the most recent victim has just become a magazine that specializes in all things Android being left outside the walled garden.
Ever since Apple did a thorough dusting and sweep of its rules for allowing apps into the App Store, or alternatively banning them via a well-defined set of rules, controversies in that area have been at an all-time low. Good sense has been reigning supreme at the app approval desk, which has given the tech press one less thing to write about. Now, though, it would seem that an Android-centric magazine app has fallen afoul of the app approval gnomes and may be left out in the cold.
The electronic magazine in question comes from Denmark and it specializes in reporting news and rumors about the Android operating system, which is of course a rival for the iOS4 system used on the iPhone and iPad. Supposedly, according to a CultOfMac story, the publisher of this Android magazine had a conversation with an App Store representative that went very much like this:
“So what’s the problem?” Dixon asked, knowing full well what the problem was.
“You know… your magazine,” replied the Apple rep, who identified himself only as Richard. “It’s just about Android…. we can’t have that in our App Store.”
Of course, you have to ask yourself how many magazines about Android you would find for sale in a brick and mortar Apple store, and wonder if this is a really big deal. On the other hand, the App Store is a lot bigger (at least in virtual terms) and carries magazine apps that specialize in Windows information. So, is this one overzealous approval desk decision, or is it a mirror of what would happen out in the real world? It’s hard to tell, but it will be fun to watch and see if the Android magazine ban sticks.
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