Just read the post on TechCrunch about Apple rejecting the google voice app for the iPhone. They have now pulled all the google voice apps from the app store, claim that google voice has “duplicate features that come with the iPhone”, which is against the Apple developer terms of use.

Now most people know I love Apple products. You simply can’t argue against the innovation that radiates out of Apple offices that completely change everything. The iPod ecosystem, the iPhone and its ecosystem the desktops and laptops…prety much the only one they haven’t nailed yet is Apple TV. There’s no doubt that Apple can enter a market and change it almost overnight.

Now there’s a number of things that Apple gets away with that should Microsoft try they would be blasted almost non-stop by the media. But this one pushes the line a bit far. People are speculating that AT&T is behind this more, which sounds plausible given they also see Google voice as a threat. With Google Voice, consumers can get all their calls through a single number. Just add all your other numbers to Google Voice and then make your own rules for how your phones ring. It’s pretty cool and seemingly very helpful app. However, if you are AT&T you can see how this dis-intermediates them and puts the consumer touch point with Google. It’s pretty much the same thing as Google being the starting point for the web. All these companies spend millions to build a brand yet people remember Google; they found it on Google. I’m sure AT&T would prefer this would not happen.

But it’s also plausible that Apple found the app threatening as well and decided to thwart the app from gaining users on iPhones until Apple can add all the cool features from GV to it’s own app. I wouldn’t put it past them. Sometimes us Apple fans have to admit that Apple is capable of pulling such a move. They are afterall a for-profit company.

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