Google Voice Rejection
Apple has also taken a lot of heat for banning the Google Voice mobile software program from the App Store. A big deal?
"The rejection that people have been talking about the most is Google Voice," Gartenberg says. "But for most consumers, it's a non-issue. If you ask most consumers what Google Voice is, they wouldn't know. A bigger question is, ‘What's Google Voice?'"
AT&T, not Apple, is largely responsible for the Google Voice rejection, suspects Levitas. AT&T's landline phone business is fading fast as consumers either switch to Internet phone service or go without any home phone at all. If Apple allows Google Voice in the App Store, AT&T's revenues could take another hit.
"AT&T, if they see a dramatic shift toward Google Voice, could have (more customers) looking for data plans and not wanting any sort of telephony service," says Levitas. "I feel like Apple's gotten so much out of the deal with AT&T that this was a very logical concession. It was probably an agreement they had some time ago, about the types of apps that would be potentially rejected."
In short, blame Ma Bell: "I put this on AT&T more than Apple," Levitas adds.
Palm Pre iTunes Ban
Yet another recent controversy is Apple's move to block the Palm Pre from syncing with iTunes. More bad behavior on Apple's part-or is Cupertino simply misunderstood?
"One thing about Apple, when you follow them over the years like I have, is that they really do guard the ease-of-use experience faithfully," says Bajarin, who points out that Apple clearly designed iTunes to work with the iPod and iPhone, not third-party hardware.
"The ease-of-use works within the Apple ecosystem. As soon as you go outside of that, you really do start making things much more difficult for the mainstream consumer," he says.
For Gartenberg, the Pre ban is much ado about nothing. "I'm not sure what the issue is. The fact that Apple is not making it easy for developers to play into their ecosystem isn't really shocking or surprising. The integration between the iPhone, iPod, and iTunes is one of Apple's biggest differentiators. That hasn't stopped vendors from being able to tap into the system."
Levitas, however, thinks Apple screwed up by banning the Pre. "I thought it was kind of a low blow. It made them look a little more desperate than they needed to-because they're not desperate. Are they really afraid of the Palm Pre stealing their spotlight anytime soon?"
Control Freak? Yes
Apple may be a control freak, but it's no monopoly.
"At the end of the day, (Apple) isn't the government," says Levitas. "This isn't a utility that-unlike a telco or cable company-has minimal competition. There are alternatives. Their authoritarian attitude has allowed them to have so much more control, which can be a negative for those who want a highly customized experience, or really a flexible experience. But that control also gives (consumers) a cohesive, consistent quality experience."
"It's hard to defend Apple (because) that they tend to want to control things," Bajarin says. "But at the same time, if you actually understand their philosophy, the control has to do with controlling the ease-of-use of the Apple experience.
We asked Apple to comment, but notoriously private company declined. Some things never change.
Contact Jeff Bertolucci via Twitter (@jbertolucci ) or at jbertolucci.blogspot.com .
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