Earlier today, Apple began pulling all Google Voice-enabled applications from its App Store, their reason being that they apparently “duplicate features that come with the iPhone”. Following this, the company released even worse news. Apple has blocked Google’s official Google Voice application itself from the App Store as well.
The new restrictions have been credited to AT&T, reason being that most carriers fear Google Voice. The app allowed users to send free SMS messages and get cheap long-distance over Google Voice’s lines, making it trivial to switch to a new phone service when everyone calls the Google Voice number regardless. While Google Voice has been on the market for some time, it was only recently that it began accepting new users.
Users might remember the warnings about Apples walled garden approach back when the App Store first launched, many wondering if developers could trust Apple to maintain a fair marketplace. Until recently, Apple has seemed to view the store with a balanced kind of judgment, but it looks as if times are about to change. Courtesy of techcrunch.com
