Apple continues to exercise its control over the iPhone platform, recently rejecting an app for using too much bandwidth.
CastCatcher was a radio streaming app, which had been approved in
several previous versions; the latest update was rejected for violating
the TOS provision limiting bandwidth use. The developers are upset—they
say the updated version didn’t use more bandwidth than
previously-approved versions. This move bodes ill for other streaming
radio or video services. It also emphasizes the difference between
Apple (with partner AT&T) and a traditional ISP. Comcast, for
instance, would love to be able to ban applications that use too much bandwidth.
In other news, the writers and commenters at TechCrunch have been having a lively debate
over whether a possible iPhone exploit (possibly allowing developers to
update code without approval) is cause for concern. Jason Kincaid notes
an interesting issue: on PCs, most users are trained to be wary of new
code, and look for assurances of safety before the download
applications. But because Apple’s platform is considered safe, people
download apps without a second thought. This means that, in the event a
malicious app is developed and slips through the imperfect approval process, the damage could be extensive. Apple can always yank back malicious apps once they’re discovered, but by then, the harm could be done.
Another walled garden, Facebook, has also found itself facing malicious code lately—so far, relatively tame. Do Facebook users—who are clearly trusting
enough to expose lots of personal information to large networks—expect
Facebook to be a safe space, free of malware? And if they discover it’s
not, will that reduce their willingness to buy Facebook apps, halting
the Web 2.0 party?
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