One, Two Punch of Apple And Google To Decimate Telecoms And Wireless Providers

It's rare to see Apple and Google working together in any meaningful way like they used to. Well, the combination of Apple's Facetime for the iOS devices and VOIP calling integration into Gmail/Gtalk, though accidental, means we can start the countdown clock to the demise of landlines, telecoms, and wireless providers.

Facetime for the iPhone and iPod Touch has the likelihood to transform communication and Internet calling just makes expensive wireless plans unnecessary once it becomes available on Android.

Of course, the telecoms and wireless providers can transform and innovate. But I'm not optimistic. Personally, I'm okay with them being dump pipes.

More on how Apple and Google are working, again not necessarily together, to end the era of draconian telecoms at Greenjava.

GPush: App to Push Gmail Notification And May Serve As A Workaround For Google Voice

GPush is an incredible app.  No, I've not yet had a chance to use it yet and I don't know if I want to just yet.  It's probably because it isn't more than a notification app for Gmail.

I want more.  Early, I had wondered whether push notification can be enabled somehow through Safari.  Well, that's a question for iPhone 4.0 or later.  The reason I asked about that is because Google is working on getting Google Voice to work through Safari after ATT, maybe Apple, rejected it and pulled out 3rd party apps that supported Google Voice.

Google Voice alerts you via Gmail when you get a voice mail.  However, it doesn't do that for SMS yet.  I'm guess it's at the request of wireless providers looking to protect their lucrative stream of revenue.

Now, maybe there is a workaround.  GPush is a good example and I'm hoping other means may be possible in the future (Growler, please do something).  According to the GPush developer, it provides notification only.  It doesn't serve to launch the mail app or open up the Safari to point to Gmail.

In any case, Maybe Google or a 3rd party developer can create a push notification app for text messages received by Google Voice.  But that may not be necessary if Google enables Gmail notification for SMS.

I guess what I'm saying is that there is hope.  I don't see how Apple can not allow apps that simply serve as messengers.  Maybe that is Google's plan.  Create notifications for texts being received by Google Voice and the user will have to go into Safari to retrieve the message.

Note:  Did GPush get pulled?  I just tried buying it on the iTunes store in the US and it's not available.  Nicely played.  FCC, your move.

A Word On Google's Latitude Rejection

Now, that Apple is likely to engage in full-blown war with Google and it's mobile weapons, Android, Chrome OS, and its excellent collection of webapps, I began to think about Latitude's rejection.

Early, I examined the possible reasons for Apple rejecting Google's Voice app and Google's encroachment into the OS market.  At Onxo (must read), I speculated that it is possible Apple has VOIP and ereading functions for the iPhone platform.

Now, focusing on Latitude, I wonder if Apple is set to challenge Google Maps and other mapping selections from the likes of Yahoo and Microsoft.

We had all assumed that ATT is the culprit behind GV's rejection.  But suppose it's not.  Suppose, however unlikely, it's all Apple's doing.  Latitude is just so unlikely that Apple will reject something so trivial that may not really have a huge following.

So, if Apple rejected Voice because it has its own iChat alternative waiting in the wing, could Apple rejected Latitude because it also has its own competitive option in the works as well?  Given how Google has changed the mapping, directions, and image on the Web, I would love to see how differently Apple's take on this will be.

I generally use Google Maps and for rudimentary reasons.  Directions.  Directions.  Directions.  I can imagine Apple offering us other reasons beyond what Microsoft, Yahoo, and Google has provide for using maps.  I don't care to speculate how Apple will implement its own mapping app since there has been no hint that Apple is even considering this course of action.

Whatever the reasons for the rejections and whether Apple is really working on replacements for Latitude, mapping, search, or VOIP, I wonder if Apple will continue to reject other Google apps in the future as well.  If so, that would be disturbing, even for Apple fans.

Apple Crossed The Line With Google Voice Apps And Will Continue To Do So

More and more, I believe Apple's dealings with apps that enable iPhone users to use Google Voice has some things to do with ATT but also something to do with some bad blood created by the threat Android is increasingly becoming to the iPhone and Chome OS' challenge to the status quo in the OS market.

Caught in the middle are developers.

Macworld posted an article about just this matter.  Kevin Duerr in his blog vented his anger over how Apple had treated his app first by pulling it from the app store, then refusing to offer him an explanation for the action, and creating a refund nightmare for him.

And he's right.  The refund was not due to a flaw in the app but Apple's unexplainable reason for pulling it from the app store.  And some users do want their money back since Duerr will no longer be able to provide support and updates.

The app, VoiceCentral had gone on sale in April and it was only when apps for the Blackberries and Android phones became available did Apple started acting this way.  Oh, yeah, Apple also rejected Google's official Google Voice app.

Duerr, like everyone else, believes ATT is to blame here.  ATT simply doesn't have to capacity to handle all the iPhones in the market.  For the most part, I have to agree but Apple cannot be happy with Android and Chrome OS as competition.

I'm sure Apple had a message to send Google as well.  Maybe.  I don't know with any certainty.  There are a lot of theories flying around the Internet.

Apps are either rejected for indecency or for duplicating an existing function on the iPhone.  Frankly, I don't see anything that VoiceCentral or Google Voice app has done to duplicate iPhone functions that existing apps haven't already done.

Let's examine it a bit here with some app examples.

• Skype.  Okay.  It makes calls over Wi-Fi but it duplicates the iPhone's telephony function.
• Fring.  Same as Skype.
• Yahoo Messenger.  AIM.  Other IM applications.  The iPhone doesn't have an IM app but it does have a SMS application.  If users are sending instant messages instead of SMS, when ATT is out of a revenue stream.

Those quickly comes to mind.  But there are others.  Suppose Apple starts streaming music through the iPod.  What happens to all the radio apps?  Right now, everyone is watching one app in particular.

Spotify.  Since it started streaming music to users (including myself), it has been considered as a competitor to iTunes.  Everyone is watching and waiting to see what Apple will do.  Now, some bloggers believe, given the bad press now with GV apps, Apple will think twice about a rejection.  Folks, if you believe that, you don't know Steve Jobs.  

However, for you mobile warriors with a legal background, what do you think?  A few more examples of rejections due to apps duplicating functions on the iPhone, can an anti-trust case be made?

This is not a subject I like writing about but Apple is wrong here.  I had hoped that Apple will evolve more liberally with app store policies over time.  It's been more than a year.  The app store has been wildly successful.  Millions of iPhones sold.  Still, nothing has changed.

Source:  Macworld, Duerr's Blog

Note:  If you want a Spotify account, which I highly recommend, visit Onxo for instructions.  It is not yet widely available.

Another Note:  Jailbreak, jailbreak, jailbreak, baby!