Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Apple rejecting applications which use Dropbox

forums.dropbox.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

201–210 of 361 posts

Re: Apple rejecting applications which use Dropbox

#201

Post by neotek »

nknight wrote: post #65
trieu wrote: post #38

This is linkbait because it suggests that Apple is rejecting any app that uses Dropbox. That's patently untrue. For example: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/drafts/id502385074 It looks like Apple is rejecting apps that use the Dropbox SDK in a way that violates the TOS. But then the headline may as well read, "Apple rejecting applications which use code."

You should look up what "linkbait" actually means. A forum discussion between developers about a problem using the Dropbox SDK in the iOS app store assuredly does not qualify.

I think he's referring to the article title, which makes an implication that seems designed to cause anger over a policy that isn't quite as corrupt as the title might suggest.

Re: Apple rejecting applications which use Dropbox

#202

Post by sbuk »

recoiledsnake wrote: post #192
Retric wrote: post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is no contradiction, Apple 'owns' the high end market where people actually pay for apps. But, as a percentage of overall phone / tablet OS there well under 40% so it's hard to call them a monopoly.

That only means that if you're a developer, Apple's App Store is a monopoly since that's where the people are that pay for apps. "Just go elsewhere" doesn't work because they can't make money there, like Netscape did have Unix and Sun CDE versions but they were of no consequence compared to the Windows one.

Apple have no monopoly in the mobile app space and the iTunes app store is noway, shape or form a monopoly in any sense of the word. There are (is) other options that have a significantly higher market share that developers can go to if they don't like Apple's terms.

Re: Apple rejecting applications which use Dropbox

#203

Post by Tloewald »

Duff wrote: post #161
Tloewald wrote: post #133

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If Apple were like Microsoft in the 90s then they would have implemented their own Flash player for the iPad and made its frequent crashes look like Adobe's fault, they'd make it impossible to uninstall or remove Safari from the desktop or dock, and switch Chrome and Firefox for Safari as your default browser every time you upgraded Safari (which would be every time you patched). Every time a mew version of OSX shipp…

I recall using Netscape in 1998 or so on Windows Nt. Where do I find the download link for Chrome or Safari on iOS?

Did google try to release chrome for ios and get blocked by Apple and I didn't hear about it? There are a ton of third party web browsers for ios.

Re: Apple rejecting applications which use Dropbox

#204

Post by sbuk »

zzleeper wrote: post #180
Retric wrote: post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is no contradiction, Apple 'owns' the high end market where people actually pay for apps. But, as a percentage of overall phone / tablet OS there well under 40% so it's hard to call them a monopoly.

BTW, in antitrust terms, they do have a monopoly in that segment, and could be charged for abusive practices.

No. They don't. It is impossible to have a monopoly in a market segment and under the law, it is perfectly acceptable for a business to control a small portion of the marketplace.

Re: Apple rejecting applications which use Dropbox

#205

Post by philwelch »

Terretta wrote: post #116
rogerchucker wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are there a lot of examples, where an open and developer-friendly platform came from behind and usurped the incumbent that was also dominant in the market? I'm not sure the Mac-PC analogy flies here since Mac wasn't dominant - it was simply an incumbent. The only remotely-related example I can think of, given my limited knowledge and wisdom, is MySpace vs Facebook. But then again, I am not aware if MySpace was a wall…

People don't like to talk about this, but MySpace to Facebook was less about developer APIs and more about urbs to suburbs.

If you're implying it was a race and class issue, well, let's just say that hasn't kept anyone away from Twitter. I think it had more to do with the fact that MySpace pages all looked like crap and played shitty music at you automatically when you opened them. MySpace to Facebook was more about user experience, and Facebook's ascendancy was a fait accompli by the time they launched their API.

Re: Apple rejecting applications which use Dropbox

#206

Post by adgar »

wvenable wrote: post #198
nupark2 wrote: post #170

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In terms of UX and as a consumer, I'd rather the Dropbox API not open a browser or even another app. That is not the best UX, it doesn't provide a security advantage, and it's simply not being done to benefit the consumer. This may not be Apple's primary rational for rejecting these apps, but I'm glad they're doing it. As for the payment question, simply in terms of UX and as a consumer, I want only one payment provi…

The problem is Dropbox isn't exclusively an iOS app. So you can sign up for Dropbox directly and they get 100% of the fee or you can sign up through Apple and they get 70%. That might be more than their entire profit. They can't even make iOS purchases more expensive even if perhaps someone like you might pay 30% more for the privilege of a single payment provider. The fact is that Apple is the one that requires apps…

> So you can sign up for Dropbox directly and they get 100% of the fee or you can sign up through Apple and they get 70%. That might be more than their entire profit.

(Emphasis mine) Sounds like it might be time to find a new business plan, then.

Re: Apple rejecting applications which use Dropbox

#207

Post by iloverobots »

adgar wrote: post #206
wvenable wrote: post #198

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem is Dropbox isn't exclusively an iOS app. So you can sign up for Dropbox directly and they get 100% of the fee or you can sign up through Apple and they get 70%. That might be more than their entire profit. They can't even make iOS purchases more expensive even if perhaps someone like you might pay 30% more for the privilege of a single payment provider. The fact is that Apple is the one that requires apps…

> So you can sign up for Dropbox directly and they get 100% of the fee or you can sign up through Apple and they get 70%. That might be more than their entire profit. (Emphasis mine) Sounds like it might be time to find a new business plan, then.

Many businesses (especially in the technology space) operate on far lower margins than 30%.

Re: Apple rejecting applications which use Dropbox

#209

Post by guelo »

rogerchucker wrote: post #36
ChuckMcM wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[I have a zillion snarky type replies that itch to be free, but we'll keep that monster in the box today.] "Way to far" is an interesting characterization. Apple has rules about their playground, they like their rules, they make Apple very profitable. So the question becomes can Google leverage this liability to increase the penetration or market share of Android tablets? Once these tactics hurt Apple in the market t…

I don't think people characterizing this as "too far" are ignorant of that fact that Apple is within its rights to enforce whatever they want to. I think the thread is more about "is Apple being a dick here?"... Unfortunately, Google is probably not capable of exploiting these mini-resentments and I don't think anybody else is either.

Not capable? How about Google blocking Gmail, Youtube, Maps and Docs on iOS? They should do it now, Apple is playing hardball in the app store and the courts, time for Google to fight back.

Re: Apple rejecting applications which use Dropbox

#210

Post by baddox »

throwaway64 wrote: post #189
baddox wrote: post #167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Is it Apple's right to do this? It should be.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Is_ought_problem

Well, the real problem is that "right" is a very broadly-defined term that sometimes refers to is and sometimes refers to ought. I was operating on the definition (which I think is more useful) that a "right" is something a person (or corporation) deserves regardless of whether they're actually given it, so it's appropriate for me to answer with ought.
Post reply on HN