More Fun with Apple – This Time It Is iStat

Posted on 28 August 2009, at 5:28 am, by Dan Cohen

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So here we go AGAIN. This innocent looking update is yet the latest round in Apple’s gameplaying. (and that’s being nice)

If you see this update announcement… Do Not Update!!!!!!!!!

This iStat update removes the very reason many of us bought the app in the first place- it removes the “free memory” feature. Why? Because in order to “free memory” it needs to go into the device’s core structure which is a big no no.

But here’s the thing… Apple Approved The Damn Thing WITH That Feature In It. They gave it the okay and then sold it to us with, and often for, that feature.

So now Apple realizes what the app does and says “Oops we made a mistake… just kidding. We’re taking that part of the app back.”

Apple, are you kidding me??? I paid real money to get that app for THAT very feature. Those were the terms of the sale. I give you the asing price for the app and you give me an app which FREES MEMORY IF MY IPHONE IS RUNNING A BIT SLOW.

You can’t sell something one day and reneg the next without doing something in return.

So now I have bought iStat, two Google voice apps and NetShare… All approved by Apple then either removed or wrecked AFTER approval AND SALE TO ME.

It is like Subaru selling me my Outback and then saying “Oh we don’t like this model having ac, we made a mistake so we are removing it from your car. What’s that you say??? You bought it FOR the ac??? Tough luck. We’re Subaru. We don’t really give a care.”

I’m no lawyer but this has GOT to break some acceptible business practice. After all, they are STEALING BACK SOME OF THE VALUE I BOUGHT.

I really hope some body in addition to the FCC investigates these sleezy business practices and slams them. Until then I gave a few suggestions

Apple if you approve an app then realize you should not have either….

Suck it up, leave the app in place, have you little hissy fit in private and get better screeners in the first place

Automatically refund EVERYONE who bought it since you sold it to us as one thing and we bought THAT app in good faith.

Apple I hate to say it but you have become one ugly company with which to deal. Seriously stop it already.

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Tags | Apple, Apple iPhone and Touch Applications

5 Comments For This Post

thehotrod Says:
August 28th, 2009 at 7:34 am
That is a shame. Apple is stupid.

But and alternative, a better alternative IMO, is to jailbreak and install SBSettings. It has a processes button that easily allows you to kill background running apps like safari and iTunes. But also has a Free Memory button that is very fast and easy. Swipe to open SBSettings, tap to open Processes, tap to free memory.

It is because of SBSettings that I will never run my iPhone without being able to jailbreak it.
Dan Cohen Says:
August 28th, 2009 at 7:42 am
Rod
totally agree and could not imagine using
my iPhone non-jailbroken. There is just too
much flexibility and customization it let’s me do.

Thing is, I don’t think you can go forward always assuming a jailbreak is possible. At some point it might not be.

This is not how you build a platform in the long run. Apple is going to shoot itself in the foot.

I also really question the appropriateness an even legality of doing this. I mean, I bought it FOR this functionality. Does that mean after spending $100 on a gps app Apple can just come along and remove functionality that I rely on and PAID for???
What other company tries to pull this?
thehotrod Says:
August 28th, 2009 at 8:56 am
Yes…that is very true, very concerning and total crap. It is very disconcerting. Apple is shooting itself in its own foot. I totally agree with you.

But just to play the devil’s advocate for the sake of discussion, Apple is still blazing a new trail in a new territory. No other company or platform has created and operated an App Store like this. So it is still trying to figure out how to do things. I’m sure Apple hoped the App Store would be a big hit, but I seriously doubt they knew it would have to review sooooooo many apps (both new and updates) in a single day. They didn’t have the proper procedures and protocols set up to subjectively review so many and so many different applications. (and they still don’t)

I try to be an optimist and I hope they are learning from their mistakes and that they are growing and evolving with the times.
Carly Z Says:
August 28th, 2009 at 10:05 am
That is just crazy…and there’s no way to turn down updates still, right? So that update will just sit there taunting you…

And stuff like this is why I can’t go back to an iPhone. I hope things change in the future, and I haven’t found a platform I truly love, but I just don’t want to jump through flaming hoops of compromise.
thehotrod Says:
August 28th, 2009 at 10:20 am
I wonder. Could you back up your iStat.ipa in your mobile applications folder then update and then copy the istat.ipa back to your applications folder. would it still ask you to update after that. Either way, I would make a copy of your iStat.ipa and store it elsewhere on your computer.