I’m still blown away by the current version of Yelp’s iPhone app and its mystical, magical Augmented Reality easter egg. For those playing along at home, Augmented Reality is the killer feature that lets a device overlay real-time data so that, for instance, my iPhone’s GPS would locate me and the app would show me every coffee shop in the area.
Augmented Reality wasn’t supposed to hit the iPhone until OS 3.1 was released but those tricky Yelp-sters snuck it in any how. Thanks to them it is there for the taking… just shake your iPhone 3 times (HARD) and the new functionality, called Monocle, gives you a whole new pespective on your surroundings.
Well, there is an interesting read over over on TechCrunch in which guest writer Matt Galligan questions whether Yelp sneaking the easter egg in will backfire and lead Apple tighten up (and slow down) their app review process further still. He makes a good thoughtful argument.
Maybe he is right but I can’t help but wonder if Apple didn’t bring this on themselves. The more I think about it the less all of this makes sense. I understand (I don’t like but I understand) some of the data restrictions AT&T is trying to impose. Apple, on the other hand, has given us a pocket computer but then tried to control what, when and how we use it.
Just imagine if Apple or Microsoft introduced new restrictions with Snow Leopard or Windows 7 whereby only applications THEY approve could be loaded. Would we stand for that? Would anyone even BUY such a machine? Of course not. But on our pocket computers it is okay? I don’t think so.
Fact is, I would never have jailbroken my iPhone if Apple didn’t cripple it to such a degree that it is a subpar messaging device. Subpar until it was jailbroken, at least. Same here. If Apple used the review process to make sure apps worked, protected privacy (or gave the option to do so) and broke no laws, rather than play mommy, this would never have happened. Does that make it okay for Yelp’s developers to have broken their agreement with Apple? Of course not. As my mommy taught me- two wrongs don’t make a right. But I DO understand them doing it and suspect they would not have been moved to take this route were Apple not so ridiculous.
Maybe Yelp will help… Maybe Galligan is right and they force Apple to lighten up.. Regardless it makes a good read.
