Wednesday, February 03, 2010

Apple Do It Their Way

Apple have once again stepped in and declared what is acceptable and what is not acceptable on their platform. The latest censorship is on the user’s ability to sharing ebooks between devices via the successful Stanza ebook reading app via a USB connection. The iTunes store notice now reads, ‘Removed the ability to share books via USB as required by Apple’. Apple had demanded that Lexcycle remove the feature from Stanza and as with others before them they were apparently restricted from saying any more by their terms and no disclosure agreement with Apple.

The Stanza app enables users to synchronise their ebooks with a companion app for Mac OS X and Windows and achieve this either by a common USB connection or Wifi.

Apple's Michael Jurewitz has stated on Twitter, there is no public Apple approved API for syncing via USB and that iPhone apps have to talk to PC companions only via the Apple approved via Wi-Fi syncing.Its somewhat fortunate Stanza covered both bases and again raises the question of the control and censorship approach of Appleworld.

Lexcycle and the Stanza reader were acquired by Amazon last year.

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