Treehouse Launches iPad App, Apple Prohibits Android Lessons | Hacker News Reader

Treehouse Launches iPad App, Apple Prohibits Android Lessons

tech.co

90 pointshugoc36 comments

What guideline is being broken? If there isn't a good reason (and I really struggle to think what it might be), this is just anti-competitive censorship.

Edit: On the other hand, this seems so ridiculous that I need to question if it's accurate. Can Treehouse provide some proof that Apple said they can't have Android courses available in their app?

It is just anti-competitive censorship. In the past, Apple has done things like banning an Android-focused magazine app [1]. There have also been controversies over books linking to Amazon when referring to other books you might buy (as their print editions do) [2]. This Treehouse situation fits the same pattern.

[1] http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2010/11/26/apple-bans-android-ma...

[2] http://paidcontent.org/2012/02/29/419-who-decides-what-gets-...

> What guideline is being broken?

The guideline where when you sign up as a developer with Apple, you agree to a contract that says they can remove your content at any time if they feel like it.

It's the same thing, an author who writes a business book (marketing), had to throw away a chapter about using amazon in your business before his book got allowed in the iBook store...

You can find the authors blog post at http://hollylisle.com/apple-made-its-decision-my-turn/

Btw. We should just edit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Censorship_by_Apple and update it.

It's probably the best way to do anything against (cr)Apple...

Oh Apple... I lost the faith in the Apple's benevolent power when it was revealed during the conspiracy case that Apple bullied Random House[1] into a contract by blocking their iOS apps from the App Store. This move against a teaching app just disillusions more of us developers

[1]http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/07/how-apple-led-an-...

It's amazing what charisma can do. Apple has acted like an evil censor/gatekeeper since the iPhone was released. Microsoft didn't act anywhere close to this bad in the 90s. And Microsoft is looked down on and Apple is still cool.

Apple has always acted this way, they just haven't had this kind of leverage before. Really, this shouldn't surprise anyone who's familiar with their history. Apple has always been a top notch PR firm and ad agency, albeit they are their own (and only) client.

Just a theory, but this is the company equivalent of getting away with so much if you are gorgeous looking. We are all aesthetes to some degree, so we are far more forgiving with a company like Apple that knows how to tickle those senses with beautiful design.

I wonder what Apple hopes to achieve by following a policy of no Android-related content on the iOS app store.

It's not as if it will prevent people from learning about Android's existence.

Link-bait title from an obvious splog network about a company looking for any kind of PR.

From whom is that quote originating? Where is Apple's rejection letter? Which section of App Store guidelines they specifically violated?

Edit: the link was changed from a TNW piece to an admittedly better story at tech.co

Treehouse itself was quoted in the post about Apple not allowing Android content.

But "Treehouse" is a company. Usually a human at a company sends an email. Who in Treehouse sent that update? Because then we can ask him/her what section of App Store guidelines they were supposedly violating.

There was a better link posted earlier today with all the information you are requesting. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6103149

Was the Android content bundled? Could the app download it to work around the rule?

Considering that Apple has rejected books for containing links to competing websites, this isn't really a stretch.

> Where is Apple's rejection letter?

Be careful assuming everything in a rejection takes place in the official rejection letter. It can also take place over the phone as well, where nothing gets written down.

Or emails can be written and never sent...

Up next ... they're going to ban chrome and any app with a webview because you can access Android content! I am of course being facetious, but it sucks.

Their not going to ban Chrome, they will just wait 6 months to approve every update in the app store.

Like what they did with Google Now for iOS (the Siri competitor): http://www.geek.com/apple/google-now-for-ios-is-ready-but-ap...

They have always been good at sneaky stuff, like making iTunes slow for Windows... Then it's Windows fault :-) http://apple.slashdot.org/story/13/05/15/0126252/itunes-stil...

And using an older webkit if a website is launched from the homescreen, so people would prefer native apps instead of websites. http://www.macrumors.com/2011/03/15/performance-of-web-apps-...

It's all about the experience of the user and apple knows that. In all the above stories, it's about bringing a bad experience to the end user and frustrating them, if they aren't doing it the "apple way".

Or just censoring it, if they have to..

I probably had one of the first iPhones and iPod's and as soon as i realized at what sort of company i gave money to.

I switched to Google. Never had any regret.

I've been planning to switch to Google for a while now (both as a consumer and as a dev).

The lack of apps had been a valid issue for me, but thankfully the Play store has mostly caught up the AppStore. I'll still have an Apple device (stability, better camera, etc) though.

Why is the Treehouse CEO saying "Man, this is ridiculous" while still playing along with Apple's bullshit?

Might as well compromise your product and your users to make a few extra bucks, right?

Grow some balls and stand up to your bullies, friend. Your product is popular. People will request it. Keep it off the App Store until Apple comes begging you to submit it again.

They are not charging extra for the app so it's not "to make a few extra bucks."

They are attempting to do the best job they can for their customers. Depriving your customers because you want to take a principled stand by taking steps that is almostly completely guaranteed to not work just makes no business sense.

So they're going to play censor for "business sense" but it's not about money?

Morals outrank money. And it's not even economically a bad decision on a long enough time scale. What's going to make your company look the best ten years from now? Taking a principled stand against censors, on behalf of your users, while maintaining your product's integrity and vision? Or sacrificing your product in order to temporarily gain a few more IOS users, while Apple continues to make themselves look like malevolent idiots?

If I were a business owner, I know what I'd choose.

It makes zero sense to pull this app just out of principle. Especially when it wouldn't matter to Apple anyway - It would only hurt Treehouse, and the investment they made. The kind of change you're looking for needs to come from policy makers.

I would like to get an official statement by either company before I jump to conclusions. I seem to recall someone at google claiming that Apple had not yet approved the Maps app and it wasn't even submitted yet. Apple used to do a lot of sketchy stuff like this, so we all assume it's true. But until I see something official, then I'll hold judgement.

Treehouse's comment is included in the post:

We teach Android at Treehouse as well, but Apple has refused to let us release the app while including Android content. At the time of review several other applications in the App Store included Android content, but in our case we were told it was against App Store guidelines to have Android content in our app.

http://thenextweb.com/apps/2013/07/25/tech-education-startup...

I seem to recall someone at google claiming that Apple had not yet approved the Maps app and it wasn't even submitted yet. [citation needed]

Some tech "reporter" heard that some Googler was concerned that Apple may reject the app: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/nov/05/google-maps...

Actually, the article I wanted to see was mentioned above: http://tech.co/treehouse-ipad-app-2013-07. Coming from a press release, or a quote from the CEO. TNW however did not relay who the quote was coming from, and some random guy at treehouse may not have all the facts. But apparently, Apple is up to it's old tricks.

I'm more irritated by waiting 6 months to approve an Siri competitor app:

http://www.geek.com/apple/google-now-for-ios-is-ready-but-ap...

It's the same as censorship... Apple can copy the Google Now features, update their app.

And 2 months later they approve Google Now... Tell me where something like that isn't anti-competitive behaviour.

Really ... Why do you continue Apple users? Why do you persist? Is creating an anti-competitive shitty world for your children not at all a matter of concern for you?

Didn't Apple preach several times, especially at keynotes, about how they're all about the intersection between education and technology?

Seems BS if you're just going to censor the education part for your own benefits.

Whatever they claim at the keynotes, they have never been about education and technology. They have only been for and about money. That's it.

While they are free to do whatever they want with their platform, it is interesting to see Apple returning to the old (pre-Mac OS X) behaviors, now that Apple managed to achieve a considerable market share.

I believe this is an older policy even preceeding the AppStore. There aren't many iTunesU courses for Android even (last I checked there was only one by GSVU).

It's worth pointing out that the iBook store has dozens of books for Android development. Perhaps apps have different rules...

Classy.

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