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Comment by bjplink | Hacker News Reader

How many people out there know someone with an Android phone? I personally don't know anyone but I run in a decidedly non-techie social circle.

I think we sometimes think our outrage over "huge mistakes" have something in common with the general population's attitude when that is most definitely not the case.

Issues like removing Google Voice apps to protect their core business won't cause enough of a mass exodus to competing phones to make Apple flinch because the majority of people interested in an iPhone don't give a damn or know what Google Voice is.

Full disclosure: I'm an extremely satisfied iPhone owner.

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I'm not 100% sure Google Voice is a valid example for this theory but here goes: By accepting applications that compete with the iPhone's core capabilities they stand to lose way more revenue than they do by angering some nerds by banning the application in the first place.

Here's a question. Does Apple really need tech geeks for the iPhone to be successful anymore? It's already a mainstream success, the large majority of users are probably not tech oriented at this point and the hardcore types (whom, I'm sorry, represent a small market share) are already more interested in Android phones because they like the "hacker" feel of it's operating system.

Who is "they"? Apple or AT&T? While most of Apple's app acceptance policies are weird, most can be attributed to the soccer mom effect. ("Tonight on NBC Action News, watch as little Timmy downloads hard pornography on his iPod! Also, is a sex predator stalking your daughter on her iPhone, more at 10!")

I can bet that banning GV is definitely an AT&T issue. And it isn't the first time as they strongarmed the Slingbox app too.

I agree. I think all theses articles are nonsense because I have yet to get a GV invite, and I have been waiting for one since it was GrandCentral. It's one thing for Apple to block a popular, well-known service (and I mean Facebook popular, not "I read TechCrunch daily popular"). It's another to block an admittedly beta service that isn't even public.

As sad as it may be, the general consuming public doesn't care, or maybe doesn't even know about the "plight of the developer" on the iPhone. The fact of the matter is that as long as people get their Facebook and fart apps, the general public is happy with their iPhone.

I too have been wondering about the slowness of GV invites, but I finally got mine. And it is everything they said it would be. Of course, it's not perfect; text transcription of voicemail is pretty weak...but nevertheless, the tools for managing it (playback through your browser, with word highlighting as it plays back) are good enough for it to be useful.

Don't want to sound like I'm shilling for GV here, but it does feel like gmail for your phone. Although this might not switch many or any away from the iPhone, it's going to highlight the weakness of the walled garden approach, and put off potential new buyers (like me).

I actually just got my GV invite and set it up today. True story. Now I'm looking for a way to initiate calls from my GV number from the iPhone.

I'm sure Google will produce a slick iPhone webclip version of their GV site. Until then, even m.google.com/voice is incompatible with my phone.

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