Not long after a version of multi-format video player VLC hit the App Store, speculation swirled surrounding its possible removal because of licensing issues. A few months later, it appears that everyone's fears were true: VLC has been removed from the App Store.
Before anyone grabs a pitchfork and/or torch and starts marching toward Cupertino, it's worth noting that VLC's removal from the App Store has nothing to do with Apple's preferences. Rather, it's a direct result of one man's misguided crusade... a man who, (perhaps) coincidentally, is an employee of Nokia, one of Apple's competitors in the mobile space.
Rémi Denis-Courmont waged a one-man campaign against Applidium's iOS port of VLC, claiming the app violated the GNU public license (GPL) because App Store purchases have Digital Rights Management (DRM) applied to them. The end result seems somewhat counterproductive, because now unless you downloaded VLC before it was pulled from the App Store, you can't install it on your iOS device at all. So much for ensuring that VLC can be freely distributed. It's also important to note that VideoLAN, makers of VLC, had nothing to do with getting Applidium's VLC port removed from the App Store; as an organization, VideoLAN itself did not pursue removal of the VLC app from the App Store. As berserk as it sounds, it really has been all about one guy's beef with the App Store's rules. One guy with a vested interest in seeing Apple lose to his employer, Nokia.
If that wasn't enough, Courmont's response to Apple pulling the VLC app from the App Store comes off as incredibly spiteful:
At last, Apple has removed VLC media player from its application store. Thus the incompatibility between the GNU General Public License and the AppStore terms of use is resolved - the hard way. This end should not have come to a surprise to anyone, given the precedents.
That's awesome, Rémi. I'm sure your high-minded principles are far more important than the benefit that millions of people could have had from using the FREE VLC app on their iOS devices. I'm glad I managed to download the app before your antics resulted in it getting pulled from the App Store, but thanks for ruining it for everyone else.
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We notice Phil Schiller isn't following @CeoSteveJobs, but that doesn't mean Apple's not aware of the parody Twitter account. Whoever's behind the account has been approached by Twitter on behalf of Apple, wanting the account taken down or changed.
It's the most popular fake Steve Jobs account (and there are many), but also one of the most popular parody accounts full stop—causing endless amusement to those who follow it, and those who see constant RTs in their feed of the witty observations of Apple's "revolutionary" launches. Whoever's behind the Twitter account has sent the emails from Twitter to TechCrunch, which state they must include the word "not", "parody" or something similar in the username to comply with Twitter T&Cs. Unfortunately all the good usernames have already been taken up—but unless this tweet complies, we might find that it's the end of @CeoSteveJobs.
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Perhaps in an effort to lend further legitimacy to the YouTube video that popped up earlier this week showing off parts from a next-generation iPhone, design sketches which appear to be quite similar have now appeared online.
MacRumors is reporting that five design sketches have popped up on a Chinese website which closely resemble the parts seen from a supposed next-generation iPhone in a YouTube video earlier this week. The sketches appeared on Tw.Apple.Pro, while the YouTube video has since been removed from YouTube at the request of Apple -- leading many to believe that it could be the real deal.
“That video was removed from YouTube at the demand of Apple, suggesting the contents were legitimate,” MacRumors notes. “The video showed that the break points in the frame between the two antennas have been moved to different locations, indicating that the antenna design has been tweaked despite a very similar overall appearance for the new iPhone.”
According to 9to5Mac, “the drawings are said to originate at a Foxconn iPhone manufacturing plant and it is unknown whether these represent a Verizon iPhone 4 or the fifth-generation iPhone.”
With two such leaks in the same week, it would appear that Apple has been unsuccessful at clamping down on leaks since last year’s fateful iPhone 4 drama. However, if the parts shown in the YouTube video are real, this year’s iPhone 5 could be more of a spec bump that a complete overhaul, much in the same way that the iPhone 3GS was two generations ago.
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The rumors of the Verizon iPhone have really picked up steam in the 1st couple of days of 2011. It was widely expected that the Verizon CEO, Ivan Seidenberg was going to announce it at his keynote address at CES a couple of days ago. That didn't happen. Since then however many rumors still pop up about the CDMA iPhone. As of now the phone could be announced as early as this coming Tuesday or as late as the 3rd of February, with the 1st of February also being a widely reported date.
Like the old saying goes, only time will tell.
