There’s An App For That

Do you feel like monopolizing on software development? There’s an app for that. Or is there?

Despite recent financial success with the world’s most digitally useless book, the iPad, Apple might be facing antitrust violations.

I thought the iPad was stupid long before the Apple-loyalists lined up for it. It didn’t even have 3G for crying out loud! It’s basically a bigger iPhone minus the phone and, until very recently, internet capabilities. And don’t get me started on its processing power, or lack thereof. Sorry, I love my Dell. Maybe too much.

But I digress.

Federal regulators call Apple’s programming methods into question, because allegedly new iPad apps can only be created with Apple’s premade tools. These allegations of monopolizing are still being formulated and investigated, but it seems as though requiring all app programmers qualifies as an antitrust violation.

The allegations all hinge on whether or not Apple is “hurting competition” according to an AP story. The new Apple policy which began in April “prevents developers from using outside tools such as Adobe Systems Inc.’s Flash format, which is used in many Web videos, games and interactive graphics, to design apps for Apple’s popular devices.”

However, all these allegations might amount to nothing, because antitrust regulators regularly investigate such occurrences. On the other hand, such a policy would have a negative impact on other development tools such as Adobe. Due to the popularity of the iPhone and, unfortunately, the iPad, programmers might be more willing to abandon Flash and use Apple’s tools.

Neither party, according to the AP story, wanted to comment on the situation, but Adobe has said previously that, “Apple was trying to protect a business model that locks developers and consumers into its tools and services.”

Even if the iPad is about as functional and useful as an internet-free tablet, it is still selling remarkably well. However, it remains to be seen how such allegations of anti-trust violations will affect those sales if at all. At the very least, if the allegations are pushed through, it will force Apple to open up app programming to other tools.

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Chris Buchheit

Chris Buchheit was born under the hot Floridian sun during some year in the 1980s. There he studied school matters until moving to North Carolina in 1999. Possibly due to the fact that his mom had enough of him being inside all the time, he quickly got involved in community affairs via the Boy Scouts of America, where he learned the values of citizenship, morality, duty to God and country, and that the biggest kids get to boss around the smaller ones. Chris attained the rank of Eagle Scout in 2004, and still values the rank as one of his proudest achievements. Beginning in 2006, Chris began attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he quickly learned the value of basketball and poplar trees. Since attending UNC, Chris has been double majoring in Asian Studies, with a concentration in Chinese, and Political Science. When he isn’t slaving over his honors thesis, looking up a bunch of Chinese Characters, volunteering, or mindlessly browsing the same websites over and over, Chris enjoys writing short stories and novels. Much to his roommates’ annoyance, he also spends his free time learning to play the guitar. Above all else, though, Chris values God, his family, and his friends. For the future, Chris plans to apply to Georgetown to further his studies in Political Science, hopefully with a concentration on China. Pending acceptance into Georgetown, Chris would like to study while gaining professional experience in a government job in Washington DC.

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