Apple has posted its response to an inquiry by the FCC as to why Apple has not allowed the use of a Google Voice application on the iPhone. It actually makes for good reading, especially the section on other applications that Apple has rejected.
On an aside, it is very annoying that they won’t approve this application as the application they describe looks great. I think Apple’s handling of this situation shows a complete misunderstanding of the next generation of phone technology. If I owned Apple stock, I’d be selling it.
I have to disagree with my co-editor Dave. I think Apple understands exactly what it is doing. It is stopping Google, in Apple’s view, from taking any value from the iPhone. Apple believes that Google’s application is a real threat. Apple created a computer in the guise of the phone. Maximum value to Apple depends in part on controlling what the computer can be used for. If Google’s application offers the same functionality on any smartphone, and if consumers love that functionality, why do they need the iPhone?