Google Confirms that Apple Rejected Google Voice Application

Google Drops Bomb And Proves Apple Lied To The US Government (FCC)?[Updated]

September 19th, 2009 by ksantani

Wow! You can’t usually get bigger than this. Finally, Google made public the redacted part of its letter to the FCC, that totally contradicts Apple’s response to Google Voice App rejection. Google told FCC in response to the explanation given by Apple for rejection of Google Voice and I quote

Apple’s representatives informed Google that the Google Voice application was rejected because Apple believed the application duplicated the core dialer functionality of the iPhone. The Apple representative indicated that the company did not want applications that could potentially replace such functionality.

You can find the unredacted letter here (PDF). Earlier, Apple blatantly told FCC that they haven’t rejected the Google Voice App and they are still pondering on it. FCC had launched an inquiry and asked the three parties involved- Apple, Google and AT&T to respond with reasons that let to the rejection of Google Voice App. Google also goes on saying that Apple’s Senior VP of Marketing Phil Schiller had informed Google’s Senior VP Alan Eustace in a telephonic conversion that Apple was rejecting Google Voice App. I am getting the bigger picture now- Apple does not want Google to play on its turf.

Now, FCC has two different and contradicting stories for the Google Voice App Rejection. Can government agency like FCC cause any damage to Apple? How Apple is going to save its face?

UPDATE : Apple has again said in a press release that it did not reject the Google Voice App.

UPDATE 1 : And one more thing… ! rumours are rolling around that Google even has the screen shot of the actual rejection page. Let me add a very obvious point here, if Apple does not accept the Google Voice App then this might be second bomb Google will drop on Apple and this will be an atom bomb.

UPDATE 2 : Snapshots of the “rejection page” of VoiceCentral have come out. Have a look

Follow-Up

TechCrunch: Google Reveals Full FCC Response, Directly Contradicts Apple On Google Voice Rejection by Jason Kincaid

Between The Lines: Was Apple a “Liar Liar” to the FCC about the Google Voice app? by Sam Diaz

GigaOm: Apple Rejected Google Apps Because They Were Better by Stacey Higginbotham

Technologizer: Google’s Google Voice FCC Letter: Uncensored! by Harry McCracken

MaximumPC: Google Cries Foul Over Rejected Google Voice App by Ryan Whitwam

CrunchBase Information on Google

Google

Information provided by CrunchBase

CrunchBase Information on Apple

Apple

Information provided by CrunchBase

Image Credit: h4×3d

apple, FCC, google, google-voice

33 Responses to “Google Drops Bomb And Proves Apple Lied To The US Government (FCC)?[Updated]”

Cyril Gupta

6 months ago

Apple has always wanted to keep its door closed. When small developers came knocking it was too easy to slam it at their face, but when someone like Google arrives things aren’t so easy. Because of Apple’s policies I hope that better platforms like Android are adopted more widely because the market/money is the only voice that Apple listens to.

Mayank Agarwal
(Twitter: @ mayank25may )

6 months ago

Apple is a very closed company. But I must add, this is one of the reasons they have such a high share in some markets.
The process of App Store is definitely very very confusing and Apple never gives you clear reason why a particular App was rejected.
As far as android gaining a very high market share in coming times….. ummm i doubt.

Reply

Mare

6 months ago

Die, Apple, die!

ksantani
(Twitter: @ ksantani )

6 months ago

@Mare Apple is not going to die so easily…

Reply

Casper Bang

6 months ago

Many people have known already how Apple is more “evil” than say Microsoft. The irony is that they still enjoy a remarkable large fanboy base which believes when Apple does something, it can’t be wrong. So I hope Apple will get well-deserved slap.

ksantani
(Twitter: @ ksantani )

6 months ago

@Casper this time apple exposed in public and goes down to show that they just want their monopoly in the market.. So this will definitively die down their fan base…!

Reply

justwally

5 months ago

Facts, specs and reality have never been shown to be a barrier to some folks’ abilities to enjoy/use something. To wit: Your average fanboi

Honestly, though, All this does is prove that MS and Apple actually have more in common than not (when it comes to how they do business). This is something that the observant thinkers of the computer world have known for a very long time however. I’m not saying this as a value judgement but as a statement of the merely obvious.

Reply

Mak

6 months ago

may be this time will also come when “Apple extends its policy to the Mac OSX and say you can’t install Entourage because it already has Apple Mail”
lol

ksantani
(Twitter: @ ksantani )

6 months ago

stinging satire on Apple

Reply

Robert

6 months ago

Until it is proven and it hasn’t been…you have to go with Apple. If Google produces evidence then Apple has to own up to it and pay whatever the cost. However, I don’t see them paying much of anything at all. The FCC isn’t going to do anything.

Cyril Gupta

6 months ago

Apple is already paying. You better believe it. All that bad publicity it has generated is going to drive at least some customers away. In this age you cannot afford to ignore Microtrends. Nobody want to do business with a Scrooge, not for long at least.

Phillip

5 months ago

And then the next monopolist becomes….Google?

Mayank Agarwal
(Twitter: @ mayank25may )

5 months ago

right.! ther is no problem in being a monopolist.. just don’t be an evil one!

Reply

Phillip

5 months ago

Is there such a thing as a non-evil monopolist? before Apple became so powerful. It wasn’t evil, was it? How about Microsoft? Aren’t they evil any more?

Mayank Agarwal
(Twitter: @ mayank25may )

5 months ago

yes ther is : Google in search is monopoly. And as far as search arena is concerned it is not evil. Monopoly simply means having a very large market share/control.. It dosent have to evil always.

Reply

Phillip

5 months ago

However, now Google is getting into Phones, OSes, Maps. They’re trying to get rid of (or supplant), Microsoft, Apple. Yes, they are the best in search, and that’s why they have a monopoly. However, I’ve just tried Bing, and I like it… hmm.

What does Apple have a monopoly on? MP3 players, Ipods? Certainly not mobile phones, Nokia is the leader in that. Also, Windows Mobile has more users than the iPhone. Mac OS? WIndows is the monopoly there. Ok, the iPod is a monopoly. Are they an evil monopoly with the iPod? Are do they just have a very large market share? If you have numbers to back up your claim that the iPhone has the largest market share in mobile phones, I’d like to hear it. There are probably more Blackberries out there than iPhones.

Reply

ksantani
(Twitter: @ ksantani )

5 months ago

@Philip nokia is in mobile market for last 10 yrs and also they sell more low end devices than smart phones..!! Apple only sells iphones which is a high end phone. And Apple sold more iPhones than nokia’s N98 which is dubbed as the competitor of iPhones. So they are best in their niche.

Reply
Mayank Agarwal
(Twitter: @ mayank25may )

5 months ago

You comparing Windows mobile with iPhone? (yawn) anyway… You must be informed that windows mobile is already being ditched by many major handset companies… Sony Ericsson is the latest…Most of them are making a move toward Android, linux or Symbian.
Well iPhone is a monoploy is smart phone market (at least in US).It is not a monopoly in over all mobile business may because Apple dosent have low end mobile devices. And yeah Mac has the highest market share in notebooks above $1000.

Reply

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Google Drops Bomb And Proves Apple Lied To The US Government (FCC)?[Updated]

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