Apple to iPhone developers: Please make your apps less useful
Apple strikes again. Normally, when an iPhone/iPod touch app gets updated it’s good news. Woo hoo — new features, new fun! iStat users who updated their app to the latest version that became available this afternoon however, were in for a little surprise… From iStat developer Bjango’s site:
Where did ‘Free Memory’ go?
iStat’s Free Memory function was removed at Apple’s request.
This decision was completely out of our hands. Please note that all other apps with Free Memory appear to have been removed or updated without their Free Memory function too.
This was not taken lightly—we examined our choices, taking a lot of public feedback on board. We apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused and we do not plan to remove any other features from iStat.
If you choose (and you haven’t already updated), you can continue to run iStat version 1.0. You’ll miss out on new features, but you’ll get to keep the Free Memory feature.
We are very committed to ensuring iStat is the best iPhone and iPod Touch monitoring tool. Free Memory has been removed, but a lot of other useful features will be added in its place.
Garbage. The free memory function found within iStat and other similar applications allowed users to clear out wired and inactive memory, thus reducing drain on battery life and improving device performance without the need for a reboot. To be perfectly frank, it was the only reason we purchased and continued to use iStat. Forgetting about this specific function for a moment, it is completely unfair to both developers and users alike for Apple to approve functionality in an application and then force its removal in later versions. Moreover, it is absolutely unethical. In other industries, this practice is a form of ‘bait and switch’. In the App Store, it’s just another day at the office.
If android has Pandora by the Hero’s release in the US on sprint I will switch. Officially.
There is an app called Memory Status still available from the app store, and it does have a “Cleaning Memory” feature…
95% of *ALL* software is crap. The app store is not unique in that respect…
If you want to manually manage memory, stop whining and buy a windows mobile phone. I would rather let apple manage memory for me.
Posted from BGR Mobile (iPhone) at: Vancouver North America
shall I put it this way?
you buy a multifunctional watch from a watchmaker… after sometime, you send it back for servicing… but when you get it back, you realize they have taken away a function from it or worst still, they say the watch is no longer available to ge given back to you!! is IS THIS ACCEPTABLE??!! does this qualify you to a LAW SUIT??
Um, I have a 3GS, and I can’t wait to get back on board with Sprint. Aside from this, I just can’t get along with the iPhone like I thought I’d be able to. It’s just not a smartphone. I actually hate when people say it is… Apple says it is, and the whole world agrees, but that’s a bunch of crap. Aside from “push notifications,” which require app devs to maintain a server for the app they intend to feature that, well, feature, a friggin’ LG Vu could do most of the stuff iPhones can. A real smartphone comes from HTC running Android or Windows Mobile, or BlackBerrys, or Symbian running Nokias. They may not have a lot of apps, but I bet they have far more useful apps than iPhone. Out of those 65K apps they have in the app store, like seriously… at least +80% or more are a combination of overpriced games or useless crap. Apple people need to fess up. And the multitasking? I mean, the whole “multiple apps running in the background drains the battery” arguement is an insult to the intelligence of braindead people. Um… how about make the batter a little more powerful? Or allow us to swap out a battery for instance? Phones with similar power layouts or less RAM or slower processors can be more functional than the iPhone. And to those Applefanboys reading this thinking “This basstard shouldn’t have gotten an iPhone in the first place,” you’re absolutely correct. And to the “Jailbreak community,” I used to be against you, but you’ve got liukang92’s full support.
These apple apologists just can’t seem to think of this from anyone’s perspective from their own. I think iStat devs fucked up, they should’ve refused to take out the feature, because now their rating has dropped and THEY HAVE TO INCUR THE COST OF 100% OF REFUNDS.
Devs, when will you guys have enough? Apple takes you for granted when you’re the ones who are the muscle behind this platform.
Back to the idiot apologists, first Apple’s system of memory management isn’t much to brag about. Fill your safari tabs with 8 pages, play music from iPod then launch a memory intensive game like hero of sparta or another 3D game. more often than not the game will crash (iPhone 3G). The free memory function could be used to clear up memory so there’s no slowdown with the phone either. Why does iPod run in the background after I’ve stopped listening to it hours ago? Please wake up and stop thinking that everything Apple does is right, only by criticism can you get them to look out for consumers and devs. What happens when devs start leaving the platform because they’re tired of Apple’s restrictions and other platforms are just as profitable? Shit, I’m working on getting rid of my 3GS right now and getting a Pre because I’m tired of a company that takes devs for granted, and I’m not even a dev.
They might as well just take back the iphone from everybody
Actually, Free Memory still has the free memory function. It also started out with a “battery power remaining” function, and Apple had them remove it. Then, Apple reversed course and allowed them to use that feature as well. My current version still offers both features. michael@editorialengine.com
here is a tip for everyone
on Vista and Windows 7 you can find all the apps you downloaded
C:\Users\\Music\iTunes\Mobile Applications
you will see all your apps there as .ipa files. you can copy them to another location and if you reinstall the OS on your computer or iphone you can just add them from iTunes without downloading them again
Speaking of MMS and tethering, ‘later this summer’ is quickly running out of time. To be uncrippled with OS 3.1?
Where are the hopeless apple apologists for this one?
Once again people mad at their choice when they should be mad at themselves. When are these haters going to grow up and make mature choices. The bulk of smartphone users and for that matter cel phone users don’t give a damn about keeping tabs on memory.
This is not Apologizing for Apple. Apple got to where they are because they focused on what the masses of non geek head regular people wanted. If you want to insult happy iPhone users, you actually need to insult yourself for not choosing what really works for you. Nobody care about your flipping stupid decision. They are happy and you aren’t. So get out and go find what makes you happy.
Again grow up people. You guys mad that other folks are fine with their choice and you just want to hate on that fact. Nobody bloody cares. Lol.
I truly hope you find what makes you happy so more rational people can provide decent commentary, because Boy Genius Report is turning into the place for whinners.
fuck apple and fuck the iphone!!!!!
If people would quit buying the damn iPhone, I bet Apple would quit doing this kind of crap.
I am glad I got rid of the iPhone and went back to the BlackBerry Curve. It is just a better work tool and I don’t have to deal with AT&T or Apple.
Why would anyone tolerate this? If MS tried to limit software on computers there would be suits??? Hey, wait a minute. MS did try this and there were lawsuits.
Reason #56,492 not to buy an iPhone.
So I actually got an app called Memory Sweep and it does only that, cleans memory and makes iPhone run faster. And it was free. So I don’t think the problem was what their app (iStat) did, looks like problem was how it did it, or something…
When are idiots going to stop supporting apple? I get so tired of the headlines..you know what to expect when you buy one of these phones. Apple has a distinct reputation that they rarely, if ever, stray from.
Great! That function royally screwed my iPhone! Any of you brainiacs talking smack about Apple ever use this app on your iPhone? At first it seems to work great… freeing up memory. But, within a few days you’ll notice some major issues. Such as: lost connection and syncing with MobileMe (cache prefs deleted causing probs), general wackiness when syncing with iTunes, App thumbnails getting swapped around, plus more headaches. Get it right or scrap it!
System Activity Monitor, for 2.99 still has the “free memory function”
“System Activity Monitor with Free Memory” app is still available. Go get it. Make sure it’s still 1.1 and not 1.2 yet. Probably won’t be there long…