Apple has (again) denied an app’s presence on the iTunes App Store, this time because said app replicates iTunes functionality. However, the app’s developer notes in a blog post that many apps replicate Apple’s software and even iTunes, and those are a go nonetheless.

“Apple had nothing in the terms prohibiting developers from duplicating features currently available on desktop application,” says the developer of Podcaster, an app that manages and plays podcasts. “I followed all the guidelines and made sure everything is in the correct place. Yet Apple denies me because I allow users to download podcasts just like iTunes.”

Apple Rep says: Since Podcaster assists in the distribution of podcasts, it duplicates the functionality of the Podcast section of iTunes.

That’s right folks, it duplicates the functionality of the desktop version of iTunes.
Therefore, it was denied from sale in the app store. Although my app does allow you to listen to podcasts (like iTunes), it also allows you to download them directly to device and that is something Apple does not offer.

…Apple had nothing in the terms prohibiting developers from duplicating features currently available on desktop application. I followed all the guidelines and made sure everything is in the correct place. Yet Apple denies me because I allow users to download podcasts just like iTunes.

As the Podcaster developers point out, several apps already exist in the App Store — which Apple approved — that let you download/listen to podcasts, like “Mobility Today.” And several apps also exist that duplicate the functionality of other Apple widgets, like myriad note pad apps, etc.

Whether or not Apple has good reason to deny this app’s presence on the iTunes App Store remains to be seen. In the meanwhile,interested iPhone and iPod touch owners can visit this address and buy Podcaster. Why is it available for download if Apple denied it? Well, developers also have the option to distribute their apps via the “Ad Hoc Method.”

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