Suck My App, Apple

In a move that has definite ramifications for the world of digital comics, Apple has rejected Sony’s iPhone application, which would have allowed customers to buy and read content from the Sony Reader Store without giving them the chance to purchase the same material through Apple’s iTunes store. Although an article in the New York Times gave the impression that all content for iOS devices would have to flow through the iTunes store, Digital Daily quoted Apple spokesperson Trudy Miller who clarified the situation: “We are now requiring that if an app offers customers the ability to purchase books outside of the app, that the same option is available to customers from within the app with an in-app purchase.” So it appears that customers won’t have to purchase all their iOS content from Apple, but app developers will have to offer consumers the option to buy through iTunes or face having their app rejected.