The recent rejection of Google Voice (both official and 3rd party apps) and the subsequent handling of independent developers is horrendous. Even notable non iPhone developers. Are perturbed and swearing off from the device. Apples' behavior and explanations are absurd. These practices erode customer trust, partnerships, and entire start up businesses. As a software developer I had been hoping to get into iPhone dev... but now I'm not even going to consider it.

Behavior like this is irrational and inconsistent and I can only think of one reason why- someone is scared, but who Apple? AT&T? Of what? Lack of profits? Customer usability and satisfaction? Probably not as customers are still signing up in droves, and having few problems "using" the iPhone, but many are becoming unsatisfied with AT&T's service and corporate policies. What then is left to explain your behavior? Security? Hrm.... interesting.... I do recall numerous blog posts recently about iPhone vulnerabilities, about how many of the new "security features" are useless, the Las Vegas 4chan block was a reaction to a DDOS attack, and how there are many exploits in the SMS apps on the iPhone. 

Is this the reason for the tight lipped stone wall of secrecy that is destroying months of small businesses development work? Fear is the only answer that makes sense to me- Apple is scared of these vulnerabilities getting out there, getting spread via these 3rd party apps, so they're covering their tuchas' and applying the clampdown, the lack of explanations is a much needed security measure given the nature of the problem.

My own frustrations with the iPhone and AT&T are enough to make me finally want to switch. I just completed my 2 year contract. AT&T is totally inflexible with allowing me to remove Data & SMS from my phone, despite their customer website displaying a field that claims a user can remove iPhone Data + SMS.

Is someone asleep at the wheel at AT&T? I cannot fathom why an inconsistency this large exists. The following are all things I've been told regarding this issue:

- We can not under any circumstances remove Data & SMS, the phone will not work anymore, this is not true.
- We can remove it but we aren't supposed to, but I will make an exception because I understand you are in hard times.
- We can remove it but then the system does systematic sweeps and re adds it.

This seems strange and unusual given the robustness of the iPhone. I want to keep using my $600 dollar phone as a phone. I also want to use it as a camera, ipod, etc... I don't want to receive txt msgs and data anywhere, anytime- it's too much and too expensive. These are standard customer needs within in the mobile phone market- yet with a device this expensive, this customized, I am more limited than I am with a free phone that comes default from all Cell Phone companies. Who is to blame for this utter lack of configurability? Apple? AT&T? Why? I paid $600 and got a lousy $100 store credit back when Apple quickly lowered the price from $600 to $400... and now they sell the better models for $200- this price gouging should have been a sign or both companies intentions. Why can I not, after 2 years of full filling my contract, not get basic functionality from my $600 phone? Are both corporations data-mining and reaping large financial gains from selling this data to third parties? Probably.

All told I am in the process of porting my number back to T-Mobile... who knows what will become of my iPhone after then. Hopefully I can still use it to take pictures.

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