Existing users, 
Apple muscling out other iPhone GPS app developers
Posted 13 June 2008 @ 7am in News
The iPhone 3G’s GPS capabilities are among the device’s most hotly anticipated. Steve Jobs’ brief demonstration of Google Maps’ GPS-powered turn-by-turn directions and live tracking drew cheers from the WWDC keynote audience, and several developers have announced applications that take advantage of the new, more accurate location services. TomTom, a maker of global automotive GPS systems announced plans to port its GPS software product used in cars, phones and GPS receivers to the iPhone 3G. Restrictions presented in Apple’s latest build of the iPhone SDK, however, may put the brakes on third-party applications that, like TomTom’s, attempt to replicate the iPhone’s built in route guidance functionality.
The new wording in Apple’s SDK agreement reads: “Applications may not be designed or marketed for real time route guidance; automatic or autonomous control of vehicles, aircraft, or other mechanical devices; dispatch or fleet management; or emergency or life-saving purposes.”
Such wording would seem to disallow software like TomTom’s ported iPhone application and any other software that would be useful in providing direction.
Apple’s restriction could be due to liability issues stemming from third-party applications, but could also be designed to prevent competitors from developing products that conflict with Apple’s own Google Maps applications or others that will be allowed by contract or prior agreement.
Previously revealed SDK restrictions could cause problems for other classes of applications. Emulators like StyleTap, which would recreate the Palm OS environment on the iPhone, are also technically barred.
Feedback? info@iphoneatlas.com.
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5 Comments
Posted by agtagt
13 June 2008 @ 11am
Perhaps the new terms were inserted at the request of Google? They are nearly identical to the T&C restrictions on 3rd-party use of Google Maps.
Posted by jmenkart1
13 June 2008 @ 6pm
The only relevant restriction is that which limits “real time route guidance”. That seems to restrict any TomTom like functions.
The rest “automatic or autonomous control of vehicles, aircraft, or other mechanical devices; dispatch or fleet management; or emergency or life-saving purposes.” Seem to be strictly liability issues. Why would Apple want to be in a legal battle because someone created an app that drove a car automatically (without user guidance) and ran over people in the road or ran into a new building, or because the software directed an ambulance incorrectly when it was going to the hospital with a patient in heart failure.
Posted by Mathue
14 June 2008 @ 4pm
I dunno, this sounds like fairly normal (if a bit overreactive) boilerplate to me. Personally I feel the developers who feel squeezed out have should create competing phone hardware and OS with their own funds and we’ll see if they keep a more open developer environment and survive : )
Posted by vincentdarley
15 June 2008 @ 1am
These sorts of terms are standard from the original road-network data supplier (navteq, teleatlas), who wish to charge MUCH more for the data when used for fleet management, route optimisation and real-time purposes than for anything else. Since they provide data to Google (presumably for a single annual worldwide license fee), that explains google’s ts&cs - google’s fee doesn’t cover fleet management use for everyone in the world. It’s much less clear why Apple would genuinely need such terms as part of their SDK. Of course Navteq will (through google) require those terms as part of the Maps application’s use of navteq data, but the Maps application is not the SDK.
Posted by PixelFossil
8 July 2008 @ 12pm
My question is:
Could I use the real-time location information provided by the iPhone to update a moving map that IS NOT provided by Google/Navtec, but an open source solution like openstreetmap.org. I have an idea for an app that could be really useful for a certain market segment, but it really needs a map behind it to be useful. This is a route recording/playback app design specifically for a certain market.