Attempt at clarifying platforms has side effects

Apple has begun blocking apps with the word "pad" in their title's main body, an official response suggests. Jesse Waites, the developer of ContactPad, notes that even though one version of his iPad app is already at the App Store, an update has been denied simply because the title bears too much similarity to the term iPad. References should be broken out, Apple insists, for example making it alright to amend the term "for iPad" to an app.

The restrictions are an extension of existing policies intended to prevent confusion about whether something is made by Apple or otherwise endorsed by the company. These have created some controversy, most notably when a program called iPodRip was recently forced to be renamed to iRip despite having been sold under the former identity for several years. Apple CEO Steve Jobs blithely dismissed complaints, calling the issue "not that big of a deal."

by MacNN Staff