> In one blatant example, Eleftheriou said he was approached by Apple’s head of mobile keyboard technology, Randy Marsden. The latter (who created the Swype keyboard) wanted to buy FlickType to add a native QWERTY for the Apple Watch and improve typing on the device. When Eleftheriou rejected Apple, it refused to remove copycat and scam apps from the App Store.

I think he lost his chance.

https://hitechglitz.com/the-creator-of-the-previous-highest-...

It’s pretty astounding if this isn’t flagged as monopolistic behavior.

I’m not opposed to Apple introducing a system keyboard as a clone but the independent developer should not be strong-armed off their platform.

Honestly it just shows weakness of character for the entire Apple company. This is no different than voter suppression when candidates can’t garner votes from the public legitimately.

Oh wait, I guess half the government is fine with voter suppression and whining like 4 yr olds about voter fraud.

That’s the new Apple for you…

Then again, they have the power and capability to make this move. Whose to blame them? A keyboard is something that should be locked down from a security standpoint and a fundamental piece of the system.

That being said you won’t catch me ten feet near an Apple Watch as a dev. Or as a citizen—that is a huge privacy concern. Not to mention the battery life is shit. I tried one for a week and couldn’t bear to have 3 charging cables by my bed at night. I would need at least a week but 2 weeks charge would be ideal…

> That’s the new Apple for you…

Not really, that is the old Apple before they had to get a Microsoft cash injection to avoid closing doors.

>> When Eleftheriou rejected Apple, it refused to remove copycat and scam apps from the App Store.

I agree that scam apps should be removed, but why did he expects copycats to be removed?

If they infringe on his intellectual property rights they must normally be removed, I assume.

If he proves in the courts that they do, yes. Just because someone else has built another keyboard for the watch does not mean that any IP was infringed on.

OK then why was FlickType banned without a court order?

Because Apple doesn't allow keyboard apps on their devices.

Beside the IP the copycat kb apps are nefarious for the app store users but I get it, Apple does not care about its users, it just pretends to when it suits their interests...

You think they lowballed him?

Apple did used to be known for paying low of acquisitions (I don’t know if that’s changed in the last ten years).

Unless this guy had a patent, any offer is a good offer. It’s not a terribly complicated feature to do from scratch and it does logically belong to the OS.

Blocking it from the store was an ass move, if it indeed happened as described and there’s no hidden context.

These excuses just keep getting funnier. App developers: make sure you file your patents, or else its YOUR fault if Apple decides to participate in blatant 90s style Microsoft anticompetitive behavior.

There are enough swiping keyboards around now that it would be tricky to get any patent on it surely? Definitely seems like a dick move but "tech company copies good feature that isn't legally protected" is not exactly uncommon in this industry, if anything it's encouraged by most consumers

The parent commentor is not excusing Apple's behaviour, nor saying it was the developer's fault. They said the developer would be in a better position if they had a patent.

I'm not sure he could even get a patent. He's not a company that can patent rounded corners, etc

I'm wondering if those copycat and scam apps still available in App Store?

They tried several times but were turned down. They started blocking it around that time.

IIRC they tried hard to push him into selling.

They do try that route it seems. I remember when Siri was an app and it got pulled.

Siri got bought, and was not pulled until after that, IIRC.

Maybe easier, but not necessarily cheaper.

They already bought a keyboard developer few years back, no need to do it again.

An acquisition in the current anti-trust climate might not have been advisable.