If there is one thing as complicated and misunderstood as Bitcoin, it’s Apple’s App Store policies. Just when you think you’ve got a handle on them, they all change and not always for the better.
One example of Apple fiddling with its own policies is the new acceptance of apps that feature virtual currencies. The new stance on such currencies has effectively opened the door to those developers who had Bitcoin apps originally available on the App Store but then saw Apple change it’s mind, rejecting what were previously perfectly good apps.
The first to take advantage of Apple’s newly relaxed rules is Coin Pocket, and while it’s arguably just a Web app wrapped in Cocoa, it does represent a potential sea change in how Bitcoin is seen by Apple. The new app, which is free, allows those who are into Bitcoin to both send and receive the digital currency at will, right from within the app. That’s a pretty big thing for those who seek to legitimize a currency that’s seen more than its fair share of bad press.
There are already a plethora of Bitcoin apps that we suspect are ready to re-enter the App Store at a moment’s notice, with Coin Pocket simple being the first of many. Now might finally be the time to join the revolution.
Apple’s penchant for meddling with App Store rules is almost legendary at this point, and while it can obviously change whatever it likes on its own store, these rule changes too impact the livelihoods of developers both positively and negatively, something the iPhone maker is seemingly uninterested in. This latest change is to the benefit of those who use Bitcoin, but it’s not beyond the realm of imagination that Apple could reverse its decision at a moment’s notice.
This is Apple after all.
What do you think? Do you believe Apple made the right choice to allow Bitcoin wallet apps back into the App Store, or are you currently unaffected (or uninterested) in the fruit company’s decision? Let us know in the comments section below.
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