Apple Snubs Google in iPhone App Distribution

Google's voice search application has been making waves in the world of tech but Apple seems rather unimpressed.

Google decided to forego releasing the app on its still nascent Android app in favor of leveraging Apple's established iPhone infrastructure. It was expecting the app to be freely distributed last Friday on the iTunes network but has been informed that the app has not been cleared for distribution at this point. Apparently, even a behemoth like Google does not get a free pass to distribute as it pleases on Apple's network.

To add insult to injury, there's been no official explanation as to the delay. All that Google knows is that review of the application is still in progress.

Tech blogs have criticized the event as evidence of Apple's backward approach that will cost it in the long run by alienating established players. It's no secret that a a fair amount of junk gets hosted on the iTunes space and Google's app is obviously a big deal. But we can give them the benefit of the doubt for now and assume that Apple has strategic motives behind the delay. Maybe some bugs still need to be ironed out? Maybe Apple has a rival application in the works?