OnLive for iOS is stuck in Apple’s approval process: What’s wrong, Apple?
Apple has always been really stringent with its App Store submissions. Its total control over its entire ecosystem is controversial: is it better to run stores this way to keep some of the junk out, or does this method limit consumer choice too much?
Today, I’m siding with the latter option. OnLive, a company known for its game streaming and remote desktop services, has been trying to get its gaming service on iOS for six months. The only reason the app isn’t available to users of the iPhone and iPad is because Apple hasn’t approved it yet.
Apple is to blame for the lack of OnLive’s app, but I don’t think it’s really a surprise. Like I just stated, Apple is incredibly controlling over everything about the App Store. OnLive’s streaming service is paid for outside of iTunes, and thus outside of Apple’s villainous regime.
But that might not even be Apple’s biggest concern. Netflix operates in a similar fashion, yet Apple let it through. I think what really worries Apple is that OnLive is all about games. Games are always at the top of the App Store’s Top 10 list, which means that they obviously bring in a lot of money for the company.
If you’re unfamiliar with OnLive, let me tell you what it specializes in: full-on PC-level games. You won’t see Angry Birds anywhere in its catalog; when you look at OnLive’s available games, you’ll see the likes of Batman: Arkham City instead. The App Store doesn’t have anything near the quality of a PC title, which means that serious gamers who own iPads may look right in OnLive’s direction to satisfy their needs and not at App Store titles.
Still, I believe there’s a place for Angry Birds and Batman, just at different times. I hope that Apple will see that too and we won’t have to wait any longer for an iOS OnLive client.
[TouchArcade]
