Google's email-for-iOS app Sparrow is pining for the fjords Two-and-a-half years after Google bought the French email client Sparrow, it has decided the client gets in the way of pushing Apple fans to its own Inbox service. Hence, apparently, to get iOS and OS X users to head for Inbox, the Chocolate Factory has pulled Sparrow from the App Store. Even the iPhone version, which was …
I can only imagine the complaints about Apple buying a company only to kill the technology and force people unwillingly towards their offerings.
Out of sheer curiosity, when have Apple done this, with whom? I know Microsoft has done this a few times, but I have missed Apple doing this, so interested to find out.
Just two examples, out of several: Apple bought Emagic in 2002; the Windows version of Logic Pro was dropped immediately afterwards. They also bought Final Cut from Macromedia in 1999 and the extant Windows version, which had been shown at a trade show before, was dropped before being released. Several other software as well as hardware companies have been swallowed by Apple and non-MacOS availability/compatibility was subsequently dropped.
It always seemed like an odd purchase to make, so presumably this is what they had in mind from the beginning; buy up any competition that looked vaguely useful, then can it on the assumption that at least half the users will head for the Gmail app.
The choice of email clients on iOS is pretty diabolical; the Apple offering has more holes than a Swiss cheese, the Gmail app requires that you use gmail (and can stomach Google), and none of the rest, few as they are anyway, has anything much to recommend them.
Speed aside, for text mail my Handspring device was scarcely worse 15 years ago, and the subsequent Blackberries were certainly better.
I only ever had a gmail account because my Driod phone demanded it, I never used it for anything that wasnt generated by Google - never will - My personal mail goes to my own domain and a trusted server (as far as one can trust anything that isnt self run) .
I am NOT a Marketing Opportunity for Google or anyone else to corral easily into their data silo
I only ever had a gmail account because my Driod phone demanded it, I never used it for anything that wasnt generated by Google - never will - My personal mail goes to my own domain and a trusted server (as far as one can trust anything that isnt self run).
Ah, two problems with that:
1 - by doing so, you agreed to Google's Terms of Service. They alone tend to be enough to avoid using Android for any business with sensitive data or interesting IP.
2 - you may have noticed that Android may be "open", but it has no built-in support for caldav Calendaring and carddav contact managements, without installing something extra you would be forced to use Google's. Which you sensibly avoided. The latter is why I *really* don't trust "it does do evil" Google (or Android).
So, for email you have gone private - well done. For full private groupware, Android is not the best platform out there IMHO.
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