Apple CEO Tim Cook spoke during Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WDC) in June. Many of the features Apple announced will copy third-party app offerings, a The method is called “Sherlocking”.
NIC COURY/AFP via Getty Images/AFP
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NIC COURY/AFP via Getty Images/AFP
TapeACall is one of the most popular call recording apps, with millions of users paying a monthly fee to be able to record phone conversations with the click of a button.
But now the app is facing competition from one of the richest and most powerful companies in the world: Apple.
As part of the new operating system iOS 18, expected to be released this fall, Apple will offer its own recording and transcription service that is seamlessly integrated into phone calls on iPhone . Apple’s service will be able to access backend code that TapeACall, as a third-party app, cannot.
TapeACall’s annual subscription is $79.99. Apple’s new recording feature is free.
“If I were TapeACall, I would say game over,” said Philip Shoemaker, a former Apple executive who helped oversee the company’s App Store.
TapeACall declined to comment. This isn’t the only app that’s been Sherlocked for a long time observers call it.
At its global developers conference in Cupertino earlier this month, Apple unveiled new services similar to its writing assistant app Grammarly; password management app 1Password; Otter voice transcription app; Newji AI emoji app; and the Alltrails map app. Its new AI-powered features perform the same functions as slow-acting AI hardware devices like the RabbitR1 and Humanity AI pins.
When Shoemaker was at Apple, he said he regularly received complaints from small app developers that Apple was copying their services.
“Apple has all the data they need. They can see which apps are being used the most by customers, and they can say, ‘Hey, that’s a great idea, let’s integrate that into our operating system, we can do much better,’ he said.
Apple has long faced complaints about ‘Sherlocking’
This practice has come to be known as “Sherlocking”.
It originated in the 1990s when Apple introduced a desktop search engine called Sherlock, which was very similar to another desktop search program called Watson. Since then, the term has stuck.
When NPR contacted several app analysts who said it had been Sherlocked, the app companies did not express outrage. Instead, the apps released statements saying they welcome competition and respect Apple.
For example, Grammarly spokesperson Yuki Klotz-Burwell wrote in a statement: “We welcome Apple to this exciting and thriving space where we have operated for more than 15 years,” she wrote. “Whenever new people enter our market, we actually see increased demand for Grammarly.”
“Despite the speculation and doubts from online critics, the numbers and feedback we see from users tell a completely different story,” RabbitR1 CEO Jesse Lyu told NPR. ” he said. “We are pleased to see Apple share our vision for the future of AI.”
Rick VanMeter is less optimistic. He is the executive director of the advocacy group Alliance for App Fairness, which represents more than 80 popular apps, including Spotify, Match Group and Epic Games, which has fought Apple in court for several years. years for activities they considered anti-competitive.
“Many developers fear retaliation and are very cautious in what they say about Apple. Unfortunately, that is something we have to witness every day,” he said. “Apple is not just a competitor, it sets the rules of the market.”
Former Apple CEO said apps are afraid to speak up
That market is the App Store. Apple is its gatekeeper. Many app developers bet that speaking out against them is too risky out of fear of possible retaliation that could affect their status on the App Store, VanMeter said.
“People are afraid of being kicked out of the App Store because they say the wrong thing or do the wrong thing,” Shoemaker said.
Some companies have fought back and sued Apple, but Shoemaker said the more common strategy is to say nothing. The Sherlocked app often moves to another service or even stops working altogether, he said.
“Third-party companies don’t want to bite the hand that feeds them because for the most part they are the only method of getting apps onto your device,” Shoemaker said.
Apple has become a tech giant through billions of dollars in its own research and development, but it also benefits from ideas inspired by other companies’ products and services. other.
Apple co-founder Steve Jobs famously said: “We are always shameless about stealing great ideas.”
Apple did not respond to a request for comment, but the company has previously said it welcomes healthy competition and works to improve services for everyone.
Apple’s outreach is considered the ‘kiss of death’
John Gruber, the tech writer behind the blog Bold fireball who has covered Apple for more than two decades and is a frequent defender of the company, said Apple is just being cutthroat.
“The truth is, Apple, like any successful company, plays hardball,” Gruber said.
And it’s not just Apple, he said.
Smaller companies with smart and popular ideas are always at risk of having their services copied by a larger tech company.
“Historically, that’s just the way the software industry has worked,” Gruber said.
Some small app developers have become afraid to even approach Apple since medical technology company Masimo’s case exploded into public view in a patent dispute.
Masimo claims Apple has held meetings with them about the possibility of incorporating Masimo’s pulse reading technology into the iPhone. When discussions broke down, Apple hired two Masimo executives and introduced a service that Masimo said pirated its technology. Apple denies this.
Ambitious Apple partners cited Masimo’s experience as a cautionary tale.
“When Apple is interested in a company,” Masimo CEO Joe Kiani speak Wall Street Journal“That was the kiss of death.”
