Topic: The Demise of BitPak - page 3. (Read 8669 times)
Was it hosting the block chain in the app? Maybe AT&T and Verizon said get rid of it because of data or something.
Sorry to here that.
Sadly given Apple's attitude towards complete and absolute platform control that isn't totally surprising.
A cautionary tale for other developers. At a minimum one should consider cross platform wallets (android & ios).
I am surprised you didn't at least appeal saying "We have determined Bitcoin violates no laws, please reinstate the product or provide specific reasons why it can't be".
Sadly given Apple's attitude towards complete and absolute platform control that isn't totally surprising.
A cautionary tale for other developers. At a minimum one should consider cross platform wallets (android & ios).
I am surprised you didn't at least appeal saying "We have determined Bitcoin violates no laws, please reinstate the product or provide specific reasons why it can't be".
About a week later, someone from Apple called me on the phone to let me know that BitPak had been removed from the App Store. The guy on the phone sounded like a nervous teenager. I asked him why this had happened, and he said "Because that Bitcoin thing is not legal in all jurisdictions for which BitPak is for sale". I inquired as to which jurisdictions Bitcoin was deemed to be illlegal in, and he told me "that is up to you to figure out". I asked him which laws Bitcoin violated, and again, he replied that "that is up to you to determine".
You should have told him you have determined it violated no laws, and that it's up to them to prove it violates a law, since they are the one removing the app.
But anyway, it's Apple, what would you expect?
Not a surprise... Good luck with your future ventures.
The Demise of BitPak
About three weeks ago, I received notification that BitPak, the first Bitcoin wallet for iOS, had been removed from the Apple App store. I had not been given any reason why, just a simple electronic notification that it had been done. I was traveling at the time, and did not have the time to contact Apple to inquire about this.
About a week later, someone from Apple called me on the phone to let me know that BitPak had been removed from the App Store. The guy on the phone sounded like a nervous teenager. I asked him why this had happened, and he said "Because that Bitcoin thing is not legal in all jurisdictions for which BitPak is for sale". I inquired as to which jurisdictions Bitcoin was deemed to be illlegal in, and he told me "that is up to you to figure out". I asked him which laws Bitcoin violated, and again, he replied that "that is up to you to determine". I told the kid on the phone that he has in fact told me nothing and was most unhelpful.
Unfortunately, my other business ventures are taking up all of my time and resources, and this I no longer have the time to deal with this. I would have continued BitPak development had the app stayed in the store, but with it gone, I see little point. I had been working on a revision which would have put the block chain in the cloud. That development has now ceased.
So I am willing to pass this on to whomever may be interested in picking BitPak up and doing something with it. I have put a significant amount of money intogetting BitPak developed, and I have not come close to recoupign that investment. If someone has a commercial idea for BitPak, I'll happily sell it for a royalty. If not, I'll post the code somewhere with an opensource license.
I still believe that the most logical place for a Bitcoin wallet to reside is on the mobile phone. it is extremely unfortunate that Apple has chosen to take this stand. I know that there are people working on dedicated dongles to overcome this issue. And maybe that is the way this will play out.
Feel free to contact me if you have any idea for BitPak. And thank you for the support I received while it was live in the store.
All the best,
-Rob Sama
About three weeks ago, I received notification that BitPak, the first Bitcoin wallet for iOS, had been removed from the Apple App store. I had not been given any reason why, just a simple electronic notification that it had been done. I was traveling at the time, and did not have the time to contact Apple to inquire about this.
About a week later, someone from Apple called me on the phone to let me know that BitPak had been removed from the App Store. The guy on the phone sounded like a nervous teenager. I asked him why this had happened, and he said "Because that Bitcoin thing is not legal in all jurisdictions for which BitPak is for sale". I inquired as to which jurisdictions Bitcoin was deemed to be illlegal in, and he told me "that is up to you to figure out". I asked him which laws Bitcoin violated, and again, he replied that "that is up to you to determine". I told the kid on the phone that he has in fact told me nothing and was most unhelpful.
Unfortunately, my other business ventures are taking up all of my time and resources, and this I no longer have the time to deal with this. I would have continued BitPak development had the app stayed in the store, but with it gone, I see little point. I had been working on a revision which would have put the block chain in the cloud. That development has now ceased.
So I am willing to pass this on to whomever may be interested in picking BitPak up and doing something with it. I have put a significant amount of money intogetting BitPak developed, and I have not come close to recoupign that investment. If someone has a commercial idea for BitPak, I'll happily sell it for a royalty. If not, I'll post the code somewhere with an opensource license.
I still believe that the most logical place for a Bitcoin wallet to reside is on the mobile phone. it is extremely unfortunate that Apple has chosen to take this stand. I know that there are people working on dedicated dongles to overcome this issue. And maybe that is the way this will play out.
Feel free to contact me if you have any idea for BitPak. And thank you for the support I received while it was live in the store.
All the best,
-Rob Sama
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