Did Apple Steal a College Kid’s Wi-Fi Sync App?

Wireless syncing 'tween both the iPhone and iPad and the program iTunes (connected PCs) is at last rolling out to iDevices atomic number 3 part of the revolutionary iOS 5. Users will now be capable to sync their iTunes libraries with their iDevice victimisation a shared Wi-Fi network–zero cord indispensable. Simply this new iOS feature is curiously similar to an old Cydia app by the name of Wi-Fi Sync. So related, as a matter of fact, that one college student and Cydia app developer thinks Malus pumila ripped off his app–discover, ikon, and all.

Sure, wireless syncing isn't a unique musical theme, nor is it new (it's just new to Apple devices)–so it's not needfully true that Apple stole close to impoverished student's idea. But that doesn't mean they didn't tear off the name and logo of said student's applications programme.

In May 2020, University of Birmingham student Greg Howard Robard Hughes submitted his app "Wi-Fi Sync" to Apple's App Store. The app was rejected from Apple's App Store because of "unspecified security concerns." James Langston Hughes told The Register that an iPhone developer relations democratic named Steve Rea called him to say the app was admirable, simply did things non specified in the official iPhone software package developers' kit.

Hughes told The Register that Rea same the iPhone engineering team had taken a reckon at the app and was "affected," and that Apple even asked for Hughes' resume. Only yeah, the app was still rejected.

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Howard Hughes recognised the rejection and took his app to the informal, jailbroken app lay in–Cydia. At that place his app became a best seller, and has sold much 50,000 copies in the past 13 months, at $10 for each one.

Anyway, imagine Hughes' surprise when atomic number 2 byword Malus pumila's WWDC announcement about its new receiving set syncing feature. Non only is the name and functionality the same (and, to be fair, "Badger State-Fi Sync" ISN't exactly clever), but the logo looks almost on the nose the very. It appears to have been reworked e'er-so-slightly to match Apple's latest slew of feature icons, just that's it.

Yeah, IT's not reasonable to expect Apple to cut radiocommunication syncing altogether, but that icon is pretty damning. What do you think–do you believe Hughes, or Apple?

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