No matter what happens with AppGratis and Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) App Store, developer opinion online is decidedly mixed about the tactics being taken by both sides.
In a blog post about a week ago AppGratis CEO Simon Dawlat expressed shock and dismay that Apple had pulled his company's app discovery service over reported infractions of the company's iOS developer clauses.
"While we stand in total disbelief that Apple actually made the decision to cut a service used by so many of their users, those people still have AppGratis on their iPhone and iPad. And we owe them new app deals every day," he wrote. "And that is pretty much where we stand, still stunned that Apple took the decision to destroy so much value within their own ecosystem, but more than ever convinced that what we're doing is good, and accomplishing a much needed mission in a broken App Discovery world."
In the days that followed, AppGratis started an online petition and began working on an HTML5 app to circumvent Apple's ban.
AppGratis building HTML5 app to circumvent Apple restrictions bit.ly/12pFHxw
— FierceDeveloper (@FierceDeveloper) April 18, 2013
There were at least a few developers on Twitter who wondered why Apple was making such an example of AppGratis.
I don't get how estimating downloads, CPI, and ranking is a bad thing. This hinges on how ads were shown in AppGratis businessinsider.com/app-gratis-use…
— David Barnard (@drbarnard) April 16, 2013
Demonising App Gratis: Giving average CPI etc is just simple marking. Facebook et al. does it too. businessinsider.com/app-gratis-use…
— Naim Cesur (@naimcesur) April 17, 2013
When it was later reported that AppGratis was charging developers to boost app store rankings, developers seemed largely unfazed, if somewhat cynical about the practice.
appgratis doesn't make an app's ranking any more "tainted" than any of the myriad ways companies promote their apps flip.it/wVdvo
— David Beckemeyer (@mrblog) April 16, 2013
This just in: mobile developers buy installs to get into rankings. #sigh businessinsider.com/app-gratis-use…
— Nicolas Godement (@NicolasG_B) April 17, 2013
Although at press time AppGratis was still on the outside of the App Store looking in, developers weren't so sure that a petition was the right approach.
Instead of fixing their business model, AppGratis is using community tools to fight with Apple. Not a wise decision techcrunch.com/2013/04/15/app…
— Brij Singh (@brij) April 15, 2013
The AppGratis guys are really taking advantage of the App Store ban. They can clearly continue with a web app. tcrn.ch/ZkJXgs
— Fábio Bernardo (@fbbernardo) April 15, 2013
As the story develops, several app makers seem to believe that AppGratis won't be alone in being ejected from the iOS community.
More apps to follow AppGratis? If APPL improved discovery in store, maybe there wouldn't be an aftermarket need. techcrunch.com/2013/04/10/app…
— Dan Fiden (@dfiden) April 10, 2013
.@appgratis only the first step of Apple Appstore clean up? Crackdown ahead! @allthingsd: tbcn.es/YL4YBn TC: tbcn.es/YL4XNT
— ThomasBCN (@ThomasBCN) April 10, 2013