Evi, A Siri Clone For iOS, Could Soon Face Extinction
February 27, 2012
Evi, the digital assistant for iOS that isn’t named Siri, could soon be pulled from the App Store. Apple is threatening to pull the $.99 app, according to iPodNN.
First released in January, Evi offers Siri-like functionality for those users that don’t have an iPhone 4S. According to the app’s developer, True Knowledge, Apple’s Richard Chipman on Friday contacted the company and stated that Apple was “going to pull Evi from the App Store.”
Most likely, Apple’s reasoning comes from an App Store guideline that states, “Apps which appear confusingly similar to an existing Apple product or advertising theme will be rejected.”
However, according to True Knowledge CEO William Tunstall-Pedoe, Apple’s likely decision to pull the app has more to do with discouraging competition.
He states:
"I don’t think it takes too much of a leap of the imagination to realise that 'confusingly similar' is code for 'competitive with' -- and that all the user and press reviews along the lines of 'now you don’t need to buy a 4S -– you can download Evi', 'better than Siri' etc. have resulted in a change of heart from Apple about allowing its users to get the app."Launched in October exclusively on the iPhone 4S, Siri could soon expand onto the iPad 3 next month. At this time, Evi remains in the App Store. If you plan on buying it, we suggest doing so very soon. For more information on Evi, be sure to checkout our original review located here. Should Apple pull this app or let competition rule?
