Apple approves, then removes C64 emulator for iPhone

Months after Apple rejected [1] developer Manomio's iPhone application emulating classic videogames originally available via the Commodore 64 home computer system, the computing giant reversed course and approved the app for premium download via the App Store--only to pull the app yet again. On Sept. 6, Manomio wrote [2] on its blog that Apple approved Commodore 64 for iPhone contingent on the startup disabling the BASIC programming language--per terms of the iPhone SDK, Apple does not allow apps that include their own executable runtimes. The $4.99 app was slated to arrive bundled with five officially licensed titles--Dragons Den, Le Mans, Jupiter Lander, Arctic Shipwreck and Jack Attack--with more games on tap.

But today, Manomio posted an update to report that Apple has yanked Commodore 64 for iPhone. "We had agreed with Apple to remove basic from the application, but as we believed it would be possible to convince Apple to let it in later on, we left it in the app to be activated remotely by us when we had ‘go' from Apple," writes Manomio CEO Brian Lyscarz. "Due to the extreme publicity the app has received over the weekend and the fact that several users found a way to enable the basic back, Apple decided to remove the app from App Store until we have solved the issue. This is very frustrating as we had no intention of tricking basic into the app and the fix was done in a few minutes the moment we found out--a new version has been submitted to Apple, and we can only hope Apple will appreciate our efforts to apply the changes they need in order to put it back on."

For more on the C64 app:
- read this Manomio blog entry [3]

Related articles:
Back from the dead: A history of rejected iPhone apps [4]
FCC investigating Apple's Google Voice app rejection [5]