Apple forces Stanza ebook app to halt USB sharing

Ereader applications developer Lexcycle said version 2.1 of its Stanza app for the iPhone has been stripped of USB book sharing at the request of computing giant Apple. Previous versions of Stanza--which offers complete novels available either under public domain or via Creative Commons licenses as well as content from popular magazines--enabled users to transfer content from their Apple device to their computer; according to Stanza's App Store page, the new edition "removed the ability to share books via USB as required by Apple." Lexcycle adds it has been blocked from discussing its conversations with Apple, which in the past has mandated removal of USB data transfers from other iPhone and iPod touch applications.

Some pundits speculate Apple's decision to block Stanza's USB sharing is a shot at online retail giant Amazon.com, which acquired Lexcycle in the spring of 2009. Apple's forthcoming iPad tablet unit will compete directly with Amazon's Kindle ereader--in January, Amazon issued a Kindle software development kit promising the tools build and upload "active content" for the Kindle platform, an effort to better compete with Apple's App Store and related developer ecosystem.

For more on the Stanza controversy:
- read this iPodNN article