Commodore 64 Emulator Rejected By Apple
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Looks familiar, doesn’t it? If you have been around for a while, you have probably seen one of these cool Commodore 64 machines. These machines used to rule in the 90s [a long while ago (thanks Chris)], but now only have historic value. Commodore 64 was more than a gaming console. It allowed its users to write BASIC code for it and develop innovative (but simple) programs. Unfortunately, these machines are not around these days and quite frankly not worth playing with (unless you are a hardcore geek). But it was exciting to hear about the Commodore 64 emulator that was going to be released for iPhone. Apple had other plans.
In a move that stunned a few in the geek community, Apple rejected the Commodore 64 application for iPhone. Here is the reason that was given:
an Application may not itself install or launch other executable code by any means, including without limitation through the use of a plug-in architecture, calling other frameworks, other APIs or otherwise.
This is truly a terrible decision by Apple. Plain and simple! It goes on to show the double standard that Apple is applying to some of its apps. How come some emulators are allowed on iPhone and some aren’t. I admit I haven not seen the code to figure out what’s happening in the background, but I certainly hope Apple changes its decision on this cool Commodore emulator. It seems pretty harmless to me. You be the judge:
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You wrote, “These machines used to rule in the 90s…”
For the record, by the 90s Commodore 64s were already long gone.
Commodore Business Machines was a leading business computer manufacture in the 70s. In 1980 they introduced the Vic-20 (my first computer), and coined the term “User Friendly” in their advertising. A few years later they followed with the Commodore 64 (my second computer). They had fierce competition in the home market with the Atari 600 and 800 and the Apple II and IIe… The Commodore 64 was only manufactured until the mid 80s. But Apple’s introduction of the Mac was what ultimately killed Commodore.
By the time of the rise of Apple’s Macintosh, Commodore’s leading product was the Commodore Amiga. It was marketed for Graphic Design, Digital Photo Manipulation, Music/Audio Tools, and had a very dedicated user base in desktop video editing using an application called Video Toaster. Commodore and Apple were huge rivals, and to say the least, Apple ate their lunch. Commodore went under in the mid 90s and no longer exists. Even by the time it shut its doors, it had probably had less than 1% market share for years. If you think Mac users and PC users can be ruthlessly silly in their rivalry, it pales in comparison to the rivalry that existed between Apple users and Commodore users, especially in the final days of Commodore’s death throws.
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Aside from that back story…
I really doubt Apple’s rejection of the Commodore 64 emulator has anything to do with old rivalries (after all, several emulators of various OS including Windows have come to the Mac platform).
The fact is, for a platform like the iPhone that has such a closed system, one of the of supposed advantages of the walled garden approach is security. They don’t let anything on the iPhone platform without their blessing. Having an app that the user can then program to execute code would have to blow a huge security hole in the system. Seems like it has the potential for an unforeseen kaleidoscope of potentially exploitable vulnerabilities.
Don’t get me wrong, as a former Commodore user I was very much looking forward to the Commodore 64 emulator and disappointed when I first learned it was rejected, but reading Apple’s explanation for the rejection, I don’t really fault them.
cheers,
Chris
Chris,
I guess it’s bad wording on my side. Of course, I mean very early 90s when I got my first machine. It’s too long of a range, and I should’ve been clearer. Though I got to admit it has been a long time ago since I owned my machine. Thanks for pointing out the error in the piece.
That is simply not correct. The c64 was manifactured atleast until 1993, and possibly even until April 1994. In 1993 alone, an estimated 150.000-200.000 c64's were sold worldwide (mostly in europe). This can easily be verified by doing some googling. I personally own a c64 manifactured in 1992.
Well. I used to live in Europe in that time. I can tell you we had C64 well in the 90s. But the good news is C64 is making a comeback 🙂 Did you hear about it?