- Ok, it was not obvious to me from first reading of this. The content was copied and not the code. So there are many copycat versions of your app in the store.
- Copying is an issue everywhere (Zynga games, dating apps, camera apps, texting apps, twitter clones anyone?) Maybe not as blatant as your case. Your idea is easily copyable and I've learned elsewhere on HN that if the uniqueness of your idea is the only selling point of your product then you will not succeed against competitors. And you should expect competitors. Maybe complaining to Apple will help.
- Yeah, pirating is an issue everywhere (thepiratebay.org anyone?) and not just in China
- I'm just getting the impression that some areas of app development are not profitable. If you're trying to sell to consumers it could be a huge uphill battle on many fronts. Crowded app store, race to the bottom on pricing, copycat products (not just from the Chinese)...
[Edit]
- I recall reading a success story on HN about an app developer that created a better version of another app (iphone app of a talking elf or something) and made a profit on it. He was celebrated too. So that's the flip side of your situation. The developer was from Silicon Valley and not China.
- Copying is an issue everywhere (Zynga games, dating apps, camera apps, texting apps, twitter clones anyone?) Maybe not as blatant as your case. Your idea is easily copyable and I've learned elsewhere on HN that if the uniqueness of your idea is the only selling point of your product then you will not succeed against competitors. And you should expect competitors. Maybe complaining to Apple will help.
- Yeah, pirating is an issue everywhere (thepiratebay.org anyone?) and not just in China
- I'm just getting the impression that some areas of app development are not profitable. If you're trying to sell to consumers it could be a huge uphill battle on many fronts. Crowded app store, race to the bottom on pricing, copycat products (not just from the Chinese)...
[Edit] - I recall reading a success story on HN about an app developer that created a better version of another app (iphone app of a talking elf or something) and made a profit on it. He was celebrated too. So that's the flip side of your situation. The developer was from Silicon Valley and not China.