AppleInsider Staff
After months of behind-the-scenes hold-ups, an update to SkyDrive for iOS arrived in the App Store on Wednesday, signaling that Microsoft and Apple have apparently made amends.
It was first revealed in December that Apple and Microsoft were at odds over in-app subscription fees for Microsoft's SkyDrive cloud storage service. Late last year, Microsoft confirmed it had seen a "delay in approval" of the updated version of SkyDrive for iOS, and said it was "in contact with Apple" in hopes of finding a solution.
Though no indication was given as to what changed, SkyDrive for iOS version 3.0 arrived in the App Store on Wednesday. The new software adds support for the iPhone 5 and iPad mini, and also features updated icons and user experience. Other additions, according to Microsoft, include:
- The ability to download full resolution photos to your iPhone or iPad
- Improved support that makes it easier to open and upload SkyDrive files with other iOS apps
- The option to control upload/download photo size and the capability to retain photo meta data when uploading to SkyDrive
Prior to the release of SkyDrive 3.0, the last update for the iOS application came in June of 2012. The software allows users to access, manage and share SkyDrive files on the go.
Despite the arrival of SkyDrive 3.0 in the App Store, there's no sign that Microsoft and Apple have also worked out the issues that were reportedly holding up the arrival of Office 365 for iOS. The two sides were allegedly at odds over subscription fees, as Apple takes an ongoing 30 percent cut of all subscriptions sold through sanctioned App Store applications.
Microsoft's Office 365 is a service that allows access to a suite of applications, including SkyDrive. The Redmond, Wash., software company reportedly balked at Apple's 30 percent cut taken on all in-app purchases and subscriptions.
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[quote name="AppleInsider" url="/t/156797/skydrive-for-ios-update-suggests-microsoft-apple-resolved-their-dispute#post_2304350"]The Redmond, Wash., software company reportedly balked at Apple's 30 percent cut taken on all in-app purchases and subscriptions.[/quote] The same Redmond Wash. Software company that also takes a 30% cut of Surface RT apps sold through their marketplace?
Just a fresh coat of paint it seems, still can't upload pictures from iPhone photo album. *update* found the upload feature 8-)
If Apple made iWork available to Microsoft's mobile users, would they give Apple an exclusive discount on their cut? Should they? What about for their Win 8 store? It seems that as usual, this cuts both ways. I see no reason why Apple should make exceptions. Other companies have gone to the cloud if they weren't happy. Let Microsoft do the same for iOS. It's not as if they haven't a web based solution out for several years already.
It [I]looks[/I] like Microsoft won't be giving a 30% cut to Apple. If you want to buy additional storage Microsoft says you need to do it via the web rather than thru the app.
[quote name="melgross" url="/t/156797/skydrive-for-ios-update-suggests-microsoft-apple-resolved-their-dispute#post_2304398"]If Apple made iWork available to Microsoft's mobile users, would they give Apple an exclusive discount on their cut? Should they? What about for their Win 8 store? It seems that as usual, this cuts both ways. I see no reason why Apple should make exceptions. Other companies have gone to the cloud if they weren't happy. Let Microsoft do the same for iOS. It's not as if they haven't a web based solution out for several years already.[/quote] I don't see a reason why MS should keep giving Apple 30% of monthly/yearly subscription people will pay for extra storage space on SkyDrive. After all, it is completely up to MS to maintain, backup, secure that space, and it is ongoing process, not one time set-and-forget thing. Likewise, if Apple makes their cloud available on WP8, same applies. MS would "sell" app once and keep leaching money from Apple for indefinite period, doing nothing for customers themselves, while Apple would have ongoing expenses to maintain cloud service. At best, I would agree to giving AppStore owner some percentage from 1st subscription (if app itself is free). Or one fixed payment for every new subscriber.