Apple Quickly Kills Popular iPhone 'Tethering' App

IPhone users jumped for joy last night, when, for a brief time, they were able to download a tethering application made by Nullriver called Netshare for $9.99 that allowed them to marry their iPhone's 3G Net access to their computer. However, the application was removed from the iTunes App Store within hours of its debut, and as of this writing there is no sign of Netshare on the App Store.

When Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone 3G at WWDC in June, he proudly showed how 3G speeds were approaching those of Wi-Fi, but AT&T quickly said it wouldn't allow the iPhone 3G to be tethered.

Why AT&T kiboshed the idea of the iPhone as a tethered handset is unclear as the company does allow other handsets to be used for tethering. Furthermore, how did Apple let this app get online at all since all applications in the App store must be vetted and pre-approved by Apple before getting into the store? Did Apple simply just let one slip pass the goalie? Nullriver, the company that created the application, posted a note on the Macrumors forum, stating that it is not sure why Apple removed the application. According to Nullriver, Netshare did not violate any of Apple's developer or App Store agreements. So far Apple has not responded to Nullriver's inquiries as to why the application was removed.

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