Tech

Bitcoiners build Apple boycott

Tech-savvy supporters of cyber currency bitcoin on Thursday were urged to boycott Apple.

The move comes one day after Apple booted the last remaining bitcoin wallet app from its App Store.

The owner of the booted app, Blockchain, posted an unsigned blog entry on its site Thursday blasting the move — and asking supporters to sign a petition that threatens a boycott of Apple and its products unless bitcoin wallets are returned to the App Store.

Apple took down the Blockchain app because it is in the process of building its own payment system and wants to kill off the competition, the blog entry alleged.

“By removing the blockchain app, the only bitcoin wallet application on the App store, Apple has eliminated competition using their monopolistic position in the market in a heavy-handed manner,” the blog entry reads.

An Apple spokesman didn’t return requests for comment.

“These actions by Apple once again demonstrate the anti-competitive and capricious nature of the App Store policies,” the blog entry reads.

To be sure, tech experts have long predicted that Apple might be moving into the mobile payments space, like PayPal.

Last month, billionaire investor Carl Icahn, who owns $3.6 billion worth of Apple’s shares, talked up “a revolutionary payments solution” by Apple as one of the reasons he’s bullish on the tech giant’s stock.

“We need a mobile Bitcoin wallet, and if Apple won’t deliver one, we’ll move to Android,” said the petition, referring to Google’s mobile operating system.

The petition had 3,000 signatures as of Thursday evening.

“If Apple don’t want us, we surely don’t need it,” commented Mirco Romanato under Blockchain’s letter.