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"Apple pulled the iTether app from iTunes on Tuesday because it placed too great a burden on the wireless carriers' networks, according to the maker of the app.\nTether, which created iTether, wrote on its blog that Apple called the company around 12 p.m. ET on Tuesday. Though Apple pointed out that the app placed too much stress on the carriers, \"They offered us no way to remedy the solution...We were very clear when listing the app what the primary function was and [Apple] even followed up with several questions and requested a video demo\" before approving the app, according to Tether's blog. Note: Tether's site appears to be overwhelmed by traffic; its blog only works intermittently.\nApple reps could not be reached for comment.\niTether went live on iTunes on Monday for $14.99. Customers who bought the app were able to connect their PC or Mac to their iPhone data plan without paying extra fees. The arrangement was particularly attractive if you had an unlimited data plan from Sprint or AT&amp;T (though the latter requires that you are grandfathered in).\nApple's approval was either accidental, or the company didn't foresee complaints by the wireless carriers. Either way, the app's appearance on iTunes, like that of another tethering app that made the rounds in 2010, was short-lived. \nTether's position is that the carriers would benefit from the app, however. \"Our team is very disappointed in Apple\u2019s decision,\" reads the post, \"as we strongly believe we help carriers better monetize their data stream by pushing customers into new data tiers further increasing their bottom-line.\" \nThe post also noted that the app's average user consumes 200 MB of data per month, versus 300-400 MBs for Netflix, an Apple-approved app.\nDespite Tether's stand, it seems the app is down for good. For those who downloaded the app within that short window, however, there's some good news. As the post notes, \"According to Apple, users who purchase iTether before it was pulled will continue to be able to use the product.\"\nImage courtesy of Flickr, ping ping"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2011/11/29/apple-pulls-itether/>