Citrip, Youku, Mapbar Mobile Apps Removed from iTunes Store
Sohu IT, 12/05/12
Apple's iTunes app store has removed mobile applications from Chinese online travel service provider Ctrip (Nasdaq: CTRP) (Ctrip Mobile, Ctrip Hotel Discounts, and Ctrip Tours), as well as apps from Youku Tudou (NYSE: YOKU) and Mapbar Technology. Though the reasons for the removal are unclear, industry sources speculate the apps were removed due to the companies paying users to download their apps and artificially inflate their rankings. Apple recently received numerous complaints from developers that the Top Free Apps rankings lacked any high-quality or new apps.
Ctrip said today that removal was related to contract renewal fees, and that all three Ctrip apps are again available in the app store. Youku and Mapbar's apps remain unavailable.
Keywords: mobile video mobile travel mobile mapping wireless Youku Tudou Ctrip app store Apple Mapbar CTRP YOKU mobile application