• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
College Magazine logo

College Magazine

College Life, Dating, Career & Campus Advice

  • Colleges
    • College Guides
    • College Rankings
    • Campus Life
      • Academics
      • Dating
      • Freshman Year
      • Health
      • Social Change
      • Party
    • Find Your College
  • Majors
    • All Majors
    • Most Popular Majors
    • Choosing a Major
  • Intern
    • Internship Directory
    • How to Get an Internship
    • How to Write a Resume
    • How to Write a Cover Letter
    • How to Interview
    • How to Network
    • Career 101
    • Find Your Passion Career
  • Money
    • How to Make Money
    • How to Save Money
    • How to Get a Job
    • Credit Cards 101
    • FAFSA
    • Ramen Project
  • Travel
    • Study Abroad
    • College Spring Break
    • How to Travel Cheap
    • Things to Do
  • Shop
    • College Magazine Shop
    • Gift Guides
    • College Packing List
Home » Latest Posts » Apple Allegedly Steals a College Student’s Idea
Life

Apple Allegedly Steals a College Student’s Idea

Facebook Tweet
Matt Petronzio   June 10, 2011

College Magazine’s success section features pieces on young entrepreneurs every now and then—students who start their own businesses, create their own products and the like. As editor of the section, I naturally like to stay up to date with student CEO news. As I browsed the web today, an article on PCWorld caught my eye regarding the possibility of a large corporation stealing a college student’s idea.

Apparently Greg Hughes, a student at the University of Birmingham, submitted an idea of a wireless syncing app to Apple’s App Store in May 2010. Apple reps rejected the idea, saying that it didn’t meet required security requirements. Hughes decided to bring his app to Cydia, what PCWorld describes as the “unofficial, jailbroken app store” for apps that haven’t been approved by Apple. Through Cydia, Hughes’ development became a bestseller, raking in over $500,000 in the past 13 months.

Over a year has passed since Hughes received his rejection, and Apple has now released “Wi-Fi Sync” as a part of its iOS5 platform. As a result, you can sync your iTunes music library to your device (iPhone, iPad, etc.) without needing a cord.

The really interesting part of this story is that Apple’s new feature has the same name and icon as Hughes’ rejected app. Of course, we can’t assume that Apple definitely ripped Hughes off, but it seems like too much of a coincidence. The name isn’t exactly one-of-a-kind, and Hughes definitely didn’t invent the concept of wireless syncing, but having the same name and also having the same logo and process is pretty strange.

Would Apple actually do this? Who do you believe?

Either way, Hughes has made a pretty big profit via Cydia, and he’s a successful student entrepreneur in my opinion.

About Matt Petronzio

Senior > English & Creative Writing > Fordham University

What I Wish I Had Known About Mental Health So I Wouldn’t Have to Call Myself a College Dropout

Ant-Man Opens the Doors for Marvel’s New Phase

10 Boba Tea Spots for Houston College Students

10 Ways to Have Fun with Your Friends Indoors

Do You Actually Care, Or Do You Want to Look Like You Do?

unsplash.com

Top Ten Inspirational Quotes from Your Favorite Sports TV Shows

I lived with my three best friends. Here’s how it went.

21 Things to Do in Williamsburg When You’re Under 21

The Beauty and Pain of Living Alone

Previous Post:USMT takes on Panama in Gold Cup
Next Post:Beyond the Toga: Spanish Tapas Night

colleges

  • College Guides
  • College Rankings
  • Campus life
  • Academics
  • Dating
  • Freshmen Year
  • Health
  • Party

majors

  • All College Majors
  • Most Popular Majors
  • Choosing a Major

intern

  • Internships Directory
  • How to Write a Resume
  • How to Write a Cover Letter
  • How to Interview
  • How to Get an Internship
  • How to Network

money

  • How to Make Money
  • How to Save Money
  • How to Get a Job
  • Credit Cards 101
  • College Loans

travel

  • Study Abroad
  • College Spring Break
  • How to Travel Cheap
  • Things to Do

shop

  • College Packing List
  • Gift Guides
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS Feed
  • Twitter
  • About Us
  • Team
  • Write
  • Apply
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sign Up
  • Advertise
  • My Account
  • Cart

College Magazine logo

Copyright © 2023 Powered by BizBudding