Apple Forces iDevice Tracking Website to Shut Down

If you were looking for a new iPad or iPhone this fall, Mordy was your best friend. The anonymous developer launched Apple-Tracker, a website designed to scan the closest Apple Stores based on your ZIP code and spit out a comprehensive list of which locations still had the device you were looking for. Unfortunately, it looks like Apple didn’t approve of Mordy’s site, issuing a DMCA takedown notice and leaving the developer little choice besides shutting down the search tool.

While the Apple-Tracker URL is still live, the search tool has been replaced by a note from its creator explaining what happened:

I’ve decided to turn off the site. I’m not doing this because I want to, but rather because I received a DMCA takedown notice from Apple. I’m not really interested in picking a fight with apple so….. I guess it’s time to just say good bye. Before I go though I just wanted to says thanks to all of you for the nice comments and emails that you’ve sent in the last few weeks. It was fun while it lasted.

Mordy also shared the takedown notice in its entirety, which explains that Apple-Tracker broke apple.com’s terms of use by scraping and collecting data from its website. Apple may be in the legal right, but it’s still surprising to hear that the company would shut down a website devoted to helping people buy Apple products. With the iPad mini with Retina display set to launch later this month and units expected to be in short supply, consumers will be stuck tracking down a new tablet in less convenient ways.