My decision to stop iPhone development has had everything to do with Apple’s policies. I respect their right to manage their platform however they want, however I am philosophically opposed to the existence of their review process. I am very concerned that they are setting a horrible precedent for other software platforms, and soon gatekeepers will start infesting the lives of every software developer.
The web is still unrestricted and free, and so I am returning to my roots as a web developer. In the long term, I would like to be able to say that I helped to make the web the best mobile platform available, rather than being part of the transition to a world where every developer must go through a middleman to get their software in the hands of users.”
Joe Hewitt
via
techcrunch.com
If I couldn’t agree more, I also think Joe is a bit pessimistic. The market rules and Apple will have to become more flexible, specially to face Android competition. We are just at the very beginning of something new and huge.
Even Apple’s teams are noobs to deal with such a huge and growing market. When you don’t really understand something, you try to control it more, in order to keep you safe from it. This is what Apple is doing.
I’ve seen improvements in their processes but it takes time. I’m ready to bet that putting an iPhone Application in the AppStore will be easier in the next couple of years and that control from Apple will be lighter…. because it’s the way it naturally goes.
I totally agree with Joe if you take the picture now… but I think we should let them more time to open the doors wider.
