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Why iPhone developers should defect to Android
Quite a bit has been made lately over Apple's treatment of developers who want to create apps for the iPhone and iPod Touch. The company has consistently played games with developers by keeping them in the dark and ensuring that each time an app is rejected they're given as little information as possible.
Of course, this doesn't come as a surprise to those of us who have followed Apple all these years. The company has always been suspect of third-party developers and has consistently failed to do the right thing even when it's faced with a PR firestorm. After all, if the mainstream doesn't pay attention, who cares?
But it's that kind of mentality that could get Apple into trouble. Sure, it worked fine for the company with Mac OS X and it has every right in the world to stop apps from getting into its store if they're undesirable, but that doesn't stop the onslaught of complaints that Apple is acting in a way that's more than a little "wrong."
Let's see if I can capture the main points. First, Apple announced that the first iPhone wouldn't have third-party apps. It took almost a year for the company to come around and finally let third-party developers create apps for its follow-up. But once that happened, all hell broke loose.
First, developers repeatedly made claims that Apple's excessive restrictions were out-of-hand, only to be followed once the App Store launched with a few notable removals from the store, including Nullriver's NetShare and Box Office.
Since that time, Apple has stayed quiet on what it takes to gain entry into the App store, the company has given poor reasons why it won't accept apps, and now it's believed that Apple's rejection letters are covered under its non-disclosure agreement, which means developers won't be able to help each other gain admission to the store.
All the while, developers across the globe are wondering why they thought Apple would do the right thing, given its history.… Read more
