The joke is YOU, kid...
These are the same people who complain about the App store being filled with junk but Apple decides to control what gets in and they still complain. What a joke.
The AppStore IS filled with JUNK. You fail to see the irony in your defense of Apple's foolishness.
The restrictions have done NOTHING to improve the quality and selection of apps...even tho, when warned that what is happening now WOULD by those who know better, the apologist drank the kool-aid and ignored the fact that "illegitimate" apps would be able to offer far more integration, stability and functionality than the Dog and Pony ones.
There is a *very specific technical reason* that unfortunately, to protect Apple's ass,I had to sign an NDA to find out, why jB apps don't crash as much as legit ones do and have far more functionality and tighter hardware integration.
That reason would make you sad, if you were allowed to know it, and likely disgusted and angry. Sorry. I can't tell you. As an Apple customer, you have a right to know.
If you look at the actual output, the AppStore is full of safe "me-too!" apps precisely because of an, as the kids like to say, "EPIC FAIL" of the system.
These are the facts..as far as I can disclose them, of how the development process works:
1. You have an idea.
2. You pay Apple to have access to the full toolset to develop your idea.
3. You pay R&D to develop your idea.
4. Post development, you submit your non-malicious product for sale.
At this point, assuming you haven't developed the most basic of apps, you've spent thousands of dollars to do this.
Now, in a normal dev environment, you generally set up shop and sell the thing.
Of course, there are different models, usually a change in the above 4 steps, or a step 1a. You "pitch" your idea to the licensor for initial feedback/greenlighting.
This ONE CHANGE to the process would prevent a LOT of the ill will floating about.
Many "AAA" long-time Mac dev outfits that many of you know, love and have purchased from will NOT touch the iPhone with a 10ft pole...further increasing the level of "n00b" apps you are seeing.
They aren't doing this, because the current business model is quite insane when you look at 'the numbers'...and all of the fanboi cheering in the world backing up Apple on this won't change that.
I for one look forward to WWDC next year; it will be an...interesting...environment from what I've heard around the campfire if some policies don't change.
BELIEVE ME...there are devs out there waiting to write the kinds of innovative apps we all know the iPhone *should* be able to deliver...and will be happy to bring them to you once they are allowed to by the agreements and the business model.
All blame for the failings of the AppStore belong in Apple's lap; they deserve every bit of backlash they receive. It is the price to be paid for the path they've chosen and the sooner they, and their small but vocal segment of cheerleader customers come to terms with this, the faster the platform will grow to its greatest potential.
I mean, iPhone Apps are written in a variant of Cocoa...but most of the best Cocoa coders outside of Apple with the most experience want nothing to to with the platform...if they have to spend their own money on such risky business.
Hence the proliferation of 1. Games from Names (they have an 'in') and 2. Simple, low risk apps that don't really exploit the platform or are a clone or "different take" on apps already there.
Contrast this with the Android platform. Those apps are written in the Java language and use common, well understood things like XML.
Do we really think Apple is in a position *at this time* to make it...less attractive than moreso to develop for their platform?
