There are a lot of posts about developers being unhappy with the App Store. The main causes are the NDA and the review process with Apple as gate keeper. There are also a lot of people who then turn around and say "Well if you don't like the iPhone then go develop for Android or Windows Mobile". These people act like Apple's biggest fans and are willing to defend Apple's actions no matter what.
In reality Apple's biggest fans are the developers for its platforms. Many users put a lot of investment into their platform of choice, but almost no users put more investment in than developers. On the Mac they work together to try and make the platform better. And because they put all this investment of time and money into Apple's platforms they are often amongst the harshest critics of Apple. But this doesn't mean we dislike Apple, quite the opposite. We criticise Apple because we care about it succeeding. We are stake holders in the success of its platforms.
The misfits, the rebels, the trouble makers...
Now the Mac is well renowned for innovation. Mac developers are some of the best in the world when it comes to creating innovative, fun and easy to use applications. They push the boundaries and try things that others aren't willing to. They are also in this for the enjoyment they get out of it. Sure, we all want to make money so that we can feed, clothe and house ourselves and our families, but it isn't the primary reason why Mac developers choose this as their job.
The PC on the other hand is flooded with developers who are in this for the money. They do as much work as they have to in order to get a sale and often don't strive to push their software or the platform beyond the current boundaries. That is not to say that developers who are in it primarily for the enjoyment and satisfaction don't exist on Windows, they're just often drowned in the deluge of mediocrity.
So obviously when Mac developers first saw the iPhone we were thinking about how we can push the boundaries. Then we got the SDK and we could start putting our ideas into code. Unfortunately this is where the good times ended. The NDA and their role as gatekeeper is seriously damaging the iPhone and pushing it much closer to the PC's software landscape than the Mac's.
The round pegs in the square hole...
Developers are becoming too scared to push boundaries on the iPhone. If we get too close then we aren't guaranteed to get on the App Store and to make matters worse, those boundaries are ill defined. When you get punished for pushing the boundaries and you don't even know what those boundaries are exactly you become scared of doing too much, or even doing anything at all. And this is the potential death knell for the iPhone.
That isn't to say that the iPhone will stop selling well, or software will stop being developed for the iPhone. I believe the iPhone will become one of the biggest platforms around pretty quickly, no matter whether Apple keeps the restrictions or not. However, I don't believe it will be the best platform. Microsoft showed that being the biggest doesn't mean you're the best.
The ones who see things differently...
The stories of how much money developers are making from the iPhone are quite staggering. People are making 1000s of dollars a month from their apps and these aren't even rare stories. And as someone who wants to make a living writing software this makes the iPhone a very appealing platform to me. I'm not yet at the point where I can live off my software sales, but one or two iPhone apps could potentially change that. And yet I'm hesitant to develop for the iPhone.
I want to get an iPhone version of Lighthouse Keeper out, but does this cross the invisible line of "duplicating functionality in Apple's software"? After all, I'm just letting you accessing lighthouseapp.com, you can do that already in Safari. Odds are it wouldn't, but if Podcaster duplicates functionality in iTunes then you just cannot be sure.
This doubt is even making me consider Android. Just a few weeks ago this would've been unthinkable to be considering another mobile platform when the iPhone allows me to write apps in my favourite API and language. I don't think I would really start developing for Android, but the fact that I'm considering it, despite the fact that I could use an API I already know on a platform that is making many people a hell of a lot of money is telling.
And it isn't just me. Many developers are doubting the iPhone as a platform they are completely comfortable with. If these developers decide to stay away from the iPhone then there will just be those mediocrity loving money grabbers who don't ever try to innovate left. For a company that prides itself of building the best and trying to innovate where it can, this would be a huge blow. Unfortunately this is the way Apple is heading.
So when you see a developer criticising Apple over the NDA or the App Store, then don't tell them to go develop elsewhere. They want to develop for the iPhone, not just for the money, but to try and make it the best mobile platform out there. They may seem crazy to not just go with the flow and earn lots of money and try and change Apple's policies, but as Apple once said: the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.
I have read so many anti-iPhone developer stories over the last several days that I can’t help but think this will change.
Everyone decried the lack of app creation when the iPhone first came out. Then Apple created a way of developing Internet apps. That wasn’t enough for some. Apple then released the iPhone SDK. Wa-hoo! Everyone cheered. Now, less than three months down the road, we see the same criticism being raised. Isn’t Apple entitled to a little leeway here? It’s their garden. And does anyone think that maybe the NDA will change or be removed in due time? Does anyone think Apple will stand still and do nothing? They’re pretty new at this whole thing and I am sure they want security, accountability and profitability.
The iPhone platform is just over a year old. It’s an infant. And yet it is exploding with thousands of apps and millions of downloads. Why not everyone sit back, take a deep breath and have a wait-and-see attitude first? You seem to be taking that approach. Others seem to want to hang Jobs on a tree.
I don’t make my living developing apps, but I have an iPhone and to me the iPhone app store is killer. It is easy, intuitive and brilliant for us users.
I think Apple has created a great opportunity for a lot of developers. My guess is that the vast majority are comfortable with the NDA, and a small minority are making the waves. In the end I believe Apple will change some things, some will still complain and move on, while many more thousands of apps will be created and very soon we will see a billion downloads. This thing is just getting started. Relax!
Cheers.
As an idle thought: How different the SDKs for iPhone and Android? Will we see a technique of writing for both simultaneously? Write for iTunes app store then if you get turned down go directly to the Gphone. Or go anyway.
As I see it, the biggest fault with the Apple NDA is stifling of communication between developers, although it wouldn’t surprise me if an underground email chat railroad didn’t already exist.
Please do everyone a favor and jump ship. Just so I don’t have
read these god awful articles. First do it.
and they crow about how money you made with Android.
Plus Java is easy, Objective-C is hard.
You can stop waiting for YellowBox to save your soul.
goodbye and good luck.
@Kiwiiano: I haven’t looked into Android a huge amount but I don’t expect there to be an easy way to write for both. They are different languages, different APIs etc. This means that if you are rejected then next to none of the code you wrote for the iPhone version will be re-usable.
@b You are just the sort of person this article was aimed at. The person who tells anyone who criticises Apple in anyway to go to another platform. If every developer who criticised Apple then moved to another platform Apple would not be anywhere near as successful as they are now, because there would be next to no 3rd party apps for the Mac or iPhone.
And anyone who tries to claim Java is easy but Obj-C is hard needs to learn how to program. Java is easy, but it is incredibly awkward. Obj-C isn’t hard, but Cocoa itself is hard. But I’m assuming you made that without actually really reading the article nor looking at any other part of my site and am assuming I’m some developer from another platform who is just criticising Apple for not using the languages everyone else uses. If you bothered to do a bit of background checking you’d see that I’m already a Mac developer so know Obj-C and Cocoa pretty damn well. Learning the APIs isn’t an issue, Apple’s current stance is.
Martin, Apple has never been successful because of developers, Microsoft has never been successful because of developers. “Developers!” is something you shout three times so users will think you care about marvelous third party apps. Microsoft happily drove Lotus, Ashton-Tate, and Wordperfect Corp. into bankruptcy or near irrelevancy. Apple happily hired the programmers of Cassady & Green’s SoundJam MP, and produced the similar iTunes, then sent a polite note to Casady & Green asking them to cease sales of SoundJam, ultimately driving them out of business. Developers write software for platforms that will pay them to do so. Developers get the treatment that their ability and willingness to advance the interests of the platform owner deserves, as long as they are useful.
To paraphrase Hannibal Lecter on the FBI, “You may love Apple, but Apple does not love you.”
To amend my previous post, developers are integral to Apple’s and Microsoft’s success. When the Mac debuted, there was very little software. And after the initial rush, sales tapered off dramatically until the Mac found its killer app.
In the 1980s, IBM promoted their machines by showing all the software that it ran by way of MS-DOS.
While both Apple and MS have mistreated developers, it would be foolish to say that Apple and MS “have never been successful because of their developers,” because without developers, Windows and the Mac would be nothing.
last post, I swear: Sean if I’m misinterpreting your post, my apologies; my brain is slightly fried. 
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