Apple Takes Dollies - Goes Home

I know that Apple loves to control "the process" from end-to-end. They like to make their own hardware, operating system and software so that it will all work together seamlessly - and, being a Mac owner (and iPhone owner) - I like that stuff "just works."

However, their recent changes to the developer agreement for their upcoming iPhone/iPad 4.0 version (this summer) - is going a little too far.

Here's the great AppleInsider article by Prince McLean that outlines the new terms. Basically, it says that you can only make applications for the iPhone/iPad that are written in our tools - and not in any other tool that "translates" code into a native iPhone application.

What the ?

Really? I mean there were lots of cool applications that are in development (Appcelerator, Runtime Revolution, etc) that tried to make development of iPhone/iPad applications easy. To do so, they had the developer write in either HTML/Javascript - or their own proprietary language, and then it would just "spit out" a compiled application ready for the App Store.

But - here's the fly in the ointment - ADOBE was also preparing to allow their Flash developers to re-compile their flash applications as native iPhone/iPad applications - and this (apparently) went up Steve Job's bum like a hot knife through butter.

So - what did he do? What Apple ALWAYS does - it called the legal department. I mean really - I get that Apple wants to protect their App Store from all the Flash "crapware" that's out there, but honestly - they could just reject the apps that suck (which they don't want to do - since they get tons of criticism for that as it is!), or they could just welcome the 1,000,000 more developers that would create applications for their platform.

But no. Steve Jobs has to have 100% CONTROL or he goes nuts. I think that Apple needs to take a man pill - and just accept that the if-it's-not-invented-here-we-won't-let-them-play mentality needs to go away.

Objective C is an abortion that should never have seen the light of day. If they are going to effectively "ban" other companies from creating tools to make iPhone/iPad applications - then THEY need to step up to the plate with a development environment (like Appcelerator or Runtime Revolution) that makes development easier and more accessible to more people.

Man up, Jobs!

UPDATE #1: Adobe's response today: "Go screw yourself Apple" (full text)