There has been growing, vocal discontent from iPhone developers on the net in the last couple of weeks, with many high-profile developers throwing in the towel, declaring Apple’s somewhat draconian platform too risky for serious investment, or simply too odious.
Today, Gruber posts:
Apple censored an English dictionary…. Apple requires you to be 17 years or older to purchase a censored dictionary that omits half the words Steve Jobs uses every day.
This does not inspire confidence in the platform. It seems like the hits keep coming daily, and Apple continues to blatantly ignore all criticism, sometimes with outright hostility and arrogance.
Every time we consider a new app idea here at Zetetic, it’s mitigated by fears that taking the time to invest in building it out, and building it well, may end up being months flushed down the toilet. There are a number of neat projects that we are unwilling to pursue because there’s a high likelihood of having the app rejected or pulled from the store for what seem like incredibly inconsistent and/or competitive reasons. No code written is ever a waste, but who wants to design and build an ornate structure only to see it washed away like some sand castle? More importantly, who can afford to?
We’re going to continue to develop applications for the app store (we’re about to submit Codebook, actually), but we’re really leery of starting anything new, as it seems that none are immune to the king’s whims. In fact, the continued bad press (especially with regard to the exclusive US carrier AT&T) is extremely bad for the platform as a whole, and threatens its growth and viability in the marketplace.