Apple opens iOS to third-party dev tools, reveals approval guidelines

[ddub420]

Apple on Thursday announced that it has would no longer ban third-party intermediary development tools for iOS as long as App Store software does not download any code, potentially paving the way for third-party intermediary tools to convert applications from other formats like Adobe Flash.

In the statement, the company revealed that it had made "important changes" to sections 3.3.1, 3.3.2 and 3.3.9 of its iOS Developer Program license, relaxing some of the restrictions that were put in place earlier this year.

The full statement is included in its entirety:

The App Store has revolutionized the way mobile applications are developed and distributed. With over 250,000 apps and 6.5 billion downloads, the App Store has become the world’s largest mobile application platform and App Store developers have earned over one billion dollars from the sales of their apps.

We are continually trying to make the App Store even better. We have listened to our developers and taken much of their feedback to heart. Based on their input, today we are making some important changes to our iOS Developer Program license in sections 3.3.1, 3.3.2 and 3.3.9 to relax some restrictions we put in place earlier this year.

In particular, we are relaxing all restrictions on the development tools used to create iOS apps, as long as the resulting apps do not download any code. This should give developers the flexibility they want, while preserving the security we need.

In addition, for the first time we are publishing the App Store Review Guidelines to help developers understand how we review submitted apps. We hope it will make us more transparent and help our developers create even more successful apps for the App Store.

The App Store is perhaps the most important milestone in the history of mobile software. Working together with our developers, we will continue to surprise and delight our users with innovative mobile apps.

Via Appleinsider.com

[WIDOW]

hopefully we may see some useful stuff being developed good news!!!!

[karma]

Very good news indeed. Only good things can come from this

[ddub420]

Adobe responds to Apples rule change....

You knew this was coming since Apple’s announcement this*morning that they’d allow applications that were created in 3rd party development tools to be accepted to the App Store. *Now Adobe has officially responded:

Apple’s announcement today that it has lifted restrictions on its third-party developer guidelines has direct implications for Adobe’s Packager for iPhone, a feature in the Flash Professional CS5 authoring tool. This feature was created to enable Flash developers to quickly and easily deliver applications for iOS devices. The feature is available for developers to use today in Flash Professional CS5, and we will now resume development work on this feature for future releases.

Adobe had planned to shutter the service and had ceased development on it. *Quite a day Adobe’s had because of Apple’s announcement. *Their stock went up 12% today on the news.

Via 9to5mac.com

[trecko1234]

:0
Wow...

[VortexUser]

dude they never follow what they say. Lets hope they do it this time around. as this is a living document that can be updated and changed to their liking

[ddub420]

According to the WSJ, Apple’s about face on 3rd party app development may have been due to pressure from the FCC:

The concession comes after the Federal Trade Commission launched an inquiry around June to determine whether Apple had violated antitrust laws with the earlier policy. It isn’t clear if Apple’s move Thursday was in response to the FTC’s investigation, but it will likely be carefully scrutinized by the regulatory agency, said people familiar with the situation.

They also speculate that other platforms may have been a factor:

Some analysts said the changes show how threatened Apple is by the increasing momentum of Google’s Android Market. App development for Android could heat up with the introduction in coming months of several Android tablet computers that will rival the iPad.

“They’re trying to make sure they stay the most interesting and most important development platform,” said Jeffrey Hammond, an analyst with technology firm Forrester Research.

… Hammond said some developers also are starting to develop apps for the Android Market first, so they can start making money immediately while they wait for the App Store version of the app to go through Apple’s approval process.

“Customers are saying, ‘You know what, I don’t have to do the iPhone. I have a lot of other viable choices,’” said Dave Wolf, vice president of strategy at Cynergy Systems Inc., a Washington, D.C., software design firm that builds software using Flash and other programming languages. “I think Apple saw that writing on the wall.”

Also, Facebook developer/squeaky wheel Joe Hewitt chimed in:

Joe Hewitt, a Facebook Inc. software engineer, caused a stir last November when he announced he would stop developing for the iPhone because of Apple’s review process. He said in an email that Apple’s policy change is “a wonderful improvement” that shows Apple has improved the tone of its relationship with app developers. Mr. Hewitt, who developed Facebook’s iPhone app, said he was working on other projects but would probably develop for Apple’s App Store again “when I do have time someday.”

This clearly wasn’t Apple’s plan when Steve Jobs penned his Thoughts on Flash. Something changed significantly.

Via 9to5Mac.com