iPhone developer angst calls for open distribution

Rodney Gedda

Rodney Gedda is the former deputy editor of CIO and former editor of Techworld.

My colleague, Computerworld journalist Kathryn Edwards, wrote a great piece about the highs and lows of being an iPhone app developer. The article was linked to Slashdot and incited a barrage of complaints against the much-loved computer giant’s lengthening approval process for new apps.

That’s the problem with a proprietary distribution network – everything, no matter how simple, will be vetted for “quality assurance” and “appropriateness”.

Only a mobile phone vendor could get away with such practices, the PC and server space is way too open to ever tolerate such thought control.

That said, it’s not inconceivable that a parallel iPhone development and distribution network could emerge based on open standards of the Internet and open source projects.

Of course, commercial apps could also be distributed this way, but the organization may be risking a backlash from Apple for not playing by its “rules” and commission structure.

An iPhone user could use a PC (Windows or Mac) to jailbreak the iPhone and load open content on it.

If there is enough momentum it will be come as streamlined as installing an application on today’s Apple computers.

Opening up the mobile phone for PC-like apps was the first step, opening the platform for competitive software distribution is the next.

This goes back to my argument as to why Android has the potential to eclipse the iPhone as a development platform if choice.

Sure the iPhone is well ahead of the pack right now, but being heavy-handed with third-party products like the Palm Pre can only work against its hegemony.

Others are already voicing their concerns about Apple’s monopoly.

Perhaps instead of dragging Apple through the courts the software community should direct its efforts to providing users the option of an “open iPhone network” or similar (preferably without the word “hack”), that facilitates third-party app distribution.