Apple put new restriction on developers
Wednesday, 14 April 2010, 15:35 IST
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Apple put new restriction on developers
Bangalore: Apple is changing a few set of rules to keep a check on what kind of software will be allowed on iPhone and its other devices. This will further restrict developers and narrow down the type of software they can make. The new rules, released last week, say in part that app developers may only use Apple's programming tools. That is a problem for Adobe Systems, which announced a new package of tools on that were meant to let developers create apps once and then automatically generate versions for the iPhone and other companies' devices, reports New York Times. Developers will also no longer be permitted to use outside services to measure how their applications are performing. The company says it will refuse to distribute any apps in the iTunes store that violate the new agreement. "Apple is doing everything to encourage app development, as long as it's on their platform," said Gene Munster, an analyst with Piper Jaffray. "The risk Apple runs is ticking off developers and causing them to want to develop on other platforms," he said. The change of rules has created problems for many startups who have already started working on projects with non-apple tools and have taken huge funding from VC companies as well. Industry experts like Al Hilwa, an analyst with the research firm IDC, say that Apple is tightening its grip on applications in an attempt to keep rivals at bay. "There will be a big fistfight for developers and applications over the next few years," he said. "This is just the early stages of the battle for mobile telephony. Apple's financial radar is up, and they are trying to close all the holes." Gene Munster, an analyst with Piper Jaffray, said that the broader shift in Apple's core revenue streams, to mobile from desktop computing, was a chief reason for the company to pressure developers. "It's not about making money on the apps," he said. "It's about making money off the hardware." Mobile devices with more apps, he said, are more attractive to buyers. By the end of 2011, Munster said, nearly 50 percent of Apple's total revenue will come from sales of the iPhone and iPod Touch. In 2001, 80 percent of Apple's revenue was from its line of Mac laptops and desktop computers. That figure will slip to about 27 percent in 2011, he said.

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