Apple Drops iPhone Developer NDA, Improves App Review Process
This week has been a significant one for Apple iPhone developers and users: Apple has limited App Store review to people how actually downloaded the apps. And it dropped an iPhone development NDA.
And users will see the benefits, too. On the review front, there will be fewer junk reviews for users to sort through on the store, which might improve the buying process somewhat. On the NDA front, though, the news is huge. Developers can now share insights and sample code with one another in public, as Twitterrific developer Craig Hockenberry did within minutes of the NDA being lifted. Sharing this knowledge means that iPhone apps can be built faster and with fewer bugs, which will lead to more productive engineers and, one would hope, more innovative programs on the iPhone platform.
Yes, the last shoe still needs to drop--namely, some clarity from Apple part about how iPhone apps are accepted or rejected, so that developers can invest development resources with confidence. But in the past few days, Apple has shown that it's listening to the feedback it's been receiving and is willing to change its policies accordingly. That's an extremely encouraging sign for the iPhone platform.
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