Apple: Don't Go Near Content!

Dear Apple:

Please PLEASE keep your mits off of the actual content. You’ve never chosen which music should be allowed on the iTunes Store and we all see how well that worked out.

Like it or not, applications sold through the App Store are content and nothing more. From a store perspective, you’re selling bits. Period.

Yes, I understand why you would remove dangerous applications…for example, any app that might cull private information and upload it without permission…but deciding that a frivolous or vulgar application isn’t to be allowed for purchase?

That’s heinous. And if you’re not at all listening to anyone out there, it’s also just plain stupid. You’re already killing the chance for some innovative stuff to show up because there’s no way to preflight an application with you to see if you’d even publish it.

Irony that your longtime tack—that if you build superior products, people will by—is showing some significant gains in sales only to have you fuck it up by locking developers in.

What kind of lock? If I spend months developing an iPhone application only to have you decide not to publish it, what am I going to do with all that Objective C, Cocoa/Cocoa Touch code? Either scrap it, or move it (relatively easily) to the Mac. Either way, you’re getting another application for an Apple platform.

Don’t start sucking now that you’re gaining ground based on NOT-sucking.