All Your Apps Are Belong to Apple: The iPhone Developer Program License Agreement
The entire family of devices built on the iPhone OS (iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad) have been designed to run only software that is approved by Apple—a major shift from the norms of the personal computer market.
Context & Ripple Effects
Apple’s approval requirement applies across the iPhone, iPod Touch and the forthcoming iPad, making software distribution a condition Apple administers rather than an open PC-style channel. The approach had already prompted GPLv3 compatibility questions around the iPhone platform, and Apple’s removal of nearly all sexual-content apps shows that approval also determines what categories reach users.
First-order effects
- Developers targeting iPhone OS devices must satisfy Apple’s license and review requirements before their software can reach iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad users.
- Apple can enforce content and distribution rules across its device family, while users are limited to software Apple approves.
Second-order effects
- App businesses must treat Apple’s policy decisions as a distribution risk: a content-category restriction can remove access to the platform’s customers without a competing retail channel on the devices.
- The iPad’s April 3 launch extends the value of complying with Apple’s rules because developers seeking the new device’s users are entering the same controlled software ecosystem.
Third-order effects
- If this model holds, mobile software distribution shifts power from independent developers and general-purpose computing norms toward device makers that operate both the platform and its retail gate.
- Apple’s licensing terms and review decisions become product-governance mechanisms, not merely developer documentation, creating a durable SDK governance gap between the platform owner and software suppliers.
The trend: Mobile computing is moving toward vertically controlled platforms where the device maker governs both the operating system and the route by which applications reach users.