Why Apple Changed Section 3.3.1
We're still in the early days of the transition from the PC era to the mobile era. Right now, Apple is winning. There are other winners right now too — RIM is still growing, and Android has grown a ton in the past year.
Context & Ripple Effects
Apple’s iPhone strategy had already been under examination in an earlier look at the iPhone strategy, while app growth had made the choice between mobile operating systems more consequential for developers. At the same time, coverage of Android’s momentum framed the market as a contest between Apple’s integrated platform and a fast-growing alternative.
The revised developer terms bring that control into the software toolchain: syndicated coverage identifies a ban on Adobe’s Flash-to-iPhone compiler. That makes the policy change a competitive decision about how applications reach Apple’s devices, not merely a drafting revision.
First-order effects
- Adobe’s Flash-to-iPhone compiler loses its path to the iPhone platform, and developers using it must shift their iPhone work toward tools and workflows Apple permits.
- Apple gains tighter control over the code and toolchains used for iPhone applications, extending its platform oversight from distribution into development.
Second-order effects
- Developers targeting both iPhone and Android face higher friction when shared authoring tools are excluded from iPhone, making platform-specific development a more consequential choice.
- Adobe and other cross-platform tool vendors must make their products fit Apple’s permitted development model or risk losing access to iPhone-focused developers.
Third-order effects
- If SDK rules become a recurring competitive lever, mobile-platform advantage will rest partly on gatekeeper control of developer tooling as well as device sales and application demand.
- The mobile transition is separating ecosystems by their governance model: Apple can enforce integration through developer terms, while Android’s growth gives developers another route to market.
The trend: The smartphone contest is becoming a contest over developer-tool governance, with platform owners using SDK rules to shape which software ecosystems can reach their users.