Apple issued a statement this morning about their well-established stance on using third-party development tools for iPhone apps. Adobe’s Creative Suite 5 was hurt most from the decision to ban developers from using such software, as it had tools for converting Flash creations into iPhone applications, but it looks like Apple will be reversing their decision, at least “as long as the resulting apps do not download any code.”
Apple is also making their review process more transparent, publishing their own review guidelines so developers know what qualifications they need to meet in order to get into the iTunes App Store. This a nice move considering Apple’s review process has a stigma of being draconian and arbitrary.
It’s interesting to see Apple loosening the reigns on iOS just a little bit, when they’ve typically held tight and absolute control of the platform. Maybe Apple’s worried that Android is starting to catch up and want to keep developers on their side.
[via Apple]