Matt Gemmell: ‘iPhone Developer Complaints’

Matt Gemmell:

I’ll just never understand this magical thinking process; it seems that whenever we don’t get access to a juicy API, or when Apple uses a new type of window appearance that isn’t yet publicly available, or when something gets locked down so that we can get access to it at all, normally sane and rational people contract some kind of temporary freetard rabies.

I think Gemmell is spot-on regarding the current limitations in the iPhone APIs, and whether it’s fair that Apple’s own software isn’t similarly limited. But I don’t see why he’s so sure that there’s a good reason behind the non-lifting of the NDA, or that it’ll be lifted any time soon. Game console development for Sony or Nintendo is under permanent NDA — I certainly hope that’s not what Apple plans for the iPhone, but I’ve seen no evidence that it’s not.

★ Monday, 4 August 2008