In response to an article in Fierce Wireless, “New boutique App Store changes the rules of the game,” about changes at Apple’s iPhone App Store:
“I’m puzzled by the ‘playing fair’ concept. Who set the rules? Apple isn’t a public entity, but rather a for-profit corporation.
“There’s another puzzle here, though, and that’s the implication that this will somehow hurt developers. As has been the case in the physical world, distribution and awareness can make a huge difference in the success or failure of a product or service.
“And anyone who has offered software for PCs through Download.com and others knows the challenges of competing against “free” products or those that have been some of the most downloaded.
“The evolution of the App Store will likely create opportunities for developers and for different business models that don’t exist today.
“Overall, distribution and the relative power of the owner of “the store” is simply another consideration for developers in choosing the platform or platforms they’re targeting. And unless they own the store or have more power than the owner, they’re at their mercy.
“Any developer that lets himself get in that position will find that his only alternative is to shift resources to another platform.”
