Prudish Apple Stifles Innovation

By Edward Cone on 2010-02-25

Apple's decision to remove sexy apps from the iPhone App Store has kicked up a furor -- and not just among people who want to look at nudie pics on the go. The real danger goes way beyond porn; as big brains like Jonathan Zittrain and Dave Winer have been saying for some time, too much control limits creativity and innovation.

1. Unwritten Rules

Apple's standards are vague, which can discourage developers from investing time and money.

Prudish Apple Stifles Innovation - Business Intelligence

2. Uneven Playing Field

Some racy apps are axed, some not. Who gets the advantage, and why?

3. Competitors Beware

The leverage a popular phone and App Store provide Apple against its rivals is enormous.

4. Walled Garden

Zittrain: "Generative" techs like PC and Net allow innovation from all directions. App Store, not so much.

5. Big Brother Redux

Zittrain: "Jobs takes a cut, and reserves the right to reject any software he doesn't like, for any reason...That's the point where I say, Yikes."

6. Minister of Culture

Dave Winer: "Big pieces of our culture flow through one company's servers. [I worry that it] takes an interest in the ideas that are expressed, shutting off certain ideas..."

7. Whose Device Is It Anyway?

Don't like sexy apps, or silly ones? Don't buy them.

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