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Apple’s recent policy on iPhone applications has gone from their normal cult-like level of secrecy to downright draconian: barring apps that duplicate (in Apple’s opinion) functionality of Apple-branded apps and then forbidding developers from talking about being rejected.

Even Macworld is weighing in on the problem of how Apple needs to fix this, whether it’s a matter of incompetence (brought on by the sheer scale of dealing with the popularity of the iPhone) or maliciousness (Apple wanting to keep as much of the pie to itself as it can).

First and foremost, Apple needs to come out with crystal-clear guidelines for the App Store. If a developer invests tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in app development, they need to know that their app won’t be rejected. Even if the guidelines are brutal and draconian, if they’re clear and enforced consistently, nobody will be left holding the bag like the developer of Podcaster.

Visit Macworld for some rather biting commentary about what Apple said it would do, and the way it’s handing its new flagship product.

Via [Macworld].