> That's an easy opinion to have when it's not your livelihood.

Isn't this sensationalist?

Developers, just like Apple or any other software maker, can be incentivized to work _against_ the consumer. PC on '00s had many developers whose livelihood compelled them to bundle their apps as "free trials" in PCs. As a user, I had to deal with pop-up after pop-up asking me to buy the full thing; each of those apps took up disk space, power and, most importantly, my brain cells. ugh.

Developer livelihoods are not as important as a frustration-free user experience.

>Does consumer centric focus necessitate draconian developer policies?

>Who do you think makes all of those wonderful apps "consumers want" anyway?

Agreed. Apps from 3rd party devs makes the user experience wonderful. But not _solely_ because of the developer.

>>> Because "great for developers" just shouldn't matter. It should be about what the consumers want.

>> That's an easy opinion to have when it's not your livelihood.

> Isn't this sensationalist?

No.

I appreciate that Apple's high bar makes it harder for all iOS developers to make a living. However, with all respect, there might just be too many iOS developers.

Apple setting an increasingly high quality bar that weeds out the bottom 90% of all iOS developers might seem draconian for anyone weeded out but this is competition at its finest. It is how markets in general ensure the best quality product.

Obviously, there is also the matter of "How much should Apple get paid to enforce these policies? Is 30% too high for in-app-purchases?" those are good numbers to negotiate. But frankly all non-FOSS software products I've encountered before and after iOS continually proved they need developer policies to ensure they are built to be long-term customer centric.

Many people's livelihood is malware development, probably including many people who think it's unethical and would prefer to have another livelihood if there was an option. I genuinely feel bad for those people, but I still think blocking malware is the right decision for an OS or software distribution platform.

If your livelihood relies on, say, gambling for 10 year olds, or rooting around in my personal information without my knowledge or meaningful consent, then I will be delighted for you to starve in a gutter.