via MoCo News
Facebook’s iPhone Developer Quits Because Apple’s Review Process Is So Un-Web Like
Joe Hewitt, the man behind Facebook’s very popular iPhone application, has quit working on the project because he philosophically opposes Apple’s review process, reports TechCrunch.
Hewitt’s statements illustrate just how much the web and mobile are overlapping—and ultimately—colliding. As a former web developer, there was no one gatekeeper that said whether his work was worthy of the internet. Compare that to long-time mobile developers, who have been fighting carriers for years and see Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) as a breath of fresh air. Hewitt tells TechCrunch: “I am philosophically opposed to the existence of their review process. I am very concerned that they are setting a horrible precedent for other software platforms, and soon gatekeepers will start infesting the lives of every software developer. The web is still unrestricted and free, and so I am returning to my roots as a web developer.”
Google (NSDQ: GOOG) has chosen a completely different path than Apple and does not review any applications submitted for its Android platform. Will that force Apple to be more open in the long-term? Will all platforms go the way of the web? Or do web developers, like Hewitt, need to be prepared for the new reality that is mobile?
