Apple relaxes app dev rules, thrills Adobe fans
Apple has relaxed unpopular restrictions on application developers for its iOS operating system. The company had said previously that only applications developed using Apple's own tools would be allowed, thus shutting out many third-party development platforms - most notably, Adobe Flash.
"Today we are making some important changes to our iOS Developer Program licence in sections 3.3.1, 3.3.2 and 3.3.9 to relax some restrictions we put in place earlier this year. In particular, we are relaxing all restrictions on the development tools used to create iOS apps, as long as the resulting apps do not download any code. This should give developers the flexibility they want, while preserving the security we need." the company said in a statement.
It said it was also opening up its app approval process, which has been a constant source of complaint from rejected developers. "In addition, for the first time we are publishing the App Store Review Guidelines to help developers understand how we review submitted apps. We hope it will make us more transparent and help our developers create even more successful apps for the App Store," said the company.
The announcement had an immediate effect on the companies' stock prices, with Adobe rising nearly nine percent and Apple going up 1.5 percent.
The American Federal Trade Commision started an investigation into Apple's business practices in June, with the EU regulators joining in in August.