Apple to have final say on third-party iPhone apps

Numerous reports are stating that Apple will have control over which third-party iPhone applications will be allowed to run on the phone. Apps will be offered through the iTunes online store, allowing Apple to pick and choose which ones users can get their hands on.

It’s a sneaky move on Apple’s part, and one that we are not too fond of. The iPhone has a lot of potential, especially with the upcoming release of the SDK this Thursday. However, Apple is not willing to unlock that potential by keeping certain applications away from the phone.

On top of that, Apple’s strategy behind the move may be to drive more traffic to the iTunes store. Any time an iPhone user wants to get a new application, iTunes will be the way to go. And imagine all of those shiny music and movie ads on there. This could all be a gimmick just to increase sales through iTunes.

Hopefully Apple will surprise us in the future with a decision to allow all applications on the iPhone. However, we don’t really see that happening. We expect to see many applications from big names like Google on the iTunes store, but not as many from open-source efforts.