NEW YORK - Apple Inc. on Thursday handed software developers the guidelines it uses to determine which programs can be sold in its App Store, yet it reserved for itself broad leeway in deciding what makes the cut.
The move follows more than two years of complaints from developers about the company's secret and seemingly capricious rules, which block some programs from the store and hence Apple's popular iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices.
The guidelines go some way toward addressing those complaints and broadening the discussion about Apple's custodianship of the App Store.
The rules consist of a checklist specifying that "apps that rapidly drain the device's battery or generate excessive heat will be rejected." Also bound to be rejected are "apps containing rental content or services that expire after a limited time."
But some of the guidelines leave much for developers to figure out.
"We will reject Apps for any content or behavior that we believe is over the line. What line, you ask? Well, as a Supreme Court Justice once said, 'I'll know it when I see it.' And we think that you will also know it when you cross it," the guidelines say.
Earlier this year, Apple forced the creator of a comic-book version of James Joyce's novel "Ulysses" to alter panels featuring nudity, echoing the censorship debate in the 1920s and '30s, when the novel itself was banned in the U.S. for obscenity.
In the guidelines, Apple draws a line between broader expressions of freedom of speech and the App Store.
"We view Apps different than books or songs, which we do not curate. If you want to criticize a religion, write a book. If you want to describe sex, write a book or a song, or create a medical app," the guidelines say.
Apple also says it will block applications that don't do "something useful or provide some lasting entertainment."
The App Store's chief competitor, Google Inc.'s Android Marketplace, has few restrictions for developers. That has been welcomed by developers but has also led to a flood of low-quality applications and even some that prey on buyers. Security firm Kaspersky Lab said it found one media-player application that secretly sends text-message payments - which get added to phone bills - when installed by Russian phone users.
Despite restrictions, Apple's store has been a runaway success since its launch in 2008 and now has more than 250,000 applications.
by Peter Svensson Associated Press Sept. 10, 2010 12:00 AM
Apple gives software developers guidelines for app approval
