Apple crackdown 'will hit young developers hardest'

Apple's app development demands are leaving some coders scratching their heads.

Following a clampdown on many of the practices used to write apps for the iPhone and iPad, fledgling game designers are nervously waiting to see if their creations will be accepted by Apple.

The technology giant is clamping down on the tools that developers can use to create apps for the devices.

It could potentially mean users of the popular GameSalad software - a program which allows novices to produce games for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad - will be barred from seeing their creations in Apple's App Store.

Whether or not Apple's decision will affect GameSalad users is not yet known but it has led to much discussion and concern among forum posters.

The move centres on section 3.3.1 of Apple's development licence. The company is proposing that all iPhone and iPad applications must be 'originally written' in C/C++/Objective-C, cutting out many others ways of developing games including Adobe's Flash, Unity and GarageGames' Torque.

Critics say potentially preventing people from using programs such as GameSalad could have an adverse effect on creativity.

Freelance writer and broadcaster Omaha Sternberg said: "I see this as decreasing the level of creativity that we will have access to as gamers. There are a lot of truly creative and high-quality games out there made with tools that will now violate the 3.3.1 terms."

Users of GameSalad can buy a licence to produce games for as little as US$99. With an iPhone development license from Apple costing the same relatively small sum, the cost of getting a game on to the App Store has been low and it has caused a surge in the number of small wannabe creators producing games.

By removing the need to learn a programming language, GameSalad allows people to work on the design of the games themselves and fans of the software say this could unleash top talent for the future.

But the changes mean that any application submitted to Apple that does not use the mandated tools will be rejected.

Apple boss Steve Jobs replied to an email by developer Greg Slepak saying the limits would improve the quality of applications on the iPhone and iPad.

There has been criticism in some quarters that GameSalad has led to a number of poor games which could potentially damage the public's perception of the App Store.

Nevertheless, GameSalad has attempted to alleviate fears among its users. A spokeman for GameSalad, Jonathan Hunt, wrote on the company's blog: "Ever since Apple announced the details of iPhone OS 4.0 there's been a lot of concern among the GS development community on what their new agreement would mean for the future of the GameSalad Creator Tool and the developers who use it.

"As to these concerns, we would like to say that our team has always had a good relationship with Apple and they have not indicated to us that anything will change. GameSalad is architected in such a way that we anticipate no problem adhering to the iPhone PLA."

- THE INDEPENDENT