From the descriptions of most of them [read: applications], I’d say there’s a ton of unmitigated crud flowing into the App Store right now. You don’t read about it because the iPhone is all shiny and new, but with all those apps arriving daily the quality has to be really varied. Really, really varied. And with a few of the App developers making BANK to the tun of a quarter million in like two months, it’s just going to get worse. The sort of press those successes generate may not be good for Apple at all in the long run, as it appears the land-rush is on, and the scammers, spammers and other dregs of online society are closing in fast and I have serious doubts if the iTunes Store is really made to keep up.

+10. Exactly what I thought… to which I would add two things:

• On the down side,… from what I have seen, a good number of the app could also be done as mobile web application and not stand alone application. It would not require the developer to pay the SDK license and more importantly, when done it right, they would reach then all smartphone (ie. mobile phone with a recent/decent browser) and not only the iPhone.
• On the bright side,… I like the way my iPhone tells me when an app needs to be updated. This is made easy by the fact that it is centralized (and closed) but I guess it would be possible to integrate this feature on others platforms.

A new Podcasting application has been refused entry into the App Store because it “duplicates the functionality of the Podcast section of iTunes,” [...] The new application called Podcaster would allow users to download podcasts on their iPhone and listen to them at their leisure. The app also streams podcasts so you could listen to your favorite show anywhere you have an Internet or data connection.

This is what can happen when using/developing on close plateform… they decide! That sucks because this app was doing exactly what I was looking for. I’d love to hear podcast in the train but currently I do have to synch with my computer through a cable. I’d love to do it over the air without connecting to my computer.

From Wikipedia:

Applications that developers create will be sold exclusively through the iTunes Store on Mac and Windows, or on the App Store on the iPhone and iPod touch. [...] To run applications on the iPhone, the application needs to be signed with a certificate assigned by Apple after the developer has developed the software through the $99/year developer package and official iPhone SDK.

Good point for Dave Winer (Why iPhone is an ureliable platform):

I wouldn’t invest in or develop an iPhone app because Apple could decide not to approve it, and if they don’t approve it you can’t sell it. You can’t even give it away. You don’t find out if you’ve been approved until the last step, after you’ve fully invested, so you could lose, totally, if Apple says no.

Another dark side of Apple’s app store… as far as I can tell I have not found one application that could not be done on another device.

Via Stef’s quepasa. See also: stevenf.com and App Store: I’m out.