Apple’s New Developer Agreement Unlevels the iAd Playing Field

[lazarus]

http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2010/04/with-new-developer-agreement-apple-unlevels-the-iad-playing-field/

Apple told us last week that it would not prevent third-party ad networks from embedding ads in applications for the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch, even though those networks would compete with its own iAd platform.

“Yes, we still allow developers or other advertising companies to serve ads within their apps,” Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller told Wired.com.

However, section 3.3.9 of Apple’s new developers’ agreement appears to hobble non-Apple advertising networks, even though the company will allow them onto its devices.

“The use of third-party software in Your Application to collect and send Device Data to a third party for processing or analysis is expressly prohibited,” reads the line in question, as noted by All Things Digital.

What this basically does is prevent any app from collecting data for any reason, such as game play data to improve a game.

According to what another anonymous developer told Paul Boutin, formerly of Wired.com and now of VentureBeat, Apple will block the collection of that sort of data. The company told a developer whose app it was rejecting: “It is not appropriate for applications to gather user analytics. Specifically, you may not collect anonymous play data from a user’s game.”

Barring app developers from collecting usage information will hurt clearly app developers by limiting their ability to improve their apps. As for competing ad networks, they appear to be hobbled by Apple’s new policy, reducing choice for developers who want to include ads on iPhone OS devices.