We have decided to drop the non-disclosure agreement (NDA) for released iPhone software.

We put the NDA in place because the iPhone OS includes many Apple inventions and innovations that we would like to protect, so that others don’t steal our work. It has happened before. While we have filed for hundreds of patents on iPhone technology, the NDA added yet another level of protection. We put it in place as one more way to help protect the iPhone from being ripped off by others.

However, the NDA has created too much of a burden on developers, authors and others interested in helping further the iPhone’s success, so we are dropping it for released software. Developers will receive a new agreement without an NDA covering released software within a week or so. Please note that unreleased software and features will remain under NDA until they are released.

Thanks to everyone who provided us constructive feedback on this matter.

This is great news for everyone involved and will certainly increase the quality of apps as developers will be able to freely exchange information. Of course, the other side of this is that the number of “beginner” apps being submitted to the App Store will most likely greatly increase. I imagine Apple has significantly increased the workload of the staff of people who approve/reject submitted applications. Poor guys.

This is also great news for our iPhone SDK Tutorial. All of those comments about the Apple police knocking down our door thankfully never came true. Props to Apple for doing the right thing.

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WARNING: If you’re having a good day, in a good mood, or are generally happy with the world, you might want to avoid this post, as it addresses a blood-boiling, migraine-inducing, hot-button issue that is likely to alter your otherwise happy-go-lucky day.

We’ve probably all been hearing the hubbub over Apple’s refusal to lift the NDA (Non Disclosure Agreement) on the iPhone development world. Many developers are upset (you might say some are even, irate) at the notion that they can’t share information that would help everyone in the long run, when it comes to developing killer apps for the iPhone.

Now compound frustrations by the rejection of seemingly useful applications like Podcaster for example (and some not so useful apps like Pull My Finger, which I totally would have paid $.99 for!), and Apple’s not exactly the, um, apple of our proverbial eye such as they once were. In the case of Podcaster, we at least found out via the developer, that Apple’s reasoning had to do with potential confusion with a desktop application. Yeah.

But now it seems Apple doesn’t want their dirty laundry aired to the world. Perhaps they’re being sensitive and don’t appreciate the common sense of the internet (did I just say that?!) poking holes in their App Store denial letters. MacRumors points out that these denial letters are now being protected under NDA as well.

THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS MESSAGE IS UNDER NON-DISCLOSURE

Whether this falls under the umbrella of the iPhone development NDA or not is not something I could answer, but if Apple appends their communications as such, I would assume they’re willing to fight the issue with higher paid lawyers than you are. So wow, now we will no longer know why applications are being denied entry to the App Store (though I suspect most of us will be able to figure that out anyway). Though soon, will we even have the privilege of hearing when apps are rejected.? The iPhone Developer community sure is turning into an Apple Police State, isn’t it?

The evolution of this issue really seems to be going in the wrong direction. I’d hope that Apple has some good reasoning for such things, but none seem to be evident to yours truly, or the rest of the Apple pundits out there. It’s really a shame too. I’ve previously showered kudos on Apple for the App Store model – compared to the Windows Mobile platform, where it’s up to you to ultimately find a niche app (or otherwise) to fit your needs. Alternately, in the App Store, everything is right in one place for us iPhone users, and nearly impossible to miss out on.

At the end of the day, it’s Apple’s Store, and Apple’s tech, and they can do whatever they want with it. But if they keep this hard line up, I’m fearful that the quality developers will turn their backs on the platform, leaving it to potential mediocrity along with the rest of the mobile phone industry. Am I overreacting? Possibly, but these days when I want to show off my cool iPhone to someone, it’s the 3rd party apps that I demo first.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
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• Mobile Q4: All Eyes Were on Android, 4G and the Rising Tablet Tide
• Report: A Mobile Video Market Overview
• In Q3, the Tablet and 4G Were the Big Stories