SDK Developer Program a closed beta?


So let me get this straight…people want to develop for the iPhone, people are willing to shell out $99.00 and potentially 30% of their profits to be included in the iTunes distribution system, and for some reason, unbeknownst to me, Apple turns them down.Â  Is it just me or is Apple in some kind of bizarro world.Â  I mean, if the podcast model in iTunes is any indication, couldn’t indie software in iTunes be a gold mine for them?

We’re not talking crappy, never designed anything in there life, want in on the action that is the iPhone developers either, and so what if we were?Â  We’re talking developers who have developed some pretty incredible applications for the mac platform.Â  I’m talking Daniel Jalkut here, and he appears to not be alone.

I mean, it’s in Apple’s best interest to stop consumers from jailbreaking their iPhones isn’t it(I’m sure AT&T thinks so…)?Â  So, why in the hell would they turn around and reject people.Â  Wouldn’t this cause people to give up on the new SDK model and continue to download jailbroken applications?Â  Could it be that the SDK isn’t really ready, and that Apple is slowly letting people in to test out what could best be described as a “closed beta” tester, or is everyone just over reacting because we’re all jacked up on “Apple juice”, and looking to vent some applerage…

Okay, enough with the lame Steroid metaphor.

All this dialog yesterday about the developer program gavae me a moment of clarity, that let me see what the real problem is here.Â  It’s not just a problem with Apple, but a problem with the entire tech development industry.Â  Maybe Apple, and everyone else should just stop hyping the hell out of something that is not ready for general consumption, and half the time only in the “planning” and development stages.Â  I know it’s hard to do, but do we really need to hear about something 6 months before we get our hands on it?Â  It’s a trend that’s becoming far to commonplace in the tech world and frankly it’s getting a little old.Â  What’s next, “hey we have new software for you today… but it’s so new you have to compile the source code yourself”, or maybe “hey, we have this great new OS coming out in June 2010, we just started working on it, it’s groundbreaking”.Â  Do we really, and all hyperbole aside here, need to know about absolutely everything, before we can even use it?Â  It’s always nice to know what might be coming, but stop promising things you can’t deliver on…yet.

Now, I have to admit, I have no real insights into why some great developers got cut, and at this point I’m completely speculating, but this is becoming the same song and dance over and over again.

Maybe from now on if products are not ready to be shipped, they shouldn’t announce release dates and get eveyone so hyped up by it that they’re ready to sell a kidney, and their first born to get their hands on it .Â  That way, if you have to refine something (Read Apple TV 2.0, iPhone, Leopard), you don’t have to answer to the lynch mob outside of Cupertino, and more importantly us “bloggers” when we’re left waiting, scratching our heads, wondering why we once again don’t have a product on the day it’s supposed to be released because the program or device is not fully functional yet.

Imagine that…no PR mess, no bad press, and no Apple blog’s talking about stuff they really know nothing about but still somehow manage to get the entire Apple fanbase’s panties in a knot.Â  Instead, we’d be surprised with new announcements that are available immediately, working as advertised, and ready for purchase by anyone who might want it.Â  We would all benefit, be happy, and be able to sleep better at night.