What’s going on here?
After months of a really tough stance on third party developer tools for iOS apps, Apple today relented and revised some sections of it’s iOS Developer Program license.
The short read? Anything goes, as long as the apps do not download any code.
“This should give developers the flexibility they want, while preserving the security we need.” says the Apple website.

Apple also took the opportunity to table a set of guidelines for developers, to help demystify the review process, which has been an never-ending source of painful publicity for the Cupertino company. What’s really interesting here is the language. Sounds like this could have come from the pen of Steve-O himself. Even non-devs will enjoy this:

• We have over 250,000 apps in the App Store. We don’t need any more Fart apps.
• If your app doesn’t do something useful or provide some form of lasting entertainment, it may not be accepted.
• If your App looks like it was cobbled together in a few days, or you’re trying to get your first practice App into the store to impress your friends, please brace yourself for rejection. We have lots of serious developers who don’t want their quality Apps to be surrounded by amateur hour.
• We will reject Apps for any content or behavior that we believe is over the line. What line, you ask? Well, as a Supreme Court Justice once said, “I’ll know it when I see it”. And we think that you will also know it, when you cross it.
• If your app is rejected, we have a Review Board that you can appeal to. If you run to the press and trash us, it never helps.

Yowzer.

One more thing… The rules on in-app advertising got reshuffled as well. Admob ads are back in.
Ad-competitor Google happily responded: “Apple’s new terms will keep in-app advertising on the iPhone open to many different mobile ad competitors and enable advertising solutions that operate across a wide range of platforms.”