The Fallacy of the Chilling Effect

So, some people are upset about Apple’s draconian iPhone/iPad development policies.

Some people are less upset with Apple than with other developers who aren’t as upset about those policies as they ought to be.

Well, the developers who aren’t upset, the ones who are dealing with the reality of the situation, aren’t toadies. They aren’t capitulating. They aren’t abdicating. They aren’t scabs. They’re delivering real things of real value to real users. The gripers should take note.

I hear a lot about the “Chilling Effect” that these policies are bringing about. “We don’t even know what kinds of apps aren’t even going to be written.” Well, whatever. The risks presented by Apple (e.g. that a developer might not even want to sink resources into a venture with no guarantee of return) are no different than any other venture risk. There are no guarantees in this world. If they think Apple having an open store or allowing for more stores or providing an adult-only store would guarantee them sales, they’re dreaming. And if they were really as passionate about those unknown masterpieces, they’d put their money where their mouths are and take that risk. You know what would speak louder to Apple than a blog post full of words? Actual, tangible instances of supposedly awesome products that might possibly be counter to Apple’s policies. If they care about the technology—if they care about their users—they’ll make great products and stop waiting for guarantees.

Guarantees don’t exist.