DOJ reportedly expands Apple probe

Since, as others point out, no credible news source has verified the story this seems like garbage from the NY crap post!

Is someone trying to manipulate Apple stock?

Wrong agency's logo . . . again.

See the words around the circle that say "Federal Trade Commission"? Guess what--that doesn't say "Department of Justice Antitrust Division."

"The Post cites "one Hollywood industry source" in their article, so you're free to guess who that might be."

Uwe Boll, of course!

I see both sides of this. Apple did threaten (and possibly follow through on) anti-competitive behavior. But they only did so in response to anti-competitive behavior! A classic case of the person who punches first being ignored but the one who retaliates getting the penalty. Why is the DOJ not investigating the music labels and/or Amazon for getting sweetheart deals that nobody else can get??

The iPhoneOS 4 SDK doesn't ban porting your software to other platforms at all. It prevents lazy developers from using cross-platform toolkits that hurt the user experience delivered on iPhoneOS. Apple puts a lot of effort into encouraging developers to deliver intuitive and useful applications. They do this by providing devs with extensive iPhoneOS-specific documentation on how and where to use specific UI controls as well as how they should behave both behind the scenes and to the user. This advice can be found in the iPhoneOS 4 class documentation, guides, as well as the iPhoneOS/iPad HIG document. When you use a cross-platform toolkit, you are ignoring much of this advise and likely violating the HIG, which in and of itself is a reason for your app to be rejected from the AppStore.

You can port your app to any platform you want, but you need to do it the proper way and write native versions for each platform (or at least the iPhoneOS). The argument that requiring developers to write native code is somehow akin to banning them from porting that code to other platforms is ludicrous. You pick and choose the platforms you wish to support given your finite business resources. It's always been that way for any software product. Apple is simply trying to hold independent 3rd party software for the iPhoneOS platform up to a higher standard. There is a reason why 3rd party software (often by small, independent developers) on OS X is generally of much higher quality than 3rd party Windows equivalents.

bout time...Apple has been riding a wave of supremacy and needs to be knocked down a few pegs. Had microsoft enacted the same business practices all you apple fanboys would be up in arms.

While there's no smoke without fire, and I'm sure Apple are worthy of the DOJ's attention in some respect, I can't help but think there are much bigger fish to fry. Apple won't play nice with labels who favour their competitors? Wha fucking wha, how about Goldman Sachs mysteriously ditching millions of shares in a company right before their value is wiped out? How about BP and the Gulf oil crisis?

Priorities, people, seriously.

I don't know about the iTunes/Amazon thing but as far as having to create apps with the SDK, it's Apple's device they can make you code apps anyway they want you to. It's purely to ensure compatability anyway.

Is there any other sources besides the New York Post? Anyone with some credibility, like Huggy Bear, for instance.

If they rule against Apple on the SDK clause, that has huge knock on ramifications to other companies. Sony, Nintendo, Microsoft, Google ( Android)...

You'd think they'd have to look at Amazon's practises regarding books, to put Apple's movements in context (and if looking at music, look at the music label company cartel to put Apple's moves in context).