Attacks Apple's straitjacket for developers

European Union should have endorsed the U.S. investigation against the company's latest foray monopoly.


According to a short message in New York Post, the European Commission joined the U.S. Competition Authority FTCs (the Federal Trade Commission) investigation of the rules and restrictions that Apple require third party software developers to mobile devices like the iPhone and iPad.

Apple, the EU and the FTC have all refused to comment on the statement to the newspaper. FTC has also not formally confirmed its investigation into Apple. The media's knowledge of this is based on reports respectively Bloomberg and Wall Street Journal 11 June this year.

The reason that Apple is in the spotlight, is the stringent rules imposed on software developers in the IOS platform that both the iPhone and iPad is based. Developers are not allowed to use tools other than Apple. It excludes the use of including Adobe's popular animation and video tools Flash from Adobe. Apple has also been established a ban on the iPhone and iPad applications may include mechanisms to display ads provided by Google Admob.
Apple defends its policies by pointing to the need for strict quality control, and by claiming that Flash is an outdated and computer-oriented technology that is customized touch-screen interface of the iPhone and iPad.
Others feel the rules as an attempt to prevent third-party developers to deliver applications to the IOS platform, and build a closed system in which all display viewer must be delivered through Apple's own solution, IAD.

It is likely such allegations FTC and the EU's investigation aims to clarify.