If you step back and look at the consequence of having iStore model (exclusive control on application distribution) in the software industry, you cannot conclude that this is a good step forward.
The fact that Apple made the iStore the only way to distribute application is not about maintaining quality, experience, ..., it is about controlling the distribution. And this control does not exist in the PC world, and was going to disappear in the mobile world.
But point taken, I will be more diplomatic in my answers.
And of course it's also about controlling quality, are you kidding? Don't reduce this to only being about either one thing or the other — like you apparently love to do — it's obviously a multifaceted issue.
Quality has got to be one of the very primary concerns, Apple would absolutely hate for the iPhone to become a malware infested platform which consumers are afraid to download apps for, always on the look out for viruses, wondering if every unexpected behaviour is the fault of a trojan — like on a certain other platform.
Don't get me wrong, Apple don't just want quality because they're knights in shining armor — they want to make money. And how do you make money? First, make sure your customers feel completely secure and don't hesitate about downloading a new app for even a second. You cannot do that without very high quality apps, distributed in a very secure way. It's not malice, it's a win-win strategy. As has been proven in a plethora of ways.
While the walled garden of AppStore can definitely and be seen as a step backwards, don't you think that the unprecedented amount of apps AppStore makes available for a mobile phone — and the unprecedented amount of developers finally being able to make a living from developing mobile apps — represent a gigantic step forwards?
Once again it's ridiculous to reduce this complex setup to being just one of two things.
Don't be diplomatic. Be open to the fact that things aren't that simple. You'll never understand another's perspective if you don't even make an attempt to.
Obviously things are not as simple as they look, otherwise, we would not be talking about it.
Now that this is out of the way. I think that quality is a pretext. Apple could have let developers distribute their application by other mean, and keep the same AppStore quality. The fact that AppStore is the only way to distribute an iPhone app does not make it higher quality. I would actually argue the opposite. If developers had other means to distribute their mobile application, Apple could fairly refuse the "iFart" type of applications and accept only applications that have real entertainment or productivity value.
Also, I know people developing iPhone apps, and while they welcome the additional income, it is not that easy to make a living out of it. Some might, but I do not think it is as big as people think it is.
Sure, not everybody doing iPhone apps are bathing in cash. But before the iPhone came along, there was no mobile development business to speak of. It barely even existed. Now it's huge. That's not a step forward in your single-faceted view?
Anyway, thank you for sharing your thoughts, they were very insightful , in a multifaceted way.