Apple and independent developers (again. ugh.)

eWeek: Mac ‘Widget’ App Set to Make Windows Debut.

(First off: best wishes to the Konfabulator folks! I hope their app is a huge hit on Windows.)

I’m quoted in the article. Just for the sake of completeness, here’s the full text of what I wrote:

It’s always in the back of my mind that Apple might compete more directly with my applications. But I don’t see that the situation is any better on Windows—in fact, I think it’s much worse. So I stick with developing for OS X, since I like OS X.

I think this situation gets far more attention than it warrants, actually. If you go to MacUpdate or VersionTracker you’ll see tons of applications by many small developers. Only a miniscule percentage of those apps end up with competition from Apple. Smart developers concentrate on writing and marketing high-quality software rather than worrying about what Apple may or may not do.

If Apple did create an iNews app that competed directly with NetNewsWire, I wouldn’t be tempted to do a Windows version. That Arlo Rose brought Konfabulator to Windows is cool—but every developer is different, and what’s right for him isn’t necessarily right for me. What I would do is continue to improve NetNewsWire and continue to develop new OS X applications.