App Store rejections may benefit indie iPhone developers

Even putting that aside, companies like Google, etc., can afford to develop huge complex apps, and run the risk of them not getting in (look at their navigation app). I can't do that. At most, I'm willing to throw away maybe a week's worth of work.

After two recent pretty egregious (on Apple's part) rejections, I've got increasingly cynical about the platform. Needless to say, I'm not putting much effort into development anymore. Customers e-mail me and say "When is feature/app X coming?" And I have to tell them it's probably not coming, unless Apple gets their crap together.

But, that's it. I don't worry about bills or lost funding or any of the highly stressful aspects of app development there'd be if this were my "real job."

As perverse as this is, this "review process endurance" stamina I have is a real competitive advantage, when you consider the fact that most iPhone apps that do well have a huge first-to-market advantage for whatever thing it is that they do. Ie, other folks who may have been building the same app as I have probably won't have the ability to endure the process, and hence my app will be the first to market with this capability, albeit much later than would have been possible without the review process.

The external forces on an indie developer -- someone trying to sell apps to make a living -- are much worse compared to developers on payroll for a large software house.

(Edit: spellnig)