There's been much ado lately about Apple's App Store policies stifling development and hurting coders. The main problems seem to be the long acceptance process and Apple's self-appointed right to deny an application that isn't in its best interests.

The concerns presented by Facebook app developer Joe Hewitt are real, but I simply cannot agree with his statement that "the review process needs to be eliminated completely." If this were a perfect world where you could trust anyone, I might buy into it. But in the world we live in, there are very good reasons why Apple has a team of 40 or so employees to test and vet every application that appears in the store.

[ You can still get iPhone apps that Apple hates; see 21 apps Apple doesn't want on your iPhone | Also on InfoWorld, go behind the Apple App Store roulette in one developer's story of attempting to code for the iPhone ]

We're not talking about computers here. We're talking about phones: devices that need to be stable, responsive, and functional no matter what -- and run on a network that soaks you if you exceed your allotted minutes or the number of text messages sent. We're also talking about Apple, a company that goes to great pains to ensure quality control over the user experience. I'd be very upset if I downloaded an application that caused my phone to crash constantly or otherwise compromised the core functionality of the device. In contrast, I've already found several applications in the Android Market that either don't function properly or crash frequently.

With the huge success of the iPhone, it's a no-brainer that some miscreants would like nothing more than to upset that apple cart, and distributing malware would be a quick and easy way to achieve that goal. I'm more than willing to accept reasonable delays in application approval in exchange for not having such a worry.

If there were no review process, it would be trivial to upload a seemingly benign application that sends several thousand text messages; calls Honduras; or sends your contact list, pictures, and voice recordings to a server in the Seychelles. If it was a popular application and hid its dark side well, it would be a disaster for Apple and all those affected. I don't buy the argument that this could not occur due to the sandboxed nature of iPhone apps. No OS is 100 percent secure -- just ask Microsoft.