iPhone developers are not happy right now

While Apple keeps bragging about one billion iPhone apps sold, some developers are fed up with their outrageous payment delays. Some cases are dramatic, deeply affecting indie developer's families in the middle of the crisis:

30 something year old family man with bills to pay owed 1,000's (soon to be 10's of thousands if March is missed also) here.

I'm with you. I am a 30 year old work-from-home Dad of 2 kids. I'm owed probably about $10k at this point ($2k from past months, $8k from the month with no payments or financial reports yet).

This is a BIG deal for me and my family.

Over $10,000 here. Family, kids, mortgage etc. Mails unanswered etc. In dispair. No where to go. They don't reply to emails and there is no number. Can't do anything physically because I'm in the European Union.

Apple still owes me more than $7,500 since September 2008 for US and World regions. I supplied them with a new SWIFT code and a intermediary bank they could use last month, but still nothing. Sent them tons of emails but I never got to know what is really wrong/faulty so I just tried to give them another SWIFT code that DNB (Biggest bank in Norway) uses. All other region payments have been OK.

Apple owes me near $2000 since Feb. Zero payment received. Zero email replies.

Apple acts as a distribution channel for all iPhone OS-based software through their iTunes App Store. They get the micro-payments from the customers, getting a 30% share of each sale. Every month they add the totals and pay developers the 70% in a single money transfer, which—according to the developer contract—should arrive within 45 days of the end of the month.

As you can see, this has not been the case in the quotes above and apparently many others. Months have passed in many instances, and there's still no sign of the money. In fact, according to developers, the situation is so bad that some are threatening to sue Apple for breach of contract.

If you are a developer and have some horror—or good—stories to share about this, you know where we are. [iphonedevsdk forums and iphonedevsdk forums via TechCrunch via Gizmodo]

More Signs of Sony Desperation over PS3

In a move of sheer desperation in order to get more games developed for the PS3, Sony is slashing its prices for the PS3 developers kit. I could go on, but I'll let you read this article from Wired instead.

Sony To PS3 Developers: Please Don't Go!!!

Well this doesn't sound very good at all!

Seems that Sony is to the point where they're begging third party developers to stay on board and finish PS3 games. The developers want to jump ship due to the lack of popularity of the game console. Dean Takahashi of Mercury News said:

"One piece of news that came out this week was that Sony pleaded with third-party developers not to abandon its struggling platform. That change in attitude is a marked difference compared to the arrogance of past years. The argument is that the PS3 will show its strength as developers learn how to make games for it. But developers know they can staff four or five Wii teams with the same number of people it takes to make one PS3 game"

Although is doesn't sound good from Sony's point of view, it does say something on how easy it is to create games for the Wii. Games for the Wii are not in the same league as the PS3 or the Xbox 360, and I hope developers are not just going for the quick turn around buck. I would much rather see a good game for the PS3, than a weak crappy ass game for the Wii that has you flapping your arms like a moron. Granted I do think Sony killed themselves with their arrogance with this console (price point included), but I would sooner buy a PS3 before I would ever pick up a Wii.

Sony begging PlayStation 3 developers to stay? [Bit-tech via Crunchgear]