It seems that Apple has chosen this week to rain on the parades of quite a few developers, one of whom is Al Sokirynsky, developer of the Podcaster podcast streaming and downloading application that never quite made its way to the App Store. Sokirynsky has been selling licenses for $9.99 using the Ad Hoc option in iTunes, allowing him to send copies to users without going through the App Store. However, Apple wasn't willing to leave the Podcaster app alone. Based on a notice on the Podcaster site, AppleInsider has the latest development in the saga: Apple is now blocking this form of Ad Hoc distribution and licensing of the app.

The move to Ad Hoc distribution came after Apple rejected Podcaster's App Store listing, saying that the app duplicated iTunes' functionality. Following the rejection, Sokirynsky turned to the Ad Hoc distribution system and offered licenses in exchange for a "donation," sans the 30 percent cut for Apple. The company has now shut down Sokirynsky's ability to create ad hoc licenses for the app, but hasn't actually explained why it felt the need to prohibit both App Store and Ad Hoc distribution in the first place. On the bright side, the application is still working, so Apple appears to have only disabled the ability to grant new licenses.

If Podcaster's App Store rejection was, in the words of David Chartier, an "anti-competitive" move, then I'm not even sure what this latest step is. Apple is now exerting control over multiple distribution channels for iPhone application. Additionally, Apple's enforcement of this type of app monopoly could be dangerous for the company. Aside from developers chafing at a further exercise of power (also aided by the extension of the NDA), continual enforcement of App Store rejections could stifle the development of some applications; Apple is essentially saying that if it doesn't like your application, you'll never be able to sell it. That statement right there makes Android's application market look pretty attractive, but Apple shouldn't risk pushing devs away like this.