Though indisputably successful, the iPhone’s App Store has been at the center of controversy for Apple this past year. In a rare move, the company’s vice president of marketing Phil Schiller spoke on the record to defend the App Store’s review policies.

Apple has approved over 100,000 iPhone apps to date, but some questionable rejections have brought the company under fire. Among concerned developers, Joe Hewitt, developer of the popular Facebook iPhone app, spoke loud and clear that he would no longer develop for the iPhone because he disapproved of Apple’s review process.

“I am philosophically opposed to the existence of their review process,” Hewitt told TechCrunch. “I am very concerned that they are setting a horrible precedent for other software platforms, and soon gatekeepers will start infesting the lives of every software developer.”

In an interview with BusinessWeek, Schiller (right) explains why Apple has an App Store review process. In short, he said it’s necessary to ensure iPhone customers get what they’re promised. He noted that 10 percent of app rejections are related to “inappropriate” content, while 90 percent have to do with technical fixes, such as bugs. His third main point is that the App Store has an international audience, and thus several governments and political leaders are asking the company what it’s doing to ensure children are not downloading inappropriate content.

“We’ve built a store for the most part that people can trust,” he said. “You and your family and friends can download applications from the store, and for the most part they do what you’d expect, and they get onto your phone, and you get billed appropriately, and it all just works.”

The rest of the interview is available at BusinessWeek.

What do you think? Is a gatekeeper necessary for the App Store? Vote in the poll below.

See Also:

• Apple Removes Baby-Killing iPhone App Amid Outrage
• Android Welcomes App Store’s Rejects With Arms Wide Open
• Apple Rejects Google Voice App, Invites Regulation
• Apple Rejects Obama Trampoline iPhone Game

Photos: Jon Snyder/Wired.com, Apple

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