There’s a lot of chatter on the iPhone SDK mailing list about Apple’s approval process for the app store.  And Bijan Sabet writes:

I’ve been hearing more and more about apps that are still waiting for approval mode from apple. Some of those developers are friends of mine. These apps are somewhat competitive with iTunes I guess. Maybe that is the reason for the hold up. Or maybe it’s because apple is simply swamped.

(From Say it Ain’t So)

The mobile/wireless community has referred to on-device content and apps as a “walled garden“, because of the constraints and restrictions imposed by the old-line carriers.  The iPhone raised everyone’s hopes that the walls were coming down.

However, the process and criteria for getting App store approval from Apple is still unclear. Will Apple approve apps that are competitive with it’s own apps and businesses? Will they approve free apps that compete with paid apps (where Apple gets a rev share)?

Maybe the wall is still around the garden, but it’s now a knee wall.