It took unending waves of criticism to get Apple to change their mind about something that not only angered developers, but also pushed them away: a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) for released iPhone software. Apple initially decided an iPhone software secrecy is necessary in order to protect its innovations from being stolen, however, the company did not take into consideration the effect this will have on developers, and that is frustration.

In a statement on its website, Apple admitted that the result of the non-disclosure agreement was not exactly the one they had anticipated, as it became “too much of a burden on developers, authors and others interested in helping further the iPhone’s success.”

For developers, the non-disclosure agreement was not just about the frustration of not being able to talk about their developments, it was also a financial frustration, as they also became unable to release information for books that were supposed to be published. The App Store started as an enthusiastic initiative for both Apple and developers, but it came to a point where Apple forgot to also take into consideration developers’ wishes.

As the Cupertino-based company pointed out, the non-disclosure agreement was just another way of protecting the iPhone from being ripped by others; however, in order for developers, authors and others to be able to contribute further to the iPhone’s success, the NDA for released software needed to be dropped. Instead, developers will receive a new agreement without an NDA regarding released software over the next few weeks. The non-disclosure agreement will remain valid though for unreleased software and features, Apple mentioned.

Apple’s attitude towards its developers is at a critical moment right now, as the risk of losing a big part of them for rivals with not so strict demands became greater. It’s a big step ahead for Apple, and as they said in a statement, this was certainly not the only way of keeping the iPhone safe.

Furthermore, the competition on the smartphone market is constantly increasing, and there are other platforms out there that developers could opt for – Google’s Android is just one of them, with perspectives not as restrictive as Apple’s.

Does this mean there’s going to be peace between Apple and iPhone developers? That depends what developers we’re talking about, since Apple’s decision to drop the non-disclosure agreement does not include the rejection letters that have been the subject of last week’s media coverage.

Until recently, developers who had their applications rejected by Apple used to post comments on blogs, discuss reasons for rejection, express disagreement and more. Then, under Apple’s terms, there was silence… and the best example here is developer Alex Sokirynsky’s case: after posting about Apple’s duplication reasons for rejecting Podcaster, the postings abruptly stopped.

Apple’s Steve Jobs admitted at one point that there will be limitations to what Apple engineers will allow on the App Store, however, putting a non-disclosure agreement for developers who have been rejected is a bit much, and that is something they still need to work on.