But to get the software needed to create iPhone programs, developers had to sign a nondisclosure agreement. They expected Apple to lift the restrictions on July 11, when the new version of the multifunction gadget, the iPhone 3G, hit stores.
Many developers say they are erring on the side of caution. They interpret the agreement to mean they can talk about the programs that they make, but they can't discuss the Apple developer tools used to make them, even with friends.
They also believe they're barred from sharing their thoughts and iPhone programming tips on blogs, on discussion boards, via e-mail and at conferences.
After all, Apple has sued before, including acting against a blogger accused of misappropriating the company's trade secrets by publishing scoops about new products. (The case was settled.)
Some have taken the risk and discussed the iPhone development process openly, and so far faced no repercussions.
WordPress.org is making an open-source version of its iPhone blogging software, meaning that anyone can contribute to its development. In the process, WordPress is publicly discussing its work and exposing the software code for its iPhone program. Apple has not complained about the practice to WordPress, said Matt Mullenweg, one of the lead developers.
But some developers fear that the gag order is preventing iPhone programs from being as technically sound and polished as they could be.
"This incredible top-down control is not having a good effect on the developer community," said Erica Sadun, a Denver technology writer whose "The iPhone Developer's Cookbook" is completed but unpublished.
The legal strength of the nondisclosure agreement could be shaky, said Aaron Moss, a partner with Greenberg Glusker Fields Claman & Machtinger in Los Angeles.
"A court might be sympathetic to an argument that it is overly broad," he said. "The need to protect is less when the product has been released. But no individual wants to be the one to take on Apple."
Some developers who are seeking help have resorted to paying each other $1. That way, if challenged by Apple's legal department, they can argue that they are subcontractors and therefore free to discuss the software.
For book publishers and conference organizers, where tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars are involved, the legal risks are greater.
