i think you've made some good points in this post, and the concerns are valid. i believe, and i hope my faith is deserved, that locking down os x in this fashion, even if done gradually, would create such a backlash that apple would look very bad for doing it. i also think they know this. the platform has been successful and has continued to survive, especially during the dark years before jobs returned, in no small part due to the vibrant community of developers like r.m., and the core of users who have high standards in the apps they use. i must believe that apple recognizes this. i know they sometimes walk the fine line between supporting the developer community and cannibalizing it (by incorporating things as os features, etc), but i think they know if would not be in their best interest to severely piss them off or constrict the ecosystem so much.

i also hope that apple recognizes this will be the best course, in the long run, for the iphone. is it more likely that the mac ends up going the direction of the iphone, or the iphone ends up going the direction of the mac. we can only wait and see. what's clear to me is that the community is the best place, in the long run, to vet apps and give them recognition. there will always be more manpower than one company can afford, and there's a big advantage in having a wide range of people providing opinions. i hope apple sees it this way as well, and that the iphone ecosystem can evolve in this direction.