A lot of people hold up Apple's iPhone App Store as the perfect solution to app distribution, but that's not always the case. Long term app developer Gedeon Maheux of Iconfactory (behind apps such as Twitterific) has a detailed post on why he believes the store has failed him. It's worth a read not just because it illustrates the problems behind an app store, but also because other app stores are likely to have exactly the same problems.

The App Store is broken. I know from the outside glancing in, it may not look that way but it is. It also doesn’t seem like it’s broken from Apple’s point of view since the store and its tens of thousands of software titles have helped place the iPhone firmly at the head of the smart phone industry. But speaking as a small developer who’s been releasing Mac software for over a decade, the App Store is broken. The ironic part is that if you had asked me this a few months ago I would have denied it with my dying breath

Of course the problems are something Nokia would love to have around the Ovi Store, but should Nokia be reaching out to these dissatisfied developers and ensure they come over to Symbian? Yes is my opinion - pop a device in the post, the relevant SDK's on DVD with some printed guides, a few hours tech support on Forum Nokia and you have a leading developer on your platform. You know it makes sense...

The full post can be found on Gedeon's Blog.