I reported earlier that Apple is facing an antitrust inquiry which could lead to a full blown FTC antitrust investigation; you can read that particular article (here). Well now according to an article over on electronista, it may be possible for Apple to avoid the investigation by changing the terms of the iPhone SDK.
Apparently word has it that the FTC will leave Apple alone if they allow developers to write iPhone application using other tools like Adobe Flash CS5, although just how likely that is no one would comment.
It isn’t quite clear whether the source was with Apple and intimating a possible course of reciprocation or from the FTC or other organisation, although due to iPhone Guru Steve Job’s stance on Flash it’s hard to believe he and the company would change their opinions.
It has been reported that both the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission are in talks as to whether an investigation should be launched and which agency would head that investigation should it proceed.
Developers have criticised Apple for both restricting which software they can use and for artificially inflating the costs of supporting more than a single platform, while Adobe has accused Apple of political manoeuvring to attack Adobe Flash.