1. Just like with the infamous 3.3.1, announce that there will be changes coming to the developer agreement that ban "widget desktop" apps, and that apps of that variety will no longer be approved after July 1, 2010.
2. Grandfather in existing widget apps and make it clear to developers that they will only be able to make maintenance updates to their software and that no significant new versions will be approved.
I've actually bought Jobs' "sacrifice for the future of the platform" politic up to a point, and gradually phasing out approval for a type of app fits into that.
Your second suggestion is still pretty evil. Imagine being a moderately successful app developer and having Apple tell you that you've released your last version and your app is essentially 'frozen in time' and your only option is to release maintenance fixes (at your cost yay!). Why would I maintain software for users whom I'll never be able to sell a future version or upgrade to?
Because suddenly dropping support for an app reflects badly on you and your brand. But supporting something at a loss is even worse -- it has a financial cost, and it has an even larger opportunity cost. It's many businesspeople's worst nightmare.
But if Apple orders the abrupt discontinuation of your product you have a face-saving way to wash your hands of the affair. It's Apple's fault! Don't forget to make a big public show of how Apple made you drop the product - and not by degrees, but cold-turkey.
Apple could put a badge on the App Store listing saying that it has been discontinued, etc. It would only show up for current users anyway and right now you have no way to communicate with your users about what happened (you don't even get to know who they are to contact them after Apple pulls you).
1. Just like with the infamous 3.3.1, announce that there will be changes coming to the developer agreement that ban "widget desktop" apps, and that apps of that variety will no longer be approved after July 1, 2010.
2. Grandfather in existing widget apps and make it clear to developers that they will only be able to make maintenance updates to their software and that no significant new versions will be approved.
I've actually bought Jobs' "sacrifice for the future of the platform" politic up to a point, and gradually phasing out approval for a type of app fits into that.
Sniping your developers does not fit into that.