Unlike Rhapsody and Ziade, Leydon doesn't have a problem with Apple taking its 30% slice.

"If they want a cut of sales, we can live with that," said Leydon. PayPal, he said, currently charges a 10% fee for payments it processes for TinyGrab. "I wouldn't call the 30% [Apple wants] nice, but in the grand scheme of things, it's a necessary evil."

Leydon rejects the idea forwarded by some that Apple will suffer if some developers decide to bail on iOS.

"Developers don't make the devices [successful]," Leydon argued. "Apple sells sex, and though some developers may kick and moan, the iPhone sold well long before apps appeared."

Gregg Keizer covers Microsoft, security issues, Apple, Web browsers and general technology breaking news for Computerworld. Follow Gregg on Twitter at or subscribe to . His e-mail address is .