Apple has recently come under fire from developers in how it handles what applications can be sold on the App Store.  Apple's Senior VP Phil Schiller shone some light on the process and explained why some apps get rejected in an interview with BusinessWeek.

App Store developers have become increasingly frustrated including Facebook developer Joe Hewitt who says that he is "philosophically opposed" to the notion of a company using "gatekeepers" to decide what can and can't be used on it's hardware.

Schiller compared the App Store to a regular brick and mortar retailer.  "Whatever your favorite retailer is, of course they care about the quality of the products they offer," he says.  "We review the applications to make sure they work as the customers expect them to work when they download them."

On the flip side, Schiller noted that about 10% of the App Store rejects are deemed inappropriate and sent back to the developer.  "There have been applications submitted for approval that will steal personal data, or which are intended to help the user break the law, or which contain inappropriate content," Schiller says.

Some apps even fall into areas that Apple has not anticipated - such as helping people to cheat at gambling in casinos.  "We had to go study state and international laws about what's legal and what isn't, and what legal exposure that creates for Apple or the customer," Schiller says.  Many apps also bend trademark rules, which Schiller said that Apple has heard a lot about from other companies.

Schiller noted that Apple has even received inquiries from various government officials making sure content remains appropriate for children and that they remain protected.  In the long run, most app developers do remain happy with Apple's process because more often than not it helps developers to find bugs that needing fixing anyway.