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The NDA was causing ructions among iPhone developers, preventing programmers from swapping code and even tips on how to develop software for the handset.

Last week, Apple took the extraordinary step of banning developers who have their software rejected from the iPhone App Store from discussing the reasons for their failure.

Now it appears the company, while far from apologetic, has realised it's over-stepped the mark. "We have decided to drop the non-disclosure agreement (NDA)

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for released iPhone software," the company claims in a statement on its website.

"We put the NDA in place because the iPhone OS includes many Apple inventions and innovations that we would like to protect, so that others don't steal our work. It has happened before.

"While we have filed for hundreds of patents on iPhone technology, the NDA added yet another level of protection. We put it in place as one more way to help protect the iPhone from being ripped off by others.

"However, the NDA has created too much of a burden on developers, authors and others interested in helping further the iPhone's success, so we are dropping it for released software."

Nevertheless, the company hasn't given up on the NDA altogether. "Developers will receive a new agreement without an NDA covering released software within a week or so. Please note that unreleased software and features will remain under NDA until they are released."

Apple's new-found contrition may have been prompted by the launch of Google's Android, which allows developers to freely swap and publish applications for the new mobile OS.