According to the New York Times, Apple has rejected Sony’s "Sony Reader" app for the iOS App Store. The Times says "Apple has told them they can no longer sell content, like e-books, within their apps unless the transactions go through Apple’s system." Obviously the story suggests Apple is tightening up their controls and wants to take a cut of all sales done on the iPhone. Some websites have even suggested some kind of rift between the two companies. After all, what about Amazon's Kindle app? Doesn't it do what Sony wanted to do with its ereader app?

Apple just clarified their position stating:

Apple’s made no change to its App Store Guidlines, it’s simply enforcing a rule that’s been in them all along: apps that offer purchases elsewhere must support in-app purchases as well. “We have not changed our developer terms or guidelines,” company spokesperson Trudy Miller told me. “We are now requiring that if an app offers customers the ability to purchase books outside of the app, that the same option is also available to customers from within the app with in-app purchase.”

If Apple strictly enforces this policy it looks like Amazon will have to offer in-app purchases which means Apple would take a 30% cut. Will Amazon go along with that?