I just re-viewed the June 6 WWDC keynote and one of the comments that seemed most cogent was about how software ISN'T Apple's key focus, but rather how important software (and a huge bunch of dedicated third-party software developers) are viewed in supporting the HARDWARE that Apple produces....I can't quote it directly, but it was almost a throwaway line during Steve Jobs' closing comments.
....or maybe I was just hearing more than was said....
Regardless, it makes perfect sense to develop a mechanism to funnel quality (vetted) software through a single point source if your goal is to continue to deliver more hardware.....if it were solely the profit to be made on software distribution alone that was the driving factor, then the App Store model would most likely be quite different.
