It's also quite silly they have the apps wrapped up with DRM when Steve Jobs seems keen on avoiding DRM in other areas - http://www.apple.com/hotnews/thoughtsonmusic/ - but, hey, this is Apple, and it's a closed platform.
In any case, while the SDK is under NDA, it does mention that you can discuss it with other developers within the same program.. it's just discussion with the outside world that's the problem.
Most likely, this is just plain corporate bureaucracy. Of course Apple wants people to write programs for the iPhone. Of course Apple wants people to write books about the iPhone. However, Apple is a big company, and big companies specialize in being slow. If the senior person responsible for the iPhone SDK forgot to call the legal department and tell it to relax the restrictions, it probably didn't occur to legal to take the initiative.
Given all the developers I see bitching about this restriction (almost every iPhone one I know/know of, especially high profile ones..like apple design award winners (craig hockenberry of twitterrific fame)), I'd be surprised if everyone just forgot about that wee little detail. :)
I have 8 Macs also. Whenever I upgrade, I have one more. No-one will buy my old ones at the price I want to sell, or either I want to keep them around as spares.
That number should go down over time though. Apple's lost me as a customer over this whole iPhone mess. Back to the PC I go if I can sell this Mac Pro (but I'll always keep an iMac ;-)) - as an aside, if anyone in the UK fancies buying an early 2008 Mac Pro with 30" ACD, I'm all ears.
Of course you could also choose to donate one to broke ass students. For example someone like me. :-P Who knows, maybe I can even work for you when I graduate. :grin: