Some Clarification
I had at least one friend who is pretty much an iPhone developer ask me if they qualified as “Real” since they had to go through Apple in order to sell. I told him I figured he’s real indie because he’s as close as he can get to the customer and doesn’t have very many limitations on what he’s allowed to try to sell. Sure, it’s not as wide open as PC development, but it’s pretty damn close.
I really don’t know how far I can carry this “Real” indie thing, anyway. I’m more interested in discussing direct to consumer issues than whether or not someone fits into a bucket.