The App Store not only faces competition from me-too stores by Microsoft, Nokia, and RIM, but is now going to have to deal with one that is set to emerge on their own platform. Say hello, to the Cydia Store!
Jay Freeman, who created Cycorder and is behind the Cydia Store, says he decided to open the store so developers like himself have a way to make money from their efforts. Mr. Freeman, a 27-year-old computer science doctoral student in Santa Barbara, Calif., says he intends to charge developers no more than the commission Apple does for his site’s billing services. - Wall Street Journal
With an install base projected at 1.7 million, the jailbreaking platform is filled with apps and themes that Apple would never allow in their official store. All of the shortcomings of the iPhone, including video recording, MMS, and full UI theming is possible using jailbroken apps.
Currently, buying one of the paid apps is not a straighforward process, nothing like what Apple offers with the App Store. Freeman hopes to eliminate that, and we’ll have to wait and see how. Things like payment and credit card safely need to be dealt with for customers to feel comfortable about buying on a cracked store. Of course, when you need that internet teethering capability offered by PdaNet, you will forgo all your apprehensions and make that $30 payment.
If that’s not all, there are two more stores wanting to make their way in. A small company plans a store called Rock Your Phone and a third start-up is building an online store that specializes in selling adult games for the iPhone.
What these stores perhaps don’t realise is what Apple is planning behind the scenes. Apple hasn’t done much till now to fight the jailbreaking platform, as it has mostly been harmless. However, if these stores pose a threat to their business, Tim Cook and Co. might implement a new security measure that even the dev team cannot crack through. iPhone 3.0 software is probably just round the corner.
My iPhone is not jailbroken, although a couple of our team members have their phones jailbroken.
