Well it looks like the Cydia store has launched its first paid apps which makes it more of a threat to the Apple app store.
Prior to offering paid application only free applications where available and only on a phone that had been jailbroken. For those that do not know jailbreaking your phone provides the user a root level access as well as any programs installed. This allows for third party applications to be installed on the iPhone.
Jailbreaking is still required to have access to the free and now the paid apps. This has become a haven for developers that have been rejected by Apple for various reasons. The paid model with Cydia apparently will use the same 70/30 split as Apple.
Apple is trying to use legal means to defend against Cydia or anyone else that wants to compete with the apps store. Apple has sighted, most notably that the jailbreaking that makes this store possible also make it possible to commit piracy. It remains to be seen if this will be regarded as a solid legal argument or if we will start to see more of this type of business model.
Why is this store a threat to Apple anyway? Well developers who have had there application turned away by apple will not likely go back to Apple with new creative applications if they have another channel to market.
They also have to worry about spending all that time and money developing the apps just to be denied access to the app store.
As more developers feel the sting or rejection from Apple this alternative will become more and more attractive. I do not believe that the existence of this store or the adding of paid application will influence Apple’s decision making process on application selection anytime soon.
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TAGS: App Store, Cydia, Cydia store, Developers
