Breaking Apple's Grip on the iPhone

[HardOCP News]

Apple won’t allow your app on the official App Store? No worries, just create your own service and sell your own apps. Somehow that sounds way easier than it probably is.

The developer behind some popular iPhone software on Friday plans to open a service called Cydia Store that could potentially sell hundreds of iPhone applications that are not available through Apple's official store. Users must download special software that alters their iPhones before they can run these programs.

 

[Rabid Badger]

Begin the countdown to the press release from Apple stating that use of this service would constitute a felony.

 

[TechieSooner]

Begin the countdown to the press release from Apple stating that use of this service would constitute a felony.

My thoughts exactly.

I'm all about companies having control over their product so that it runs properly (aka... Windows and its drivers....) but there's a liimit.

 

[Bambi]

Cydia has been available on jailbroken iphones for a while now i believe. Self update aswell

 

[dr.stevil]

Begin the countdown to the press release from Apple stating that use of this service would constitute a felony.

X3 or would surprised if they didn't.

It's easy to understand their concerns, especially with security on a mobile device (it would be pretty hypocritical to blast M$ over security if their prized handset was just as bad, if not worse), but that's what happens when you limit your customers, they start to look other places.

I'm willing to bet any $$$ that the next big firmware update will find a new way to block jailbreaking... and what happens if someone buys said software and apple breaks it? is it apple that can be held liable, the developer or the dev team?

 

[Exavior]

(it would be pretty hypocritical to blast M$ over security if their prized handset was just as bad, if not worse),

That doesn't stop them with their desktop machines, Quicktime, Safari or any other apple related product.

 

[Dr.LaRd]

this is shouldn't come as a surprise....

the "Users must download special software that alters their iPhones before they can run these programs." is just jailbreaking it, and now instead of giving all the software away for free from cydia (who already has a "installer" program for jail broken ipods/phones) they are going to try and make money off the really good ones

makes sense, may make me want to jail break my ipod again.....

 

[Dr.LaRd]

and for anyone who is reading this that doesn't know...

the cydia installer program works kinda like a RSS feed....you connect to a database stored by cydia that gives you a list of apps, it'll download said apps for you from their database and away you go....however, at this point in time, there isn't (as far as i know - i could be wrong) no way to charge for said downloads - so this is why i mentioned the store not being a big surprise

there are other installer "sources" out there, but cydia is one of the bigger names

 

[P_Jazzy]

Someone made a good point earlier. If I buy one of these apps and Apple block my jailbreak effectively stopping the app, who would I go to

 

[the_dealer]

They can call themselves Warrantys aren't Us