Cydia developer, Jay Freeman also known as Saurik has released a new version of Cydia that sports essentially an AppStore clone. It’s called Cydia Store. It’s where iPhone/Touch developers can get money from their unofficial third-party jailbreak applications. The first paid package to be released on Cydia Store is Cyntact. It’s a simple app that shows profile pictures in the contact list. It’s priced at $1.00USD at the Cydia Store.
Based off his twitter updates, he plans to add PayPal support sometime next week. He also plans to convert cydia from a package repository to a full fledged app store with an integrated payment system. He also does not plan to charge more than the 30% commission that Apple charges developers
He opened the store for unofficial AppStore developers like himself to make money from their efforts. He says “The overworking goal is to provide choice. It’s understandable that [Apple] wants to control things, but it has been very limiting for developers and users.”
WSJ reports that Freeman, who has been on the lookout daily for email from Apple lawyers, isn’t taking any chances and has lined up a lawyer in case Apple takes legal action.
Details via Freeman’s twitter:
- Direct credit card processing in the future.
- The purchase is tied to your Cydia account on the server, so even if you buy a new iPhone you will be able to install it on your new device.
- Cyntact is DRM-free. Freeman plans to work with the existing commercial applications to handle their current DRM.
Open up Cydia to update!
What do you guys think of this idea? – Personally, I’m excited. More apps will become more stable and better and will be worth every cent. For those who haven’t yet jailbroken their iPhones: What are you waiting for? Do it already! You’re missing out on a ton of awesome stuff.
