Developers make their own App stores

DEVELOPERS are setting up alternatives to Apple's App Store in an attempt to break the company's tight grip on what software can be used on its products.

According to the Wall Street Journal, a new applications site, Cydia Store,  this weekend began flogging applications for the iPhone without having to pay Apple its 30 per cent commission on sales. The store will allow downloads of application to iPhones that have been unlocked from authorised network providers.

Cydia Store is set up by Jay Freeman, a 27-year-old computer science doctoral student in Santa Barbara, after he created an application called Cycorder that allows the iPhone to be used as a camcorder. Apple banned the app from the App Store.

"It's understandable that [Apple] wants to control things, but it has been very limiting for developers and users," said Freeman. "The overworking goal is to provide choice," he said.

Two other stores are reported to be in the pipeline. The first, Rock Your Phone, will give advice to iPhone users as to how to unlock their devices and run unauthroised applications. Another store will deal with applications at the adult end of the market.

Apple is biting back and last month filed a 27-page statement with the U.S. Copyright Office claiming that software that unlocked iPhones is illegal under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

Analysts at Piper Jaffray estimate that the App Store generated $150 million in sales last year and project this to increase to $800 million in 2009. µ