App Store Gone Wild

Despite the ongoing battle cry that people want things to be as user friendly as possible, the same also goes for the fact that users want to their mobile devices on their own terms. This is why I believe that jailbreaking iPhones and now, an unauthorized app store are merely the beginning of the mess Apple is going to have to deal with.

To be fair, there is something to be said about having an app store environment in which users are not going to inadvertently, install something potentially dangerous to their iPhones. After all, unless the source code is readily available, you do need some sort of authority to make sure that you are not putting your mobile life into any sort of unforeseen danger.

But if the applications are available with the code available for review, I can see no problem in a competing app store at all. Again, the availability of the source code of the applications would be for safety reasons, not out of software politics. If the source code is available for applications on a competing app store, chances are good that participating applications will not be posted to create havoc. Otherwise this would have destroyed open source as a concept a long time ago.

Speaking for myself, Apple opting to take the DMCA and push this type of stuff into the illegal sector without even exploring a worthwhile compromise is a mistake. Clearly, people are tired of “renting” their media and have shown with no uncertain clarity they are willing to take matters into their own hands. Apple should find a happy medium here even if allowing a secondary app store as seen with Cydia may not be the best approach.