Apple Peeved by Cydia's Rogue IPhone App Store

Cydia rocketed onto everyone's radar last weekend after launching its app store for unauthorized iPhone applications on Friday. Although the company has long been a hub for unauthorized apps, Cydia creator Jay Freeman recently announced his intention to not only institute a centralized payment system but also to give app developers an equal (or increased) revenue split compared to Apple's offerings.

Currently, Cydia's payment methods are determined by the developer and the majority of the applications available are free. But if Freeman intends to pay developers more than Apple's 30 percent commission that could certainly change. The Cydia Store offers applications unavailable through Apple's App Store (which had 15,000 apps available in January) and will likely work hand-in-hand with Rock Your Phone -- a small company that is offering a way for non-jailbroken iPhones to still run unauthorized applications.

A third company is reportedly working on adult game applications and other adult content (which will be eagerly received, according to user comments). Other comments express concern not only over payment methods and the security of credit card information, but also over the security of the applications they install, potential iPhone Trojans emerging from adult content apps, and concerns that Apple will now crack down on jailbreaking once and for all.

Some users have been clamoring for unavailable apps, such as a Sirius satellite radio app (recently rejected by the App Store) and UStream's video app. It's still unclear what legal action Apple may take, but considering the projected revenue involved ($800 million is Apple's expected iPhone app revenue for this year), the company won't be standing idly by. Last month Apple filed its opposition to an EFF-proposed exemption to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (the exemption would legalize jailbreaking).