Cydia is planning to debut an alternative OSX app shop that will compete against Apple’s official Mac Store when it launches in January 2011.
According to Cydia creator Jay Freeman (aka Saurik), iOS Cydia currently boasts over 30,000 free and paid apps, including some that were rejected by Apple.
As expected, Freeman believes he will be able to replicate his iOS success with the OSX version of Cydia, as it will allow talented devs to neatly bypass Club Cupertino’s draconian app approval process.
As Brad Linder of Lilliputing notes, Apple will likely impose “some restrictions” on OSX apps – along with an (almost certain) outright ban of pornographic content.
“But it’s also likely that Apple will [level] other [rules]. For instance, apps for sale through the Mac App Store reportedly won’t support in-app purchases, which could make it hard for developers to promote freemium apps – which you can download for free, and pay to unlock additional features.
“[Of course], while you don’t need to jailbreak a Mac to install software that’s not available in the Mac App Store – [as] users will continue to be able to install anything they like – the Cydia store will [effectively act as] a repository for apps that don’t necessarily play by Apple’s rules,” he added.
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