If you've not heard of the Cydia Store, chances are you're not in possession of a jailbroken iPhone. The renegade Cydia app store is operated by founder Jay Freeman (aka 'saurik'), who launched the alternative app shopping network only five months ago. Cydia specializes in featuring apps from developers rejected by Apple for some ridiculous reason or another. Forbidden titles like the religious photo spoofing app "Me So Holy" have become a poster child for Cydia.
"People are so annoyed by Apple and their shit, and if you give them opportunity to go around it, then they'll even pay for it," said Kim Streich, a developer whose app 3G Unrestrictor earned $19,000 in sales in just two weeks through Cydia." - Source Wired
Jay Freeman revealed recent stats that show 470,000 people per day connecting to the Cydia store, up significantly from 350,000 per day recorded only a few months back. The store has earned over $220,000 in overall sales in the short five months its been in operation.
While it's difficult to get accurate data on how many iPhone faithful have jailbroken their devices, Freeman claims that some 4 million iPhone and iPod touch owners to date, have installed Cydia on their devices. A number that represents 10 percent of the estimated 40 million users, based on the number of unique device identifiers tracked on Freeman's server.
In March of this year, Apple claimed 96 percent of iPhone apps were approved, according to Greg Joswiak, VP of iPod and iPhone Marketing. With app rejections like Google Voice becoming only the latest high profile fiasco in the media, I would expect the Cydia store to continue to gain momentum as a greater number of iPhone developers make their way over to the dark side out of pure frustration with Apple's flawed approval system.
Giving rise to the start of a full-fledged iPhone rebellion, led by Jay Freeman who's found a perfect way to "bop the man". While Apple conjures up more and more convoluted reasons to banish applications to the App Store graveyard, one company's rejects have become another man's treasure.
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