Cydia, the popular third-party app store for Apple devices such as the iPhone and the iPad, has sued Apple for creating a monopoly. It is essential to jailbreak an iPhone or an iPad to use Cydia which provides major paid titles for free.
Since the launch of the App Store, iOS has had only way to install apps. Of course, people with more knowledge of software tweaking, have used IPAs and Cydia to install apps. However, most of the general public has always stuck to using Apple’s App Store for installing their favourite apps.
Cydia launched before Apple’s App Store
Jay Freeman, a software developer, created and launched Cydia back in 2007 – even before the existence of App Store. After the launch of the App Store, there was practically no reason to use Cydia, except for installing apps that had not been approved by Apple, to install tweaks, or to install paid apps for free.
“Apple began coercing users to utilize no other iOS app distribution service but the App Store, coupling it closer and closer to the iPhone itself in order to crowd out all competition,” said Cydia in a statement. “This lawsuit seeks to open the markets for iOS app distribution and iOS app payment processing to those who wish to compete fairly with Apple, and to recover the enormous damages Apple caused.”
Cydia has filed a lawsuit against Apple; it was first reported by The Washington Post. Apple has said that it will review the lawsuit. However, Apple continues to discourage jailbreaking as it basically puts users out of Apple’s protective cover.
The lawsuit filed by Cydia reads, “Were it not for Apple’s anticompetitive acquisition and maintenance of an illegal monopoly over iOS app distribution, users today would actually be able to choose how and where to locate and obtain iOS apps, and developers would be able to use the iOS app distributor of their choice.”
