Apple has often been publicly blasted for its closed-door approach on the iTunes App Store. While the company was smart to block jailbroken devices from accessing its app store, it has no answer, at least for the moment, to OpenAppMkt – a web-based application which offers a selection of HTML apps to users, thereby creating [...]
Apple has often been publicly blasted for its closed-door approach on the iTunes App Store. While the company was smart to block jailbroken devices from accessing its app store, it has no answer, at least for the moment, to OpenAppMkt – a web-based application which offers a selection of HTML apps to users, thereby creating a pseudo-app store. If these were native apps, Apple could’ve quickly blocked it.
Developed by Teck Chia, Flora Sun and Tim Wuu, OpenAppMkt is a piece of smart thinking and quick implementation. And the best part - though Apple will hate it, it has no control over it. Similar to App Store & Cydia, OpenAppMkt offers both free and paid apps, albeit – only those which run within the Safari browser.
The installation of OpenAppMkt is easy and quick – just visit the OpenAppMkt website and follow the onscreen instructions. It creates an OpenAppMkt icon on your iPhone’s home screen. Bear in mind, that when you download an app through OpenAppMkt, it actually doesn’t install anything on your phone, it merely creates a Safari bookmark on your homescreen.
As it covers only browser-based apps, it doesn’t offer the same variety as the iTunes Store or Cydia. However, if you wanted to save the hassles of jailbreaking in order to access an alternative app store, OpenAppMkt is surely a dream come true for you.
As a developer, you can get your app listed on OpenAppMkt for free. However, developers who sell paid web apps will need to share 20 percent of their revenues with the founders. Chia insists that many iOS apps on the iTunes App Store are actually built with HTML5, JavaScript, and CSS and then compiled into an app before being sent to the iTunes store for sale or download.
Here’s a video of the OpenAppMkt app in action.
Do you think that OpenAppMkt will serve as a serious threat to Apple App Store and Cydia? Share your opinion by leaving a comment below this post.
Nicole Scherzinger
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