Apple Opens the App Store
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Apple opened the iPhone App Store in July 2008 alongside iPhone OS 2.0. The store launched with roughly 500 applications and gave third-party developers an official way to distribute native software to iPhone and iPod touch users.
Apple controlled signing, review, payment, and installation. Applications were sandboxed and distributed as signed packages rather than downloaded freely from arbitrary websites. For developers, this removed much of the work of payment processing and software delivery but placed Apple in the role of gatekeeper.
The App Store changed the economics of mobile software. A small developer could reach users in many countries without negotiating with carriers or retailers, and consumers could install software with a single account. The model was copied widely and eventually shaped software distribution far beyond phones, including desktop operating systems and game platforms.