The iPhone application pirating community just got a helping hand. The folks at Hackulous have released their Crackulous iPhone application, in beta form, to iPhone-app pirates around the world. For those of you previously unaware, there is indeed an iPhone application pirating community working to subvert Apple’s software DRM scheme. With the release of Crackulous, iPhone users are being recruited to help crack and pirate iPhone applications for use by like-minded iPhone users.
The Crackulous application is just one piece of Hackulous’s three-pronged strategy. Crackulous strips a premium iPhone app of its DRM wrapper. These cracked apps are made available through Appulous, Hackulous’s App Store alternative. The applications can then be installed using Hackulous’s Installous application. Unfortunately, someone, somewhere, has to actually invest their money to buy a premium iPhone app before Crackulous can do its DRM-ripping magic.
Hackulous says that their goal is to provide iPhone users with an alternative to the flawed iPhone App Store. They claim that Apple has fostered a system that forces iPhone users to buy apps with little to no confidence in the app’s quality. The review system is too easily gamed and many premium applications fail to deliver value for their cost, or so goes Hackulous’s philosophy. Crackulous was created to allow iPhone users to crack iPhone application and make the cracked application available as an “unlimited trial” to other iPhone owners.
The idea here is that “unlimited trial” versions of the software will encourage scrupulous iPhone owners to reward a good application developer with an application purchase. Of course, there are those that will just download their cracked iPhone application and never give it a second thought, but those folks weren’t likely to pay for the app anyway. For the more honest types out there, a trial-period offers the consumer a more accurate look at an application.
With enough support, the Hackulous community might force Apple to re-consider its App Store guidelines. And, with a bit of luck, will weed out iPhone app developers looking to turn a quick buck by marketing crappy software. We’ve been burned a few times by regrettable iPhone app purchases, it’s no fun….
Crackulous is only available for jailbroken iPhones and iPhone 3Gs. Grab Crackulous through Cydia. You’ll need to have Hackulous’s repository (http://cydia.hackulo.us) in your “Source” list. Not jailbroken? It’s super-easy, hit up our iPhone and iPhone 3G jailbreak guide here.
[Via: Hackulous]