iPhone's biggest change ever?

A big, big change to the iPhone is afoot — perhaps the biggest change ever.

It’s likely that Apple will release a special version of iOS in March with sideloading enabled.

Sideloading, of course, is the ability to install software through other channels — not just Apple’s official App Store.

Alternative app stores doubtless will abound, and users will be able to install apps directly from publishers’ websites (or maybe even BitTorrent).

If so, it’ll be a big shakeup to the iOS app ecosystem, which Apple keeps under tight reins. App-makers will no longer have to deal with Apple’s gatekeeping, with good and bad consequences.

It’ll undoubtedly make the iPhone less secure, but it’ll also give users and app developers a lot more freedom.

And all this could happen within a couple of months. What a time to be alive!

However, there’s one big catch — for iPhone users in the United States.

Also in today’s newsletter:

• Samsung has a new line of slim and lightweight SSDs that are a great way to add tons more storage to your new USB-C iPhone. And they just got their first big discount.

• The remote for the Apple TV is a fiddly nightmare: hard to use, easy to lose and always, always out of juice. Take a look at this multibutton remote instead. Jony Ive will hate you.

• These prices on official Microsoft software — Windows for just $13 and Office 365 for $20 — are suspiciously low. It’s legal (we think! Just kidding. Of course it is).

• Today’s the day in Apple history that the iPod’s impact really became apparent. It transformed the company, and set the stage for today’s tech behemoth.

— Leander Kahney, EIC.

^{A message from CdkeySales}

^{A message from the Cult of Mac Store}

Tweetz o’ the day

One more thing ...

Today’s poll

Results from yesterday’s poll: Did you have an iPod Shuffle?

Best reader comments

Subscribe to The Weekender — Get the week's best Apple news, reviews and how-tos from Cult of Mac, every Saturday morning. Our readers say: "Thank you guys for always posting cool stuff" -- Vaughn Nevins. "Very informative" -- Kenly Xavier.