You are incorrect. Carrier-provided app stores existed.
Here's a forum post from 2005 asking about the Sprint Store native app on the Treo 650, released a year earlier. As an owner of the phone, I had seen it and used it myself.
That's right, I do remember the Sprint store -- but then I wasn't on sprint and it was still completely optional. I'm not sure it was ever much of a success.
Here's a forum post from 2005 asking about the Sprint Store native app on the Treo 650, released a year earlier. As an owner of the phone, I had seen it and used it myself.
http://www.sprintusers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=63071