"If Sony does launch some kind of Apps store on the PlayStation Network, the PlayStation 3 might actually get the upper hand in the console wars... a long deserved one."
You make me laugh. I don't know how anyone could say Sony is deserving of an upper hand. If Sony doesn't have the upper hand now, they can only blame themselves. That is the only thing they deserve.
Im curious about this new "subscription" that might be coming. I don't think they will make people pay for basic stuff such as online gaming, friends list, store, etc etc etc. But at the same time, I bet that they see Microsoft making money with Xbox Live and they want a piece of that pie.
It would be very smart (unfair) marketing for them to lower the price of the PS3 over the holidays and then enforce a subscription to the buyers. I'm not saying that's their plan, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was either.