You don't need to jail break an Android phone that's just iphones everything you download off the net is free on Android.
apktop.com is great for this. Granted, I buy all the apps that I use. When I help friends setup their phone and they're too cheap, I just download them from here.
Rooting is helpful mostly if you're a nerd. I need root access for the modifications I do, like editing the .host file to remove advertisements and small things like that. 9/10 people don't need to root. The Android platform is way better than anything Apple has ever done. They offer a walled garden which is fine and dandy for the idiots, but for most people you need more than what Apple offers.
In the Android Market you'll find that there aren't as many polished apps like with the Apple App Store, but they're often free or more powerful than the ones Apple provides or authorizes. Apple also prohibits anything that competes with what they offer, so fuck them. They're literally stopping you from having the best apps available because their revenue is more important... fuck them. I want what's best for ME! If I'm paying half a grand for a phone, I want to do whatever the fuck I want with it. And that's why I love Google so much.