According to Gadgetlab Amazon will bring their store online on Tuesday the 22nd, although I'm still not entirely sure what their proposition is for this. The Android web store has been a big step in the right direction and there are already plenty of other app stores that give you more functionality. So I don't really get it unless they're going to bring something else alongside it like their own tablet or the ability to run Android apps on the Kindle or something.
Anyone have any clues?
4 comments:
Any Android users pay for apps?
@Anonymous
As much as IOS users pay for apps.
I think Amazon appstore could be a good thing for Android.
Amazon knows more than a thing or two about ecommerce.
I'm hoping we will see a longer tail than what Apple has been able to pull off. i.e create a marketplace that's not exclusively driven by top-selling hits and featured promotions. Part of this would be to improve discoverability.
More price stability than Apple's App Store would be nice too. (Just look at the amount a promotional price slashing going on in the App Store these days.)
It is currently in Amazon's interest to see these things happen, whereas Apple has very little incentive to improve these issues.
Google's Market in many respects is a placeholder. It certainly doesn't make much money for developers nor Google. It has grown Google's payment system, but other than that it hasn't done much except provide a standard distribution channel for Android apps.
Even Apple's App Store doesn't provide much direct revenue for Apple yet. Apple netted $1B from the App Store over 2.5 years, but it costs them quite a lot to run the store: serve 10B downloads, process billions of credit card transactions and screen something like 1M apps and revisions.
An Android-based Kindle doesn't seem far-fetched though and would change the equation a little bit. Amazon sells ebooks, video on demand and MP3s that would complement such a product well. Amazon's model is the opposite of Apple's -- Apple makes money on the device; Amazon makes money on the complementary content.
@Richard
I don't know how the App Store could be improved regarding discovery beyond what's already in place.
Genius Recommendations, "customers also bought", and the new search terms on iPad-- view by raiting, category, etc. Can you think of a better way for Amazon do handle things?
Also, I think your point about revenue is valid, but that's never been the purpose of the App Store for Apple, and they don't seem to mind not profiting directly from it.
The App Store drives hardware sales, something Amazon won't see the benefits of. The App Store adds value to the iPhone and iPod Touch, and has helped the iPad dominate the tablet space.
This blog is filled with over 50% news about iOS apps, and I've read comments that say, "wow, this looks awesome, I wish I had an iPad"... I don't think I've ever read such a sentiment like that about an Android app, and I'm not sure that Amazon will be able to save the day buy I wish them all the best.
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