On Jan 8, 1:03 am, Al Sutton <[email protected]> wrote: > A strong brand doesn't always translate into good sales. One example always > sticks in my mind where a developer who I talked to told me they worked with > a very large multi-national carrier to get their app into the carriers app > store, and at the end of 3 months the app had been downloaded 18 times (yes, > < 20) from the carriers app store and several thousand from Google Market. >
I haven't figured out why the carriers are doing Android app stores. Don't they get all the profit from the Android Market for doing absolutely nothing? Can't they already filter out apps that conflict with their business objectives? In any case, perhaps the perception of the brand matters. In a carrier app store, what do I expect to see? A bunch of apps for which I will be charged a monthly fee, some wallpapers and ring tones with the carrier logo, and maybe a few apps to check my minutes and sign up for more great services. Maybe some inferior navigation program with a monthly fee that people will nonetheless use because the carrier has crippled all other navigation apps. (Verizon has done exactly this in the past). We can envision a world where users will switch freely back and forth from the Android Market and the Amazon App Store, checking the Market for the wider selection, and Amazon for the cheaper prices. If such is the case, Amazon will have great power to screw developers, and the Android Market, through price manipulation. But I'm not sure how close to reality that is. Amazon doesn't really have to block the Market from any devices. Google does that already for most tablets. If you don't have a compass, GPS, and 3G, you are not Google approved. In fact, I don't think any wifi-only devices are approved. Of course, the people on this forum will use a hack from an anonymous guy on a forum to install the Market after rooting the device and overclocking the CPU. But how many end users will do that? People here have said that the Nook Color is a great Android tablet after being rooted. Lets suppose the Android Kindle is a great device without being rooted. That alone would give the Amazon App Store a good starting point, on a place where the Android Market won't be officially allowed. Nathan -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Android Discuss" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/android-discuss?hl=en.
