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Amazon May Be About To Launch Its Own Android App Marketplace

MichaelApproved 16y ago
The Android marketplace has so many problems and I'm not sure that fragmenting the market on its own will help. BUT if someone would be willing to do code review and verify it's safe it would go a long way with my comfort with installing apps. As it is now, I'm extremely reluctant to install an app that hasn't been developed by a major known company or in the store and reviewed by others. The details in the permissions slip are a joke. Still haven't paid for an app yet. I haven't even bothered to explore how to do it. With Amazon as a billing solution I'd be more willing to put up with the payment system.
wccrawford 16y ago
"if users have to go shopping around to multiple App Stores where apps differ in availability and pricing, that could result in confusion." Right, because having thousands of different retail stores has totally killed the market for all physical goods. It's just too complicated for the poor users.
protomyth 16y ago
Amazon knows how to take payments in a lot of countries and is a trusted name in e-commerce. I can see them paying some of the carriers (other than Verizon) to include their store as the default.
shib71 16y ago
One of the big advantages of Android's openness was that even the Marketplace itself could have alternatives. This is a good thing - it puts competitive pressure on Google's, and provides an outlet for developers who have issues with the payment structure or the deployment process.
- protomyth 16y ago
  How's this work if I buy apps from the Verizon store and then move to T-Mobile? Do I have to repurchase the apps with the new phone?
davidedicillo 16y ago
Amazon at least for now is super partes, but what about the Verizon store? If I buy an app from their store, will I be able to downloading for free even if my next phone is with TMobile?
- jsz0 16y ago
  That sounds like potentially a big problem. You can't even assume you will always have the stock Android Market to fallback on either.
moeffju 16y ago
I really hope they will. The Android market has so many problems Google just doesn't seem to care about, because they would be really easy to solve (better sorting, more payment options/allow more countries to buy/sell apps). Competition can only be good.
rwhitman 16y ago
Probably not a bad thing. I don't have an android phone, but I could definitely see Amazon doing a better job of running a store than google, after all its their core competency

The Android marketplace has so many problems and I'm not sure that fragmenting the market on its own will help. BUT if someone would be willing to do code review and verify it's safe it would go a long way with my comfort with installing apps. As it is now, I'm extremely reluctant to install an app that hasn't been developed by a major known company or in the store and reviewed by others. The details in the permissions slip are a joke. Still haven't paid for an app yet. I haven't even bothered to explore how to do it. With Amazon as a billing solution I'd be more willing to put up with the payment system.

wccrawford 16y ago

"if users have to go shopping around to multiple App Stores where apps differ in availability and pricing, that could result in confusion." Right, because having thousands of different retail stores has totally killed the market for all physical goods. It's just too complicated for the poor users.

protomyth 16y ago

Amazon knows how to take payments in a lot of countries and is a trusted name in e-commerce. I can see them paying some of the carriers (other than Verizon) to include their store as the default.

shib71 16y ago

One of the big advantages of Android's openness was that even the Marketplace itself could have alternatives. This is a good thing - it puts competitive pressure on Google's, and provides an outlet for developers who have issues with the payment structure or the deployment process.

protomyth 16y ago
How's this work if I buy apps from the Verizon store and then move to T-Mobile? Do I have to repurchase the apps with the new phone?

davidedicillo 16y ago

Amazon at least for now is super partes, but what about the Verizon store? If I buy an app from their store, will I be able to downloading for free even if my next phone is with TMobile?

jsz0 16y ago
That sounds like potentially a big problem. You can't even assume you will always have the stock Android Market to fallback on either.

moeffju 16y ago

I really hope they will. The Android market has so many problems Google just doesn't seem to care about, because they would be really easy to solve (better sorting, more payment options/allow more countries to buy/sell apps). Competition can only be good.

rwhitman 16y ago

Probably not a bad thing. I don't have an android phone, but I could definitely see Amazon doing a better job of running a store than google, after all its their core competency