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The distribution channel for SmartPhone software is the Internet. You don't see BlackBerry apps being sold at retail B&M stores in tiny little boxes. Developers
by jsz0 17y ago
The distribution channel for SmartPhone software is the Internet. You don't see BlackBerry apps being sold at retail B&M stores in tiny little boxes. Developers sell their apps usually through a web site with their own checkout system that delivers a binary to the user who then must figure out how to install it. With the iTunes store the first part of the model should be the same -- the developer creates a web site and promotes their application through ad buys, promo copies to reviewers, and whatever other tactics they think will work. The only difference is the checkout stage would link to the iTunes Store URL to complete the transaction.
I think all these developers are really missing the point that built in App Stores on devices are simply a delivery medium. You shouldn't rely on it to be a discovery medium for potential customers.
- vannevar 17y agoAs I note in my comment above, the App Store is not merely a neutral distribution conduit, it is also (by far) the primary discovery medium. The vast majority of app shoppers buy from the top lists. And the top lists are systematically structured to promote high volume, which causes devs to lower their price. That's why even the EAs of the world are calling on Apple to at least go by revenue rather than units. The App Store is 'simply a delivery medium' only in the same sense that Fox News is 'fair and balanced'.