Comments on: Now everybody has an App Store

By: Steve S. Plano, TX

Steve S. Plano, TX — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 19:04:58 +0000

Blackberry has an appstore and has had one before Microsoft, Palm and Nokia.

http://www.blackberry.com/appworld

Do some research before you do an article!!!!

By: AcPlus3 San Diego, CA

AcPlus3 San Diego, CA — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 22:35:30 +0000

The article title really should be everybody will have a flash player, except the iPhone. The flash player on all the other smartphones will put apple behind the rest, in respect to browsing the web and quickly developing rich user experienced apps.

I'm pleased to see every ones progress with their android models as well as windows mobile UI maturity with version 6.5. Here in the US, windows mobile is doing a takeover in the smartphone game not just a makeover. For example, count the number of smartphones currently and just announced using windows mobile.

Is there anyone who can deny that android and windows mobile will be the dominant smartphone OS's, leaving the iPhone in its appropriate place, with the MAC.

By: Ted T., New York, NY

Ted T., New York, NY — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 17:50:24 +0000

@AK: I used to think that Android was the main competition, but NOT A SINGLE Android phone was announced at the World Mobile Congress. Unless Google suddenly gets into the hardware business, Android is going nowhere.

As for all the copycats: amazing that not a single one of them is capable of doing something new. What a sorry, sorry bunch.

By: AK

AK — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 14:41:29 +0000

"I think they’re getting far too complicated for the average user that can’t be bothered to troubleshoot just to make a phone call… RIM and Android will be OK, but I don’t think the others will fare as well."

@ Constable Odo,

I think you got this one right. Android will be second to Apple. RIM will survive in the enterprise world. All the others will still be around, but only to share 5-10% of the smartphone market.

Apple will only stick to that category of product. Even if they release low cost, smaller product, it'll still be a smartphone. They'll dominate that category, leaving regular cellphones to the rest.

By: Cip, C from Ro

Cip, C from Ro — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 10:54:04 +0000

@Gregg

Try http://www.ovi.com where the Store will be active

By: Bob, Nantucket

Bob, Nantucket — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 07:14:58 +0000

Get wise guys. U.S. is not the only market for phones.

By: Gregg, Oakland, CA

Gregg, Oakland, CA — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 06:24:47 +0000

As with the iPod I imagine all this competition will only manage to hold Apple's share to 60-70% of downloaded apps 5 years from now. The top competitor probably having 15-20% share. Apple will likely be the ONLY one making a sizable profit from apps – and it will be very sizable. I think we're likely to see quite a few popular very sophisticated, not-inexpensive apps that will. When added to the billions of $1-$5 apps Apple will be raking in a lot of profit.

By: john, Ewing, NJ

john, Ewing, NJ — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 03:31:50 +0000

All the announcements are SOOO funny!

Apple started their iTunes store to sell songs for iPods. They gave the iTunes software for free, to anyone, for Windows or Mac.

This is YEARS ago, and a few hundred million iPods ago. All those people know how to sync an iPod, and they have sold BILLIONS of songs to people with active accounts.

Now, the iPhone uses the same software as their ipod, and it actually also includes an iPod, and buying apps is JUST LIKE buying songs, which billions have been sold. Firmware updates are painless and always good news.

It all works, perfect as you could get within reason.

Anyone see an advantage?

Nokia for instance.

Where is this software site? Do I need a special app? can I download to the phone direct, or to my PC, or Mac, if mac is supported, will all these things sync? Do I need an account?

What's the interface like? any bugs?

questions, questions…

By: mark, boston, ma

mark, boston, ma — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 23:35:33 +0000

The AppStore with a 70/30 split doesn't make much of a profit. By setting the split at that level in the iTunes Music Store, Apple basically made it unprofitable for any other store where the store overhead was not also supported by hardware sales.

In this case, Palm, Blackberry and Nokia's stores have affiliated hardware. And Windows and Android have owners with lots of revenue from other sources, so the remaining question is how much investment will Nokia put into Symbian?

By: mark, boston, ma

mark, boston, ma — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 22:54:48 +0000

Jan/Jun 2007: Apple announces and ships a multi-touch gestures smartphone.

Feb 2008: Other companies announce touch-screen smartphones for shipment sometime later in the year.

Mar/Jul 2008: Apple announces and launches its AppStore, where every app works on the iPhone and iPhone 3G.

Feb 2009: Other companies announce app stores, some for launch later in the year, but where some apps in the store will work on some phones but not others, or the apps will only work on new phones but not older ones, or …

See the pattern? So I'll know what other companies will announce in Feb 2010 by the end of July 2009.