The app stores are of utmost importance to a software development firm. This is because of the fact that only after mobile apps are uploaded to the major app stores does their credibility rise among the target audience.
The app stores are of utmost importance to a software development firm. This is because of the fact that only after mobile apps are uploaded to the major app stores does their credibility rise among the target audience. It is from the app stores that developers can showcase and promote the features of their software,
while mobile customers download or purchase the apps.
Keeping with the rising demand of mobile applications, there are several app stores that host software which can be run on multiple operating systems. The app stores are distinctly different from one another with respect to their presentation, support, and prices of the applications being sold. Here we will discuss about the benefits and hazards of the major app stores, viz., the Apple App Store, the Android Market, and the BlackBerry App World.
The Apple App Store
Built by Apple Inc., the Apple App Store allows downloading of both paid and free apps to devices like the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. Some benefits of this store are:
1. It is the biggest among the other major app stores hosting over 1,00,000 apps.
2. Apple is also known to host apps ranging over the maximum number of categories. Therefore one will find entertainment as well as business apps here.
3. The iTunes platform is the App Store’s USP. Since this facility is not provided by other mobile application stores, larger number of people prefers using Apple App Store’s services.
However, there is also a downside to the Apple App Store. They are:
1. Users can install apps in their Apple devices only by using the services of the App Store. However, the highest downloaded apps are the only ones which are featured prominently and therefore users are often unaware of software with better features or less price.
2. The policy for inclusion of apps at the App Store is so restrictive that developers are often not interested to design for the store.
The Android Market
Google’s mobile application store has gained momentum in sales and popularity over the past one year and is now the most preferred among the major mobile app stores. Reasons why it is so popular are:
1. It has a very low registration fee of $25.
2. The apps are also sold at very low prices, thereby attracting more mobile users.
3. The software is categorized under specific categories and are thus easily located upon searching.
But one cannot ignore the downside of the store:
1. Since only 29 countries are supported by Google, the Android Market can be set up in only these nations. Developers from other countries can submit only free apps to the store.
2. The high fragmentation of app arrangement here becomes complex for not only visitors but also developers.
The BlackBerry App World
Though it is not as popular as the above two, the store provides several facilities for which it is used frequently:
1. The arrangement of different categories of apps here is systematic and neat. This supports ease of navigation.
2. It is the only app store which supports billing through PayPal.
3. Since developers earn 80 percent of the revenue generated from app sales from here, they prefer investing in the BlackBerry App World.
Its disadvantages however have resulted in low usage:
1. Similar categories of apps sell at higher prices when compared with other major app stores.
2. There have been repeated complaints of problems in app installations.
The above comparison is proof of the fact that neither app store can be considered better than the other.
