Can the fledgling app shop take on the might of Apple and Android?
Although it’s a tall order, analysts seem to think Amazon’s appstore could give its rivals a run for its money, quite literally.
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Launched this week, the new appstore’s nifty 1-Click payment options could prove very tempting to existing Amazon account holders and lure users away from iTunes.
Amazon is already the biggest online retailer in the world, selling ebooks, electrical and apparel and recently made moves towards positioning itself into a fully fledged multimedia service, with the launch of its Instant Video service.
Despite the fact it has a mere 3,500 apps for Google’s Android platform, which pales into comparison to Apple’s 300,000 plus or Android’s own 150,000, nonetheless the newest appstore on the scene “looks ready to offer worthwhile competition to Google’s own Android market, both for consumers and potentially Android OEMs,” believes Ovum analyst Tony Cripps.
The new arrivals secret to its success could lie in its open door policy towards apps, allowing them to be used across any Adnroid device and its 1 click payment options could “help shake up the status quo,” Cripps believes.
“Amazon’s buy-once-use-anywhere approach for Android devices is sure to find favour with users who have come to expect multi-screen access to their favourite applications and content via the Web”.
Choosing the already established Android platform has also allowed it to open its doors to users of leading phones or tabs from the likes of Samsung, LG and HTC.
And Amazon has also got a massive online audience on its side. It is one of the most visited sites in Australia, with recent figures showing it has 2.1m Australian visitors.
However, the US online retailer’s biggest worry will be its ability to attract major brands and media into its hub, something that has also proved a major challenge to Google.
And the retail powerhouse has already made some inroads in this respect, pulling the rug from under rival Google, gaining exclusive rights to the gaming phenomenon’s newest release Angry Birds Rio.
And its not just consumers who will benefit from Amazons’ new prowess. Google’s Android could also get a boost says Cripps.
The fledgling app retailer ability to get big names on its side “could prove decisive not only to Amazon’s success in this space but could also be the key to Android’s ability to compete on equal terms with Apple in the minds of consumers”.
“Personalized recommendations” and other popular Amazon features, such as 1-Click payment options for Amazon account holders, will also help, says the analyst, as will the new “test drive” facility” which offersconsumers a free test run and a complementary app each day.
And Apple are not happy Amazon has arrived on the Apps scene. On Friday last, Steve Jobs’ tech co filed an injunction with a Californian district court claiming Amazon infringed patent rights for its “App Store” name, which it currently holds.
The iPhone makers maintain generic use of the term “app store” is a reference to its own iOS and now Mac shops.
Offering paid and free apps, the appstore can be access at Amazon.com/appstore.
