China Mobile plans its own app store

China Mobile's plans to open its own mobile app store probably have doomed any chance of Apple's iPhone getting onto that network.

(Credit: CNET)

China Mobile is staking out its own ground in the mobile-application marketplace.

According to IDG News Service, the world's largest wireless carrier plans to introduce its own mobile-application store later this year, calling it "Mobile Market." The report says the store will be open to both independent developers and companies, though it's not clear what operating system or platform technologies will be used by the phones running on China Mobile's network when the store is ready to go.

China Mobile's plans for Mobile Market illustrate the difficulties that it and Apple faced in trying to reach an agreement to sell the iPhone through China Mobile. The two companies have flirted for quite some time, but Apple's insistence on being the sole gatekeeper and distributor for iPhone applications would have been at odds with China Mobile's desire to offer its own service, which is why Apple is believed to be negotiating with China Unicom instead.

Apple's approach is rare in the nascent mobile-application world: many other makers of mobile operating systems are trying to find a way to let carriers such as China Mobile in on the action while maintaining their own central roles. With about 415 million subscribers, China Mobile's customers will be an attractive target for handset companies and software developers.

[slickuser]

Looks like Chinese wants to clone everything ie. want to have their own version of whatever innovation happens in US...

[pwoon]

mmm, the Chinese invented paper, gunpowder, the magnetic compass, porcelain, tea, best food, best martial arts, kites, black powder rocket. Granted because things comes and goes in cycles, there is a period where they are not innovating, just like America's day in the sun is coming to a close. Truth hurts.

[kralimarko]

All of the chinese inventions you are mentioning happened hundreds or even thousands years ago. It is true that there hasn't been any major innovation coming from China in the recent decades. I fail to see how this is spelling doom to America. So you are saying that the truth hurts because Chinese companies acts like cheap cloning machines? I am confused.

[aa11b2]

funny you say that pwoon. Currently the US's GDP is 4 times that of China. Unless the current global economic issues last for the next 30 years, China won't even be close to having a similarly large economy... No other country is even close. Truth hurts.

[Mr. Dee]

Don't forget silk.

[SteenMachine]

While Apple's approach may be rare, in terms of letting the carriers in on the action, IMO they are justified. Their app store not only services iPhones, but equivalently as many iPod touches. Why would Apple make things complicated by dividing app-store revenue per device type, just to appease the carriers? The OS is a platform that encompasses not just the iPhone, but other current / future devices that may / may not rely on a cellular network.

[Zarland]

Most Chinese perceive Apple?s products, computer mostly, as over priced gadgets with pretty exterior but without solid functionality to justify the hefty prices. Unlike the U.S. market that Apple?s success is fueled by its aggressive marketing, in China where less money is spent in advertising, Apple?s market share is almost laughable. There is a little reason for China Mobile to blow down to Apple just because of iPhone.
Where smaller handset makers can lack of the resources develop, launch, and maintain their own online stores. In the long run, it?s probably better to adapt an universal market place that?s open to all handset makers than allowing Apple to run its own course.

[Mr. Dee]

What has happened here is that Apple finally met their match and its giving them no ends of misery. Just like the Mac, Apple won't make it with the iPhone there either. This is a sign that Apple's philosophy is not something everybody is willing to suck up to. More power the Chinese people - China 1, Jobs 0.

[aimee-1214]

The British Empire would have said that in early 20th Century as well......But look at them now.....Truth hurts.....

[mailinglist11]

I?m auctioning the domains MobileAppStore with the com + net + org + mobi domains - in case you think you know someone who might be interested :)


Regards,
Dean