News - Exclusive: Amazon plans to make Appstore multi OS

[HEXUS]

Appstore boss Aaron Rubenson answers our questions.

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[crossy]

To help ensure our customers have a good experience with the apps they buy from Amazon, we are testing all apps prior to making them available in our store. We expect to have a great selection of both free and paid apps when we launch.

Yay! it looks like they are going to take it seriously - I was kind of worried that they'd just put any old dross in there with a large "buyer beware" slapped over the site. If it's going to be "quality checked" then I'll be happy to use it.

AR: Our goal is to provide a vast selection to customers from multiple operating systems. Although the store will feature Android apps at launch, we will evaluate opportunities to expand our selection on an ongoing basis.

I figure that the mobile OS's covered will be Android, WebOS and possibly Windows 7. Okay, Nokia will want Ovi Store to be the Windows 7 portal, but they've got less call on it than Google has on Android. Amazon have got a good shot (I would have thought) to be the main WebOS store - I'm sure HP wouldn't mind!

On the other hand it'll be interesting to see if any iOS content appears - I'm willing to bet a good deal that Apple's crack team of lawyers are looking for a way to block that - e.g. the EULA terms prevent you using a third party app source.

The other thing that occurs is that this'd be a fantastic opportunity for desktop Linux (stop laughing Windows junkies!). Yes, we've got the Ubuntu Store, but imagine the attraction to developers of being able to sell on Amazon to Fedora etc users. The Amazon MP3 store downloader works okay on Linux (32bit anyway) so there's a tenuous link.

[Scott B]

I figure that the mobile OS's covered will be Android, WebOS and possibly Windows 7.

I'm guessing all platforms will be in play bar iOS, including BlackBerry. Surely there's some condition that prevents iOS developers selling their stuff anywhere else.

[TheAnimus]

I wonder if Amazon will go into the windows desktop market, its easily the largest and the only real competition would be Steam.

[crossy]

I'm guessing all platforms will be in play bar iOS, including BlackBerry.

Oops - forgot about them.
I guess Symbian also should figure - at least if PocketGear (which seems to be a similar multiplatform store) is to be believed.

Surely there's some condition that prevents iOS developers selling their stuff anywhere else.

Crack team of lawyers visiting in the middle of the night with baseball bats ...?