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Nokia launching Symbian app store next week?
Nokia is reportedly poised to introduce an over-the-air Symbian mobile application storefront next week during the Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona. Russian blog Mobile-review reports that the Nokia store is already up and running, albeit in closed mode: "At first glance, for now, the app portal looks so-so... But they are trying, polishing it and a lot has changed for the better in a matter of days. A step in a right direction... And the distribution and revenue sharing model between app makers and Nokia looks very attractive." Mobile-review does not specify precisely how the revenue sharing model breaks down, however--nor is it known how the new app store will co-exist alongside Nokia portals like Download!, N-Gage, Software Market and Mosh.
Assuming the report pans out, Nokia will be one of three major mobile firms unveiling application stores next week. Microsoft is expected to formally introduce its long-awaited SkyMarket as well--Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is among the scheduled keynoters at the Mobile World Congress event, and the software giant is reportedly poised to announce a series of new mobile initiatives. SkyMarket first came to light in September 2008, and will enable consumers to find, purchase and download applications and content optimized for Windows Mobile devices.
Both Nokia's app store and SkyMarket will face competition from Samsung's rival mobile applications storefront, which will offer downloads for both Symbian and Windows Mobile. Samsung has already confirmed it will introduce the virtual storefront at MWC '09--an extension of the Samsung Mobile Innovator developer program first announced last year, the portal will offer consumers over-the-air application browsing, purchasing, downloading and installation. According to Samsung, the store--initially limited to the U.K. market--will offer about 1,100 free and premium applications at launch. The handset maker has yet to disclose how it will handle billing, or what percentage of revenues it will award to developers.
For more on the Nokia app store:
- read this Unwired View article
Comments
Posted by BrianS | February 9, 2009 - 2:36pm
This new, rumored Nokia app store will support just 13% of the phones that Nokia shipped in Q4 (NOK reported 15m converged devices, 113m total devices). That illustrates two problems: (1) more and more market & device fragmentation with all the negative ramifications and (2) 98 million Nokia phones (in just Q4) unaddressed and/or left stumbling to find mobile apps that'll run on their "ordinary phones".
New cross-operator and cross-device app stores will _defragment_ this market so developers can easily build and distribute rich apps to hundreds of millions new and existing handsets. That's our focus at Everypoint; others are also making progress.
Brian
www.everypoint.com
Posted by Alex Kerr | February 9, 2009 - 2:55pm
Brian,
Interesting perspective :). I prefer to look at it from a different angle - Apple have sold roughly 17 million iPhones ever. You're reporting Nokia sold 15m smartphones in one quarter alone! Also, Symbian have sold roughly 250 million ever, the majority of which will run Nokia's S60. Clearly not all these will be in circulation still, but this leaves a VASTLY larger target market for any developer, than the paltry sales figures of iPhone.
Secondly, your point about defragmentation is not true I think, and I suspect has an ulterior motive of promoting your own service. A united storefront does not help developers deploy across multiple different mobile OSes in the slightest. It helps the consumer slightly, but that's it. Defragmentation? I don't think so :)
Alex
phonething.com
Posted by nokia 5310 | November 26, 2009 - 7:14am
Well i think the Nokia's strategy will always be to think global and this store is the new series of it as if now symbian is not much in use and even not known by the users, and the Q3 for Nokia is not as per there expectations so they need to cover down it and make a huge profits in the next quarter.
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