Sun to launch Java app store

Sun Microsystems--acquired by rival technology giant Oracle in late April for $7.4 billion--announced it will launch a Java application storefront in conjunction with its annual JavaOne conference, taking place in San Francisco the week of June 1. According to Sun, Java powers more than 4.5 billion devices, including about 2.1 billion mobile phones and handhelds as well as more than 800 million PCs, 3.5 billion smart cards and myriad set-top boxes, printers, games, car navigation systems and related technologies. Writing on his blog, Sun CEO Jonathan Schwartz said the store (presently dubbed Project Vector) promises to build a more formal business around Java's distribution reach. "Vector is a network service to connect companies of all sizes and types to the roughly one billion Java users all over the world," Schwartz said. "Vector (which we'll likely rename the Java Store) has the potential to deliver the world's largest audience to developers and businesses leveraging Java and JavaFX."

While details on the Java store otherwise remain scarce, Schwartz added candidate applications will be submitted via the web, evaluated by Sun for safety and content and presented under free or premium terms to the broad Java audience. "Over time, developers will bid for position on our storefront, and the relationships won't be exclusive (as they have been for search)," he writes. "As with other app stores, Sun will charge for distribution--but unlike other app stores, whose audiences are tiny, measured in the millions or tens of millions, ours will have what we estimate to be approximately a billion users. That's clearly a lot of traffic, and will position the Java App Store as having just about the world's largest audience."

For more on the Java Store:
- read this Sun blog entry

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