Comments on: Why Verizon’s App Store Strategy is Antiquated

By: Vishal Singhal

Vishal Singhal — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 21:27:48 +0000

Agreed with article. Carriers trying to control AppStore ecosystem is a DOA (dead on arrival) story.

By: martyhess

martyhess — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 18:14:55 +0000

@surj: on the surface I too agree, but what do Verizon’s customers consume? bandwidth, connectivity, access, etc. to truly add value they should be focused on developing products and services that add value to their core offering. Think Nike with Nike+ Their core product is shoes, Nike+ provides users with additional value thus tying loyalty back to the Nike brand. Verizon doesn’t have anything tangible that stands out in the mind of the consumer. The power shifted back to the handset makers with the intro of the iPhone. If Verizon wants to increase their perceived value then seek to enhance the user experience through their core product. Otherwise their version of the app store is merely a distribution point with no real added value.

By: Colin Gibbs

Colin Gibbs — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 17:48:26 +0000

@martyhess: I hope you’re right, as most tech-savvy users will surely go directly to the source for their apps. But l think there’s a real danger of more fragmentation if VZW gains some traction with less-savvy subscribers.

@surj: I can see Verizon’s logic, too, but it’s the same short-sighted logic that drove their failed music store. And yeah, I think they’ll definitely have problems luring developers.

@James Kendrick: That’s a good point, and one I didn’t mention. Thanks.

By: James Kendrick

James Kendrick — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 14:44:59 +0000

Every company wants to get in on the big App Store success of the Apple App Store. What they fail to take into account is that Apple smartly has made the App Store the ONLY way to get iPhone apps. That’s not the case with any of the other app stores and will impact success.

By: surj

surj — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 23:20:49 +0000

I disagree – I can see Verizon’s logic. They think that “Hey if we get an appstore then 3′rd party developers will create fab apps for our consumers.” I think that is valid.

BUT

The problem here is that they don’t have one major handset platform that is consistent yet. As such a developer will not develop for platforms that they think will not yield a return in sales numbers.

surj.

By: martyhess

martyhess — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 19:30:12 +0000

When an operator focuses on a distribution model to enhance revenue rather than adding value through the development of applications that enhance the user experience I doubt we will see much of an uptake from the subscriber.