T-Mobile to Launch App Store?

[MacRumors]

Moconews.net reports that according to "multiple sources", T-Mobile is planning to launch an app store across their entire lineup of phones.

Think of *Apple’s* App store, but for the entire carrier’s handset line-up from smartphone to feature phone. As one developer, who was briefed on the matter, said: “The App store was a big deal, but that’s one phone. This is an entire carrier.”

According to Moconews, developers will submit their applications online and receive a revenue-share agreement based on how much network resources are consumed. A video streaming application, for example, would require a higher percentage to T-Mobile. The site again emphasizes that the store will apply across all different platforms including Android, Java, Sidekick and Windows Mobile.

The store, of course, will draw comparisons to Apple's recently launched App Store which offers developers a fixed 70%/30% split with 70% going to developers.

Article Link

[thecartoonguy]

BAAAAAAA ha ha ha ha ha..no stop it you're killing me...... Oh gosh can't breathe, T-mobile you trouble makers....... side hurting from laughing.

Really though, not sure how this will work out since I can not think of a phone with decent graphics. I could be wrong.

[p0intblank]

Why do I see this not succeeding?

[severe]

Originally Posted by p0intblank

Why do I see this not succeeding?

Because no one cares.

Originally Posted by mrmayor92

its good for people who are stuck with t mobile
im sick of seeing fan boys tear apart everything that isnt apple

Yea? And yet you use the term "stuck". This thread will probably see more action than that store.

[yetanotherdave]

So developers are expected to support multiple defferent operating systems accross multiple sets of hardware from multiple vendors with no common agreed standard other than the numberic pad, whic with touchscreen and qwerty keyboards isn't really a standard anymore...
Sounds like an uphill struggle to me, I forsee some quality apps...

[Syrus28]

Uhh...What apps are gonna run on the numerous Sidekicks, BlackBerrys, RAZRs, and WinMo phones without requiring separate development? If they require separate development, what's the point in the first place? This rumor sounds a little... fake.

[kduffey]

How is this any different than the Qualcomm run store that Verizon and Sprint use across their product line? CDMA driven WAP store and music etc?

Whoopee - when they get the integration, UI and a real phone then we'll look.

[haunebu]

Originally Posted by kduffey

How is this any different than the Qualcomm run store that Verizon and Sprint use across their product line? CDMA driven WAP store and music etc?

Whoopee - when they get the integration, UI and a real phone then we'll look.

Exactly. This is a non-story, aimed at getting pageviews for the source article.

Carriers have made downloadable applications available from their mobile portals since the advent of WAP and J2ME in 1999.

[bob122989]

As much of a chuckle as i got out of this, i quickly reminded myself that this is only a good thing even if this store does better than the Apple App Store, because it means Apple will improve and make it better to make up for it, the customer wins even more .

Amazes me how Apple always seems to push things forward in technology.

Hopefully T-Mobile will come up with something great and Apple will have to counter with something even better for us iPhone users. Heres to hoping!

[gcmexico]

Originally Posted by bob122989

As much of a chuckle as i got out of this, i quickly reminded myself that this is only a good thing even if this store does better than the Apple App Store, because it means Apple will improve and make it better to make up for it, the customer wins even more .

Amazes me how Apple always seems to push things forward in technology.

Hopefully T-Mobile will come up with something great and Apple will have to counter with something even better for us iPhone users. Heres to hoping!

*
I was thinking the same thing!! we need more competition!

[dicklacara]

Originally Posted by bob122989

As much of a chuckle as i got out of this, i quickly reminded myself that this is only a good thing even if this store does better than the Apple App Store, because it means Apple will improve and make it better to make up for it, the customer wins even more .

Amazes me how Apple always seems to push things forward in technology.

Hopefully T-Mobile will come up with something great and Apple will have to counter with something even better for us iPhone users. Heres to hoping!

Mmm... I checked the german T-Mobile site which already has a store up-- at least 1 program, ChessGenius, has a Gratis Demo Downloden.

http://mobil.softwareload.de/device:...9_details.html

[Digitalclips]

Originally Posted by bob122989

Amazes me how Apple always seems to push things forward in technology.

What would the tech world do without Apple to copy all the time?

[Stella]

Originally Posted by Digitalclips

What would the tech world do without Apple to copy all the time?

Online cell phone apps stores have been around for a lot longer than the Apple App Store!

( Personally, I downloaded my first app for cell phone, directly, and installed, back in 2004 ).

Here in Canada, Rogers and Fido have an App Store - and I'm sure Bell and Telus do too. You can download directly to your phone.

TMobile isn't copying Apple.

[superleccy]

Dunno about T-Mobile specifically, but any network provider that tried this would be bound to screw it up.

The combination of...

• too many platforms (and too many handset models within each platform);
• too many mechanisms for installing & managing applications;
• an over obsession with squeezing profit out of the value chain;
• the knee-jerk rush-to-market;
• the lack of Apple's design flair.

...will be its downfall.

The iPhone has proved that the network providers are nothing more than a bit-pipe between the device and the Internet, plus voice, voicemail and text messaging. They've been trying, and failing, to be more than this for years.

SL

[motulist]

I actually hope they make a good consumer-friendly system that works well, but it seems like the technical details of making apps that work on multiple different phone operating system is just way too difficult to wind up with a good result.

[bobbleheadbob]

More competition is (almost) always a good thing. Even if it eventually fails.

[NotFound]

The sidekick already has a mild form of an "App store" ... Don't know if I would ever use this for my sidekick but, I guess we'll see. I wonder how long it would take for them to push this addition to my firmware seeing as I still have not gotten the June/July firmware upgrade that brings video capabilities.

[nostaws]

wow

I am a tmobile customer using a samsung phone.

I wish I had an iphone and could use the apple store.

(thinking about buying and unlocking an edge iphone on craigslist)

[phinnaeus]

The first problem that I foresaw was the multiple platform fiasco, but most phones run a java engine, they could limit applications to that (though that would do just that, limit the potential of any application).

[Orlandooo]

Naaaaaah.

Although maybe it could be successful if someone made an "I wish I actually had an iPhone" app to make the appearance iPhone like :|

Disclaimer: This comment does not make me a dick, as I don't even have an iPhone. (Yet).

[skellener]

An app store might be good. It all depends on how it is handled and how good the apps are. The real gems whether on the iPhone or any other device is providing something useful that the carrier or device maker hasn't.

Do I have faith in this multi-platform, multi-device app store? No way.

The real gem of T-Mobile is their customer service. Something I doubt AT&T will ever be able to compete with. So yeah, app stores may come and go, but great customer service is what you build a reputation with.

[pjabbott]

That's actually a good idea. Pricing the cut based on how much network the app uses will encourage developers (especially ones coming from the desktop world) to not be piggy with resources.

[plumbingandtech]

The App store was a big deal, but that’s one phone. This is an entire carrier.”

Comedy. Just comedy.

Sounds like a win mo or palm dev to me.

[inkswamp]

Whenever I see a large company announce a major initiative like this (think Google's Android, Amazon's Kindle, Wal-Mart music downloads, etc.) I always look for the big missing piece... because there usually is one.

In this instance, it's this from the article...

In other words, we are talking about T-Mobile’s 31.5 million subscribers today vs. the 10 million iPhones Apple

Ooooh, sounds impressive huh? Imagine 3 times the success of Apple's App Store launch? Oh, I bet there's a lot of slobber on the T-Mobile executive meeting room tables.

The problem is that no single app is going to run on all 31.5 million phones. They're all different platforms, different operating systems and differing hardware. There won't be any big sellers in the T-Mobile app store and therefore developers are not going to flock to it.

For example, do you think Sega is going to step up and create Monkeyball for Windows Mobile, Android, Symbian, etc., etc. No, they are not going to waste their time trying to sell to a potential subset of 31.5 million subscribers that will, in all likelihood, be smaller than Apple's 10 million potential customers.

[Westside guy]

I've been a T-Mobile customer for several years. I'm reasonably certain that this new "app store" will just be a rebranding of their silly existing store, where they try to get you to spend way too much money on pointless add-on services for your phone.

T-Mobile is no different than the other carriers - I don't think any of them really get the concept of the iPhone App Store. They're still looking for ways to pretend providing cell phone service is more than just being a commodity broker.