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Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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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

macrumors 6502a
Jun 28, 2008
582
0
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.
 

yetanotherdave

macrumors 68000
Apr 27, 2007
1,768
12
Bristol, England
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...
 

kduffey

macrumors newbie
Aug 8, 2008
2
0
San Francisco
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.
 

bob122989

macrumors member
Sep 26, 2007
49
154
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 :D .

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! :D
 

superleccy

macrumors 6502a
Oct 31, 2004
997
187
That there big London
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
 

Syrus28

macrumors 6502a
Feb 1, 2008
553
0
Peoria, AZ
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. :D
 

pjabbott

macrumors newbie
Dec 20, 2007
3
0
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.
 

motulist

macrumors 601
Dec 2, 2003
4,234
611
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.
 

NotFound

macrumors 6502a
Nov 30, 2006
792
0
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. :mad:
 

nostaws

macrumors 6502a
Jan 14, 2006
519
472
wow:rolleyes:

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)
 

skellener

macrumors 68000
Jun 23, 2003
1,786
543
So. Cal.
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.
 

phinnaeus

macrumors member
May 19, 2008
99
0
North Carolina, USA
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).
 

gcmexico

macrumors 6502a
Dec 22, 2007
964
206
Littleton, CO
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 :D .

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

Orlandooo

macrumors member
Jun 23, 2008
61
0
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).
 

inkswamp

macrumors 68030
Jan 26, 2003
2,953
1,278
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.
 

haunebu

macrumors regular
Jun 2, 2004
230
859
California
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.
 

Westside guy

macrumors 603
Oct 15, 2003
6,335
4,152
The soggy side of the Pacific NW
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.
 

Syrus28

macrumors 6502a
Feb 1, 2008
553
0
Peoria, AZ
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...



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.
Step back, and remember this is a RUMOR. No one from T-Mobile has announced anything, and I doubt they ever will. You see, the companies are usually not as dumbfounded as the people who start these rumors, who are usually the ones who go around gloating the the impossible statistics.
 

Frisco

macrumors 68020
Sep 24, 2002
2,475
69
Utopia
T-Mobile and Sprint are dead. In the end it will be AT&T and Verizon the only ones still standing.
 
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