Google opened “its Android Market Web store Wednesday. The store lets users choose apps through a Web browser and have them installed remotely to their smart phones and tablets. Previously, the Android Market was only available on Android-running devices,” Rachel Metz reports for The Associated Press.
“Chris Yerga, director of engineering for Android cloud services, said the move is meant to give users more ways to find and install apps on their Android-running gadgets,” Metz reports.
MacDailyNews Take: Now, if he could only find some Android settlers who are wiling to pay for apps, all would be right in Google’s derivative fragmented world.
Metz continues, “Also Wednesday, Yerga said Google will start supporting in-app purchases, which means that Android app developers could make it possible for users to buy virtual items such as additional levels or features within games. This is a feature Apple Inc.’s iPhone already has.
MacDailyNews Take: Apple leads. The rest follow. As usual.
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: We have a theory that goes like this: People who wanted to stay with Verizon Wireless settled for Google Android fakes while waiting for the real thing. However, that was as far as they were willing to go; they weren’t going to invest money into a library of Android apps when they always intended to get an iPhone on Verizon as soon as they could. Now, not only will we see a large shift from Android to iPhone in the U.S. (over the next two years as contracts elapse), but developers are going to experience a second gold rush as these new iPhone users excitedly invest in apps.
There will always be folks who, even for just a few bucks less, choose Android phones because they are “good enough”.
I don’t understand the headline in parentheses. Help me out.
Wow and who in Google design the http://market.android.com/ page? Looks like a bad mix between Bing and iTunes copycat.
Yerg’ana regret ever wallowing in that store….
Know 3 Andriod users and none of them have ever paid for an APP ….
Funny.
I choose an app and the little popup come in view and as I moved inside the store the popup followed me.
Real annoying and is google that desperate that an app popup will follow you around asking for a purchase.
Real good Google. Stop begging!
I pay $145 per month for my T-mobile data plan with another three phones on an unlimited texting plan for my family.
I’d have to cough up $120 for just an iPhone on Verizon.
I can’t afford Verizon or an iPhone.
Now don’t get me wrong, I love Apple products.
I’ve got a newer iMac, iPod touch, I’m typing this on my iPad, and I fixed an HP XW4200 workstation by Hackintoshing it for fun (I bought the install disk if you’re wondering).
Some things I just refuse to pay more for, and my Android (for better or worse) is a nice alternative for me.
Don’t be haters, live and let live…
@acid
That’s been a big reason for Windows’ continued existence. A crappy computer is better than no computer. There will continue to be those kind of people. They aren’t Apple customers anyway. Let them settle for less.
@acid – New iPhone users signing up with Verizon will likely purchase a lot of apps, thus creating a new spike of income for developers.
@Angryshortguy – I am in the same boat. I have four kids and I decided to go with a much lower cost plan on T-Mobile. I have iPhone 4 envy, but not enough to shell out the dough on a monthly basis. I would be a lot better off if I could pay based upon bandwidth consumption because I don’t plan to live on it. I don’t need an “unlimited” plan and I prefer not to subsidize the data gluttons who gorge on those plans.
KingMel:
In that case, you won’t really find a cheaper smartphone deal than AT&T. Actually, you could (Virgin Mobile), but minutes are rather low. Otherwise, a cheap Android phone ($200), 300 minutes voice, unlimited text & data for $25 (including taxes!). No family plans, no free nights and weekends, or free mobile-to-mobile. Still, the cheapest possible smartphone plan out there.
Not to mention, no subsidy (therefore, no commitment)! Buy that phone outright for $200 and you can bail out anytime. The phone holds its value rather well on eBay.
Being able to remotely install Apps on my iOS devices would be great! Steve Jobs mentioned in an email that wireless syncing was coming some time in 2011. Hopefully iOS also supports this type of remote App installation.
I just got my mother-in-law an iPhone 4 ($100 refurbished). I think she will love it, but I don’t think she will want to worry about installing Apps and stuff. If I could manage her iPhone remotely that would be perfect.
@Angryshortguy
If I were you I would go back to T-Mobile and discuss your plans. My kids have Android on T-Mobile (hello Apple!) and we don’t pay any where near what you pay.
@ Angryshortguy,
You know what they say: It’s not the size, it’s how you use it.
MDN – what are you smoking?
“Google’s derivative fragmented world” — Uh, what about Apple’s fragmented world? Lots of people like me are on iOS 3. Sure, iOS 4 is available for my 3G, but I tried that. It runs so slow that I had to go back to iOS 3. And there are lots of apps that now won’t work with iOS 3. That’s fragmentation! Sure I could upgrade to a new phone (and will soon) to go to iOS 4. But how is that different than people who have an Android? If they want the latest and greatest version, they can upgrade to a new phone too.
“developers are going to experience a second gold rush as these new iPhone users excitedly invest in apps” – Yeah, right. Aren’t these the same folks who you always say are too cheap to buy Android apps now? So switching to an iPhone will somehow magically make them open up the pocketbooks and buy apps? Not sure I’m buying that line.
I know this is a pro-Mac site, but c’mon. Let’s be reasonable.
Rick
So your 4 year old phone is not able to run the latest iOS and somehow that compares to dozens of different droids that are mostly less than a year old not being able to run many apps. Many of them stuck with phones that will never be upgraded.
And on your other point probably the android owners at Verizon that switch to an iPhone are the few who actually do buy apps. The kids and the geeks will stay with droids. There will be a lot of apps sold to Verizon iPhone switchers.
I keep forgetting to factor in an additional $14 per month for insurance on my kids phones.
It’s a complete waste of money, but I’m still trying to convince my wife to drop it.
That’s the reason my tmobile bill seems a bit high.
I do enjoy the 200 mb option for $10. I mostly use it at home or at work logged on to our wifi.
But to be clear, if I could justify the cost of an iPhone plan I’d be all over it!
@HughB
Well, I don’t believe the 3G has been out for 4 years yet. I got it very early after it came out, and that hasn’t been 4 years ago — more like 2 1/2 years ago. So no, it’s not really much different than the Android crowd. What’s the difference between Apple allowing me to upgrade to an OS that runs like crap on my phone vs. some Android handset makers realizing that their older phones will run like crap with new versions of Android and deciding not to offer an awful experience? In either scenario you’ll have people who are pissed off.
So Verizon Android owners are more likely to buy apps? The same folks who were too cheap to switch to AT&T to get an iPhone years ago? Well, time will certainly tell. But I think you’re being a bit optimistic!
@Rick… which version of iOS 4 did you try? My understanding is that 4.2 fixes the slowness problem for the iPhone 3G. But I don’t have one myself and haven’t tested it, so that’s just hearsay. Since you obviously have a way to downgrade why not give it a shot?
@Darkness
I have an iPhone 3G with 4.2. It is sluggish. None of the iterations of iOS4 have helped. I have performed all of the “fixes” that I could find, with no improvement. I admit, I am now just used to waiting for everything, especially for the keyboard to react.
I forgot how much speedier iOS 3 was until the other day, when I borrowed a friends 3G with iOS 3 running on it. Wow… the good old days. It was SO much more responsive.
Too late to go back for me… I will lose internal data on a few key apps.
@Rick
Technically iPhone 3G is internally identical to the iPhone 1gen except the 3G radio and gps. So your phone is 2007 hardware in a 2008 plastic enclosure.
“I don’t understand the headline in parentheses. Help me out.”
It’s because they expect a wave of newcomers (ex Android users), who want to invest in great iOS apps, that didn’t pay for Android apps
“Uh, what about Apple’s fragmented world? Lots of people like me are on iOS 3. Sure, iOS 4 is available for my 3G, but I tried that. “
Two versions? You think two versions of iOS mean that Apple’s world is fragmented? TWO!? Are you joking?
Android is fragmented by what must be over a hundred different versions at this point. That’s how it’s different for Android users.
100 > 2. Is math perhaps not your friend?
@Rick: “Uh, what about Apple’s fragmented world? Lots of people like me are on iOS 3. Sure, iOS 4 is available for my 3G, but I tried that. It runs so slow that I had to go back to iOS 3. And there are lots of apps that now won’t work with iOS 3. That’s fragmentation! “
That is not fragmentation. That is called backwards compatibility or lack thereof. That is an issue with every system and always will be. At some point you have to stop supporting old to make room for new.
The problem with Android is that not all NEW Android devices are equal. There are devices still shipping with Android 1.6! That is a problem. Why? Because people who think they’re buying a “new” Android phone are discovering it is not what they expected. There is also the issue of updates being available for certain phones, but the users not being able to get to them to update their phones.
Every new iPod touch, iPad and iPhone can all run the same app, if the hardware requirements of the app are met.
The same cannot be said of every new Android device, where both the hardware and OS version come into play.
… to add to my post above
And when people talk about fragmentation, they’re referring fragmentation in the current market.
There is 1 version of iOS on the market
There are at least 3 versions of Android (1.6, 2.2, 2.3) being sold on devices today, soon to be another, Android 3.0.