Mobile phone operators' war on Apple apps
February 14, 2010
business.timesonline.co.uk
A DOZEN of the world’s leading mobile-phone operators will this week band together to strike back at Apple’s dominance of mobile applications.
Orange, Telefonica, AT&T and nine others are forging an alliance to build an open technology platform designed to deliver applications to all mobile-phone users.
Together, the alliance has more than two billion customers. Handset makers Samsung, Sony Ericsson and LG are also believed to be supportive. The announcement will be made tomorrow at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
The operators hope making it simpler for software developers to create apps will help them compete with Apple.
Related Links
The applications market is fragmented, meaning that developers must pick and choose who they work with, or else reformat their programs numerous times.
Apple hijacked a lucrative revenue stream when it set up its App Store, which has seen more than three billion apps downloaded to iPhones in little over 18 months. Rival app stores from BlackBerry and Google have also sprung up.
As the industry’s focus shifts from hardware to software, Gartner, the research firm, predicts that spending on handset apps — including games, maps and office tools — will hit $6.2 billion (£4 billion) this year as the volume of downloads rises to 4.5 billion from 2.5 billion last year.
The market will grow further as phones blur with personal computers and e-readers. For example, most of Apple’s 140,000 apps will also be compatible with its new iPad, the tablet computer.
Vodafone has yet to commit to the new alliance. It has a collaboration with Verizon Wireless, China Mobile and Softbank of Japan to create a common technology standard. |
