Vodafone to Launch App Store

Vodafone UK looks to be tipping its toe in the app store lake, just don’t call it an app store! Vodafone will look to partner with developers and content holders to create ‘mobile internet services’ to be offered to all Vodafone customers around the world through their handsets. Vodafone stressed that such services will not just be for smartphones. The premise behind the plan is fairly simple in that Vodafone want to offer their customers a single access point for accessing ‘mobile internet services’.

At this point you may be wondering why Vodafone are trying to muscle in on an area that is already becoming crowded with the likes of the Apple App Store et al. Vodafone believe that they can make a success out of this scheme by allowing developers to develop a single app/service using Vodafone’s API without having to separately re-create the app for different devices with different OSes in different countries, although the initial launch will see the service launch for S60 devices, but Vodafone hope that eventually all OSes will be included. In effect one single app can be pitched at all of Vodafone’s 285 million customers. Speaking of the customers, purchases will be made through their Vodafone account. There will be no credit or debit cards in sight. These are important factors because by simplifying the development process and simplifying the purchasing process Vodafone may be onto a winning combination by appealing to both devs and customers with a transparent and simple to use system. Customers will own the apps they buy so that a change of handset won’t mean re-buying a particular application.

[Via Pocket-lint]