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On the other hand, if the appstore didn't exist then mobile developers would still be begging for crumbs from OEMs.

All companies exist to make money. The subtleties of how they do so is not nearly so black and white as you want to make it.




> On the other hand, if the appstore didn't exist then mobile developers would still be begging for crumbs from OEMs.

Is that in the same imaginary universe where phones before the iPhone had tiny black and white screens? (http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1519377)

Because in this one there were several third-party mobile application stores and distribution platforms.


No but it is the universe where lots and lots of people were not aware that there was a way to get more software onto a phone or even a computer. People used to look at me like I had three heads when I told them about those other mobile application stores.


Unless you completely ignore Getjar, Handango, Pocketgear, many other repositories, and direct sales, mobile developers were not begging for crumbs from OEMs regardless of how many people knew you could put software on a computer. To be sure, the market was smaller, there were significantly less developers and less software available overall, but they all had options.


Uh no, you would do well not to conflate everyone who you disagree with into one ignorant boogeyman.

Please cite your figures for the pre App Store mobile app economy. I'm genuinely curious.


Which figures are you looking for in particular? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Application_store is a good place to start. Getjar and Handango/Pocketgear are some of the more recognizable names in the list.




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