Apple’s iPhone App Store was first to market and as such, is the standard by which all other smartphone application stores are measured–all six of them (and counting). Gizmodo has a nice rundown of all six, and the upshot? Google’s Android Market actually ends up in a class of its own.
Gizmodo reviewed the three current top contenders–Apple’s App Store, Google’s Android Market and RIM’s Blackberry App World–as well as three soon-to-debut stores: Microsoft’s Windows Mobile Marketplace, Palm’s App Catalog and Nokia’s Ovi Store. And what it noticed right away was how similar they all are:
The first thing you’ll notice about these efforts—coming from such traditionally competitive companies as Palm, BlackBerry, Nokia and Microsoft—is just how similar they all sound. App World? App Catalog? App Market? Mobile Marketplace? This outward likeness actually runs pretty deep—these stores are advertising uncannily similar feature sets, for both users and developers.
Where the stores set themselves apart, however, is in the ease with which they work with their three main constituents: developers, carriers and customers. And so far, catering to all three seems to be where the Android Marketplace shines by comparison.
First, the Android Market is not an exclusive one-store-only like Apple’s. If developers, or consumers, don’t like it, they can sell and shop elsewhere. And as Gizmodo says, Google approach is like a healthy middle ground: It keeps developers and users happy, while not alienating carriers. Second, the Android Market offers the lowest developer fee, just $25 onetime, vs. Apple’s $99 and Blackberry’s onerous $200. And finally, it’s one of the most consumer-friendly, offering a no-questions-asked 24-hour return policy (vs. Apple and RIM, who have no return policy in place).
It’s interesting to see all six stores and their features listed side by side like that. And in the end, it becomes clear. If it’s an Apple-to-apples comparison, Android Market is the orange that comes out ahead.
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