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Are There Too Many App Stores For Phones?

The Washington Post has suggested that not every company needs an app store for their devices. As Samsung readies their new Mobile Application Marketplace I have to wonder is a cell phone manufacturer the right person to do this?

The Post article asserts that to make this successful, you should own the platform, as Apple does with their iPhone App Store or Google with their Android Market. I tend to agree that the platform owner is the best company to host applications for consumers to purchase.

First of all, if you are a Samsung owner, you might be disappointed to find out your Samsung phone isn't supported. Currently only eleven phones are listed at the store. It is never a good experience to own any product you are looking to upgrade or enhance and when you go to a company owned site to see what is available, your product's existence isn't even acknowledged.

Secondly, because Samsung, as well as many other cell phone manufacturers, makes devices based on multiple operating systems, they will have to gather developers for multiple platforms to stock their virtual shelves with appropriate programs. The developers I've talked to over the years have been frustrated with the multiple independent third party application stores and have been thankful for what Apple has done for iPhone app distribution and are looking forward to having Microsoft and RIM do the same for their platforms. It will give them one place of contact and give consumers one central place to go for applications based on the operating system the phone is running, regardless of who made it or what carrier sold it.

I don't think the manufacturers, or carriers for that matter, always understand what drives loyalty from a consumer. It won't be manufacturer specific application stores. It is about providing a solid device and a good service at a decent price. It is about supporting that device beyond the sale, which may include an upgrade in the future. When I buy a phone, I look at a companies history of providing updates and upgrades so my device isn't outdated in mere months, or how their support record has been when a customer has issues. Information like that is all too easy to gather with a few searches on the Internet.

Samsung's effort here just strikes me as a quick way to get a buck, much like ringtone or wallpaper stores are geared to do.

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