Amazon is bringing its Android Appstore to the world’s biggest smartphone market – China. The new store was launched without a fanfare even though it may prove as one of the most profitable Amazon’s ventures in the long run.
Users in China will be able to get both free and paid apps, opening up a whole new opportunity for developers around the world. Up until this point, app publishers were going through any number of local app stores in order to get their app available in China.
Alongside the Appstore, Amazon has also opened a localized version of its developer portal so that interested companies and individuals can sell (or offer for free) their Chinese-language apps both locally and to Chinese-speaking audience around the world.
One thing that’s still missing is the Kindle Fire range of tablets. Now that the Appstore is live, it’s fair to guess that’s coming next.
Also interesting to note is that Google’s Play Store is not available in China so Amazon has quite an advantage. I’m sure their [Amazon’s] shareholders are pleased to know that…
[Via: TheVerge, TechCrunch]