The App Store is a way to retain the customer

Are mobile applications the new eldorado of the telecoms This is in any case believe Nokia, Research In Motion, Google, Microsoft and the operators, such as Orange, Verizon, Vodafone, or even China Mobile. All have or will soon have their boutique online, accessible from a mobile phone, on which the software, practices, small rigolos or simple gadgets, will be downloadable. Of course, Apple showed the way with its App Store, accessible from the 45 million iPhone and iPod Touch in circulation worldwide.

In a little over a year, more than 1.5 billion applications have been downloaded, on now available 69.800. Every day, about 200 applications are added to the mark at the Apple online store. Because the economic model is now ground: developers affect 70 of the turnover generated by the applications that they have designed and Apple, 30. "The success of the App Store has been such that it has forced rivals to Apple to reassess how to distribute and monetize mobile content and services", JuniperResearch analysts argue. The California-based company "has introduced a new mode of consumption of the content on the mobile, which has become the standard in the matter", view Stéphanie Hajjar, in charge of the platform innovations in SFR. To Stéphane Dubreuil, consultant with SIA Board, "Apple has moved the string value of the mobile phone to the software." He has only released a single version of the iPhone each year, with online applications at all times, to increase the lifetime of its terminal. "The App Store is a way to retain the customer."

Find an "iPhone killer".

Short, in the aftermath, everyone follows in attempting to replicate the same model or almost. Not sure however that everyone succeed. With manufacturers first. The first opponent, Nokia, with Ovi Store, has 4,500 downloadable applications. The Finnish manufacturer, selling 6 million of "smartphones" per month, intend to defend its market share, but many are now skeptical.

"Apple has created a community of developers that he put in relation to the users through a market place to monetize their creations." "Then, it's ease of use of the touch interface its unparalleled strength", said Stéphane Dubreuil. It should therefore firstly that the Finns found an "iPhone killer". Operators are not at rest. Now more in more dependent of Apple, they came into resistance. As the App Store seriously ringardisé their portals, Orange World or Vodafone Live.

SFR has launched its virtual store on June 25 and claims 1.575 applications, downloadable from "smartphones" using different operating systems such as Symbian, Windows Mobile or Android. About 100,000 of them would be downloaded each month, according to the group. "We have a role of recommendation from our customers." "Today, applications are embedded in the mass", view Stéphanie Hajjar, who is also betting on local applications.

However, two pitfalls seem to avoid. First, if Apple win money with applications, they are perhaps not so remunerative as that. About 45 of the applications sold on the App Store are worth less than $ 1 and 23 are free. Indeed, Research In Motion (RIM), the manufacturer of BlackBerry, has set the price of a minimum $ 2.99 application. Second, the system that Apple has implemented is closed. The Apple brand is the only one to approve the applications. And the submission process is particularly opaque. Thus, Google Voice Internet telephony software, was refused by Apple but accepted by RIM. And then perhaps another Californian will be his pin of the game. Android, the Google operating system, is "more open and offers more ease developers." "Google has clearly a card to play," wants to believe Stéphanie Hajjar.