I think it is possible to create an alternative to official app stores

1yr ago

9 replies

In my opinion the alternative is a free, open and general space with software, which lives above the app stores, apps’ websites, devices and apps themselves and treats the first two as building blocks of the greater system. It is a place which enables you, as a developer, to distribute, and, as a user, to get to know, create an account, buy and download any application, giving you, at the same time, a choice of where you can do that. This way, implementing such a general and ultimate model, the alternative neither competes with app stores, using them as its element, not enemies, nor with apps's producers, in fact encouraging users both to visit their website and buy apps from there. An early version of the solution is available on Product Hunt - https://www.producthunt.com/post..., the vision of the future of this project on my Twitter -https://twitter.com/raubo_/statu...

Replies

Manoj Ranaweera

SkilledUp Life, Deal Lite & Techcelerate

Techcelerate Member Company is attempting to do this with https://plugin.io/ - not yet fully launched.

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Kacper Raubo

Working on Softwwware and Teleport

@manojranaweera, interesting. Could you say more? From what I can see, the Plugin creates external, closed ecosystem with apps, but based on cryptocurrency.

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Manoj Ranaweera

SkilledUp Life, Deal Lite & Techcelerate

@raubo I'll try to get the CEO to respond.

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Rafael Matthews

Hello every one i am Student

@manojranaweera Hey thank you for that reply it will be helpful if you get back soon i had the same question thats why.Prepaid Gift Balance

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William Wildridge

Founder of WiggleDesk. Ex-Google DS

Google and Apple charge a fee per app sold, they use this partly to help review app store apps and remove fraudulent / copyright infringing / dangerous apps. How would trust and safety work in a free model?

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Kacper Raubo

Working on Softwwware and Teleport

@william_wildridge, well, the platform should be free, that is what I think. The "free" means both money, privacy and, what is the most important, a choice - a freedom of choice. In my opinion, the freedom of choice means that users should have an option to download an app both from a producer's website, from an official app store or directly from the platform. An option to buy the app from producer's website, from an app store or the platform itself. It should look the same regarding developers - they should have an option to decide how they want their users to download their app and using what option they want to sell it. The platform would be on top, as an aggregator of all possible activities concerning software. And here is the point. If they would decide to use the platform itself for selling their app, a fee also would have to be charged. But in my opinion it should not be 30%, but 1-5%. Hence, I believe that the platform would have money for providing safety and earning trust.

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Ste

dev/designer

Pretty neat website for product discovery. I'm skeptical about the business model, as distribution is the most difficult thing to build. But as a tool for showing me different tools, works great. Maybe you can work out some affiliate model for paid apps.

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Kacper Raubo

Working on Softwwware and Teleport

@stelian_dobrescu1, right. Maybe an affiliate model, maybe commissions. I believe that there indeed are options to earn money for maintaining this platform.

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Ste

dev/designer

@raubo Yeah, either works. I really like the layout, I think it's among the best I've seen for product discovery. Maybe even pivot into something like Makerpad would work, who knows. Good luck!

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