After yesterday’s launch of the Opera Mobile App Store, Lithuanian GetJar, an alternative website providing apps for multiple platforms, has issued a tweet stating they have now dropped the Opera Mini browser from their range of apps.
From further tweets, GetJar has now confirmed that it is in direct response to the new Opera Mobile App Store. The release of the new Opera Mobile App Store means that the Opera Mini browser breaks their own terms and conditions to be included in the GetJar app store.
GetJar has issued this response to the removal of the Opera Mini browser:
“The simple problem is that Opera Mini decided to include a competing app store in its browser. Although we don’t have any issue with this in principle, in practice it means that consumers might start using this app store instead of visiting GetJar to get their favourite apps. This robs GetJar of traffic and therefore of the advertising necessary to keep our service free for the more than 25 million consumers that use GetJar.”
The Impact on the App Store Ecosystem
The decision by GetJar to remove Opera Mini from its platform highlights the competitive nature of the app store ecosystem. With numerous app stores vying for user attention, the inclusion of a competing app store within a popular browser like Opera Mini can significantly impact traffic and revenue for existing app stores. GetJar, which prides itself on offering a wide range of apps across multiple platforms, relies heavily on user traffic to generate advertising revenue. This revenue is crucial for maintaining their free service for millions of users worldwide.
The introduction of the Opera Mobile App Store within the Opera Mini browser creates a direct competition scenario. Users who might have previously visited GetJar to download apps could now be diverted to the Opera Mobile App Store, leading to a potential decrease in GetJar’s user base and, consequently, its advertising revenue. This move by Opera can be seen as a strategic attempt to capture a larger share of the app distribution market, but it also raises questions about the fairness and ethics of such competitive practices.
Broader Implications for Developers and Users
The conflict between GetJar and Opera Mini also has broader implications for app developers and users. For developers, the availability of multiple app stores provides more opportunities to distribute their apps and reach a wider audience. However, the fragmentation of the app store market can also lead to challenges in managing app distribution and ensuring consistent user experiences across different platforms.
For users, the presence of multiple app stores can be both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, it offers more choices and the potential to discover unique apps that may not be available on mainstream platforms like Google Play or the Apple App Store. On the other hand, it can lead to confusion and inconvenience, as users may need to navigate different app stores to find and update their apps.
In the case of GetJar and Opera Mini, users who prefer the Opera Mini browser may now need to look elsewhere for their app needs, potentially leading to a fragmented app experience. This situation underscores the importance of interoperability and user-centric design in the app store ecosystem.
You can read more about the story over at Tech Crunch
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