Google Launches Apps Marketplace
The latest race in the tech space has been to the unspoiled wilderness of apps. Apple started the digital land grab in earnest and ever since companies have started creating their own app store. Google is no different, and yesterday the company announced and launched the Google Apps Marketplace.
However, Google's apps are a little different than those flooding smartphones . They're designed to operate exclusively in "the cloud" – where all information and software is housed online and accessed through a Web browser – and are aimed mostly toward business applications.
Google Apps Marketplace will carry apps that interface directly with other Google tools already residing in the cloud, such as Gmail and Google Docs. So far, the marketplace is only offering business-oriented apps, such as project management and payroll software. The advantage for businesses is that the apps can be easily integrated into company systems, especially if the company already uses Gmail for its mail server.
Of course, the possibilities don't stop at business applications. Google is courting developers with cheap startup costs. For access to 25 million users, Google is only charging $100 and promising 20 percent of revenue for all apps sold. For comparison, Apple's App Store costs more to get started but offers a 30 percent cut of sales.
Considering the number of people who aren't using their Gmail strictly for business, it's likely those developers will also be releasing apps for the average consumer. Considering that Google recently launched social networking service Buzz, developers could also create apps that offer functionality similar to those appearing in other services, such as Facebook.
