Google Gears Up For Chrome Web Store Launch
by Editor, Web Wise Business (20 August 2010)
Attempting to create a marketplace for Web App's akin to Apple's App Store, Google are moving closer to launch of the Chrome Web Store with the recent developer preview.
Designed to be a central location for buying and selling HTML5-based web applications (such as the Pac-Man Google logo), the Chrome Web Store is most notably different from Apple's App Store because Google only intend to take a 5% processing fee, rather than the 30% cut Apple demands for apps.
This would seem to suggest that, at least initially, Google don't intend to monetise their app store. However, there may be good reason for this. Google are set to launch a number of Chrome OS (opperating system) products, including a tablet computer to rival Apple's iPad and therefore may be looking to encourage further browser and operating system adoption amongst consumers, especially since Google's Chrome internet browser is one of the most HTML5 friendly.
While the web store won't be open to the general public until October, Google aim to ensure there will be plenty of quality applications available for launch. Hence why, starting today, developers now have access to the developer preview version of the Chrome Web Store through Google Code Labs.
The preview isn’t a fully-functional app store however. Instead, it is a central location for developers to learn how to create, upload, test and sell web apps. These apps can come in one of two forms - hosted apps and packaged apps. Hosted apps are run on a webpage, while packaged apps are downloaded by the user.
Providing plenty of opportunity (huge distribution channels, credibility and small fees) for developers, the announcement of the developer preview is an open call to get started and it would be genuinely surprising if many developers aren't already working away on the next "killer app".