Google PlayStore
Google Play, formerly Android Market, is a digital distribution service operated and developed by Google. It serves as the official app store for the Android operating system, allowing users to browse and download applications developed with the Android software development kit (SDK) and published through Google. Google Play also serves as a digital media store, offering music, books, movies, and television programs. It previously offered Google hardware devices for purchase until the introduction of a separate online hardware retailer, Google Store, on March 11, 2015, and it also offered news publications and magazines before the revamp of Google News on May 15, 2018. Ever since then, it has been a huge platform for Android apps.
Xiaomi, Huawei, Oppo, Vivo working together to build an App store
Xiaomi, Huawei, Oppo, Vivo are currently the top best Chinese smartphone manufacturers. These companies are joining forces to create a platform that will enable global developers to upload apps onto their respective app stores simultaneously. The alliance between Huawei, Oppo, Vivo, and Xiaomi could hamper the global dominance of Google PlayStore on Android phones.
The new platform, dubbed the Global Developer Service Alliance (GDSA), is slated for March and will initially cover nine regions, including India, Indonesia, Russia, Spain, Thailand, the Philippines, and Vietnam.
Untied Google PlayStore Alternative
The latest step from Chinese tech giants is likely to help “developers of games, music, movies and other apps to market their apps in overseas markets,” people familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Xiaomi said the move is simply to ease the process for the global developers, and they have no whatsoever intention to compete with Google PlayStore.
Nevertheless, the alliance is a huge step forward in becoming independent of Google PlayStore and its services.
Despite having a strong-hold on the market, Chinese vendors fail to get users to visit their official app stores due to the lack of many essential third-party apps. The GDSA will likely help them solve this problem.
While there is no mention of a Google PlayStore alternative, allowing developers to port apps that will simultaneously appear on all four app stores does point in that direction.
Huawei will likely get the biggest benefit out of the project since the Chinese tech giant is already working on HarmonyOS, an alternative Android OS.
Xiaomi at a glance
Xiaomi is a Chinese electronics company founded by Lei Jun in 2010 and headquartered in Beijing. The company makes and invests in smartphones, mobile apps, laptops, bags, trimmers, earphones, MI Television, shoes, fitness bands, and many other products. Ranked 468th, Xiaomi is the youngest company on Fortune Global 500 List for 2019
Xiaomi released its first smartphone in August 2011 and rapidly gained market share in China to become the country’s largest smartphone company in 2014.
Xiaomi makes and invests in smartphones, mobile apps, laptops, bags, trimmers, earphones, MI Television, shoes, fitness bands, and many other products.
Huawei at a glance
Chinese multinational technology company. It provides telecommunications equipment and sells consumer electronics, smartphones and is headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong. Huawei has expanded its business to include building telecommunications networks, providing operational and consulting services and equipment to enterprises inside and outside of China, and manufacturing communications devices for the consumer market. Huawei has deployed its products and services in more than 170 countries.
Oppo at a glance
OPPO is a Chinese consumer electronics and mobile communications company headquartered in Guangdong, in China, and known for its smartphones, Blu-ray players and other electronic devices. A leading manufacturer of smartphones, OPPO was the top smartphone brand in China in 2019 and was ranked No. 5 worldwide. It is a subsidiary of BBK Electronics. It is a part of BBK Electronics Corporation along with Vivo, Realme and OnePlus.
Vivo at a glance
Vivo is a Chinese technology company owned by BBK Electronics that designs and manufactures smartphones and smartphone accessories in China, software and online services. BBK Electronics also owns Oppo, Realme and OnePlus. The company develops software for its phones, distributed through its vivo App Store, with iManager included in their proprietary, Android-based operating system, Funtouch OS.
We are looking forward to see what the top four Chinese giant has for us, it just might be cool.
What is your take about these?
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