Bring Us Your Apps, and Sell Them, Too
Submit your webOS applications today for the Palm App Catalog e-commerce beta starting in mid-September — Starting today, you can submit your apps via email for consideration in the Palm App Catalog e-commerce beta program.
Context & Ripple Effects
Palm had already put the App Catalog under scrutiny in an early look at Palm Pre apps and the catalog and followed with an early-access and SDK update for developers. Opening submissions for an e-commerce beta turns that developer-facing groundwork into a route for paid distribution.
First-order effects
- webOS developers can submit applications for consideration, while Palm begins building the inventory for its mid-September App Catalog e-commerce beta.
Second-order effects
- Palm’s developer program shifts from access and tooling toward the operational task of reviewing submissions and converting them into catalog listings that can be sold.
Third-order effects
- If the beta produces a usable catalog, Palm’s webOS ecosystem begins taking the shape of a two-sided marketplace, with app availability and developer interest reinforcing one another.
The trend: Palm is moving its webOS developer effort from SDK access toward a commercial app marketplace built around catalog distribution.