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Modi government to set up app store alternative to Google Play, Apple App Store

deccanherald.com

201–210 of 369 posts

Re: Modi government to set up app store alternative to Google Play, Apple App Store

#201
post #81
post #49

India has a following issue with Android ecosystem, almost everything not owned by Google, is owned by some Chinese co. GetJar - sold to Chinese PayTM - Chinese shareholder Flipcart - Chinese shareholder Zomato, swiggy, + 10+ others online delivery/logistics apps. Some used to be reskins of Chinese apps. Some only have Indian C-levels. 20 something messengers - all except FB, and Twiter are Chinese ... I believe they…

Do you know reality, like at all? GetJar: I am hearing of this app for the first time, and I have seen and used many indian phones. Flipkart, Zomato, Swiggy are Indian companies with apps completely developed in India. Walmart has a major shareholding stake in Flipkart since a few years now. PayTM is also fully developed and operated in India, but yes, it does have Alibaba backing it. However, it was not at all consi…

> Also you have really funny spelling skills.

Can you point out what was wrong with OPs post? I'm a native English speaker, got a perfect score on the SAT English tests, and I don't really see any spelling errors beyond typoing Twitter as Twiter.

Re: Modi government to set up app store alternative to Google Play, Apple App Store

#202
post #106
post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>The sources said, "Android has 97% market share in India so we should intervene and handhold Indian startups. Making it mandatory for Android phones to be pre-instaled with our apps in under consideration". [1] Indian Government being arbiter of the app ecosystem on a phone and pre installing apps? Ominous vibes. Good luck with your desire for competition and innovation. [1] - https://www.timesnownews.com/business-e…

I'd like to think the Indian government will have the interests of its own citizens at heart better than Google or Apple. India has a long and not very pleasant history with foreign corporations.

Haha no. The Indian government will have the best interests of the ruling party at heart. I'd rather trust Google with all of my data, even the sensitive bits, rather than give even an iota to the government. And yes, I know how disgusting that sounds.

In the Delhi riots early this year, the government used data gathered from the national database to track and arrest protesters. Imagine what they could do if they could track your phones. At least Google is only selling me real estate ads (woefully inaccurate ones too) and not actively trying to imprison me or my family (bonus points if you're a minority).

Re: Modi government to set up app store alternative to Google Play, Apple App Store

#203
post #145

I welcome this. It will be messy, it will open oportunities to corruption, lobbying, crappy user experiences, unsafe apps, government abuse, nationalism, ... it is really a Pandora box. But mess can be a fertile ground for competition and innovation when excessive regulation blocks it. Today's app stores are just feature development labs for Apple & Google. There is no chance that anyone will be able to create a big…

But big businesses have been created so it's not entirely true. Do you have any good examples where you think innovation has been stifled on the play store? (Apple's app store aside)

> big businesses have been created so it's not entirely true.

examples?

Re: Modi government to set up app store alternative to Google Play, Apple App Store

#204
post #143

This is going to be a big mess. PayTM as a company isn’t known for respecting user privacy. The CEO’s brother was caught in a sting video saying they could sell any user’s information for a price (search online and you’ll find the video). All that these Indian startups care is for them to benefit and control everything. It’s not about equitable treatment. It’s more about regulatory capture and making sure that their…

> This is going to be a big mess. PayTM as a company isn’t known for respecting user privacy. Controversial opinion here, but this is part of the reason I like that Apple makes (practically) all purchases run through them. They don’t sell my information, and they have an incentive to not change that.

> but this is part of the reason I like that Apple makes (practically) all purchases run through them.

I vehemently disagree - in the name of "protecting privacy" Apple has been fooling users to believe that only Apple can be trusted with user data, and the biggest lie they sell is that they don't do anything with your data, unlike other corporates. From crippling Safari by allowing full cookies by default, and claiming to block trackers and browser fingerprinting (which a Google study itself has busted), to collecting user data in "anonymised" form Apple has been disingenuously mining its user's data with users given no choice.

Re: Modi government to set up app store alternative to Google Play, Apple App Store

#205
post #140
post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you know reality, like at all? GetJar: I am hearing of this app for the first time, and I have seen and used many indian phones. Flipkart, Zomato, Swiggy are Indian companies with apps completely developed in India. Walmart has a major shareholding stake in Flipkart since a few years now. PayTM is also fully developed and operated in India, but yes, it does have Alibaba backing it. However, it was not at all consi…

> Also you have really funny spelling skills Given the poor grammar of your comment, I’d remind you that kids in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones

Pot, meet kettle.

I think you may want to take your own advice first because you didn't write a complete sentence either. And, it's "those who live in" because others will throw stones back at theirs. I don't know where these kids came from, but they're not part of this idiom. I wish you better luck next time in the teachable moment department.

Re: Modi government to set up app store alternative to Google Play, Apple App Store

#206

Far too many optimistic voices here and that scares me. I don't see this app store being about providing alternatives. that's just a talking point. This app store is all about forcing every android sold in India to have a system installed govt driven app, which will report back to the govt on tons of private information about the device and owner. Information that Indian govt will be too incompetent to keep safe and…

I agree with you, the worst is about to happen worldwide. The Indians clearly want more control. The Chinese obviously are never going to relinquish any control. Even the South Americans and especially the Africans are starting to look at regionally fenced mobile and internet services as a method of both more control over social media and growing their economies. (As well as providing jobs for their youth.) I think t…

I'm not happy with governments taking such an active role. Ideally they help home-grown alternatives and push out American/Chinese corporations to give them space.

That is probably too little too late at this point though. Google, Facebook, Apple et al. have shown they will not stop until they dominate digital markets worldwide. Aggressive intervention by governments is the only way for them to wrestle back control.

At least with the "Indian Government App Store" there is no smoke and mirrors with regards to who has access to the data. Tech companies hand over whatever governments ask for anyway.

Re: Modi government to set up app store alternative to Google Play, Apple App Store

#207
post #168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The same thing could be said of game streaming apps like Stadia (all the game code is running remotely) but are forbidden in the App Store. It's hard to take Apple seriously when they do shit like this.

They aren’t forbidden anymore. [1] It is weird they’re making it so that each game you’ve bought needs a separate App Store entry, especially since the local code is all the same and a thin shim. That being said, the same rules are in effect for Apple’s own game platform so maybe there’s a specific reason (eg uniform experience for any app, they can properly promote individual titles in the App Store instead of allow…

I am sure Roblox is not having each of their mini games as a separate entry in App Store. I guess as long as Apple is getting 30% cut from your subscription fee.

Re: Modi government to set up app store alternative to Google Play, Apple App Store

#208

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree with you, the worst is about to happen worldwide. The Indians clearly want more control. The Chinese obviously are never going to relinquish any control. Even the South Americans and especially the Africans are starting to look at regionally fenced mobile and internet services as a method of both more control over social media and growing their economies. (As well as providing jobs for their youth.) I think t…

I'm not happy with governments taking such an active role. Ideally they help home-grown alternatives and push out American/Chinese corporations to give them space. That is probably too little too late at this point though. Google, Facebook, Apple et al. have shown they will not stop until they dominate digital markets worldwide. Aggressive intervention by governments is the only way for them to wrestle back control.…

All we need is a proper way to tax these companies. It is totally okay that Google or Facebook is doing the work, the people can tax them and get a fair cut from the profit.

Re: Modi government to set up app store alternative to Google Play, Apple App Store

#209

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They aren’t forbidden anymore. [1] It is weird they’re making it so that each game you’ve bought needs a separate App Store entry, especially since the local code is all the same and a thin shim. That being said, the same rules are in effect for Apple’s own game platform so maybe there’s a specific reason (eg uniform experience for any app, they can properly promote individual titles in the App Store instead of allow…

I am sure Roblox is not having each of their mini games as a separate entry in App Store. I guess as long as Apple is getting 30% cut from your subscription fee.

Are Roblox mini games purchased individually?

With Stadia/xplay you have your subscription which covers server costs but then you also buy each game individually. That could be the difference here.

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