Amazon to shutter its Chinese Appstore – the one used by hardly anyone, anywhere
(2023/05/25)
- Reference: 1684996090
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2023/05/25/amazon_appstore_china_closes/
- Source link:
Amazon.com has pulled the plug on the Chinese outpost of its Appstore.
Readers could be forgiven for not knowing Amazon operates an Appstore anywhere – the e-tail colossus bundles it with "Fire" tablets, which run a modified version of Android and sell around 16 million units year around the world. That's just under ten percent of the global tablet market [1]according to analyst firm IDC .
Fire tablets do even worse in China. Canalys [2]rates Amazon outside the top five vendors – meaning it has less than 7.4 percent share of the ~45 million fondleslabs shipped each year in the Middle Kingdom.
[3]
Amazon did theoretically have a shot at success in China, because Google's Play app store is not accessible in the Middle Kingdom without a VPN. Local smartphones therefore offer local app stores – usually operated by handset vendors – and some ship with more than one.
[4]
[5]
But Amazon appears not to have had much success, even in that environment.
The [6]announcement of its Appstore's demise in China is therefore unsurprising.
[7]
Local media [8]report that Chinese customers were sent an email naming July 17 as the last day the Amazon Appstore will operate, and pointing out that the Windows 11 Android subsystem taps into the Amazonian digital tat bazaar.
That's not a lot of use for those who access the Appstore on mobile devices, but at least it is a lifeline.
[9]Five Eyes and Microsoft accuse China of attacking US infrastructure again
[10]Amazon’s Kindle bookstore to quit China
[11]Baidu boss says good luck talking AI to Beijing if you don't understand censorship
[12]China cracks down on AI-generated news anchors
News of the exit comes 11 months after Amazon withdrew its [13]Kindle e-book readers from China.
In its letter and announcement, Amazon China took care to assure customers its other business activities will continue for the foreseeable future.
"We will continue to innovate and invest in China," the social media post states – mentioning overseas shopping, advertising, cross-border e-commerce business including Amazon global logistics, AWS, and smart hardware as businesses the company intends to continue.
[14]
Of course it has to continue them on Beijing's terms – which is why AWS in China is operated by an outfit called Beijing Sinnet Technology Co., Ltd. ®
Get our [15]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS50239723
[2] https://www.canalys.com/newsroom/china-PC-market-Q2-2022
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2ZG8x4BwrTZ7UTjqK6Tt7CAAAAMQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZG8x4BwrTZ7UTjqK6Tt7CAAAAMQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33ZG8x4BwrTZ7UTjqK6Tt7CAAAAMQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/Er2JpcBYeWcip3oHLdAblA
[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZG8x4BwrTZ7UTjqK6Tt7CAAAAMQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[8] https://pandaily.com/amazon-china-will-no-longer-provide-app-store-services-starting-july-17/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2023/05/25/china_volt_typhoon_attacks/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2022/06/03/amazon_kindle_leaves_china/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2023/05/18/baidu_q1_fy23/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2023/05/16/china_crackdown_on_ai_generated_news/
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2022/06/03/amazon_kindle_leaves_china/
[14] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33ZG8x4BwrTZ7UTjqK6Tt7CAAAAMQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[15] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Readers could be forgiven for not knowing Amazon operates an Appstore anywhere – the e-tail colossus bundles it with "Fire" tablets, which run a modified version of Android and sell around 16 million units year around the world. That's just under ten percent of the global tablet market [1]according to analyst firm IDC .
Fire tablets do even worse in China. Canalys [2]rates Amazon outside the top five vendors – meaning it has less than 7.4 percent share of the ~45 million fondleslabs shipped each year in the Middle Kingdom.
[3]
Amazon did theoretically have a shot at success in China, because Google's Play app store is not accessible in the Middle Kingdom without a VPN. Local smartphones therefore offer local app stores – usually operated by handset vendors – and some ship with more than one.
[4]
[5]
But Amazon appears not to have had much success, even in that environment.
The [6]announcement of its Appstore's demise in China is therefore unsurprising.
[7]
Local media [8]report that Chinese customers were sent an email naming July 17 as the last day the Amazon Appstore will operate, and pointing out that the Windows 11 Android subsystem taps into the Amazonian digital tat bazaar.
That's not a lot of use for those who access the Appstore on mobile devices, but at least it is a lifeline.
[9]Five Eyes and Microsoft accuse China of attacking US infrastructure again
[10]Amazon’s Kindle bookstore to quit China
[11]Baidu boss says good luck talking AI to Beijing if you don't understand censorship
[12]China cracks down on AI-generated news anchors
News of the exit comes 11 months after Amazon withdrew its [13]Kindle e-book readers from China.
In its letter and announcement, Amazon China took care to assure customers its other business activities will continue for the foreseeable future.
"We will continue to innovate and invest in China," the social media post states – mentioning overseas shopping, advertising, cross-border e-commerce business including Amazon global logistics, AWS, and smart hardware as businesses the company intends to continue.
[14]
Of course it has to continue them on Beijing's terms – which is why AWS in China is operated by an outfit called Beijing Sinnet Technology Co., Ltd. ®
Get our [15]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS50239723
[2] https://www.canalys.com/newsroom/china-PC-market-Q2-2022
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2ZG8x4BwrTZ7UTjqK6Tt7CAAAAMQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZG8x4BwrTZ7UTjqK6Tt7CAAAAMQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33ZG8x4BwrTZ7UTjqK6Tt7CAAAAMQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/Er2JpcBYeWcip3oHLdAblA
[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZG8x4BwrTZ7UTjqK6Tt7CAAAAMQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[8] https://pandaily.com/amazon-china-will-no-longer-provide-app-store-services-starting-july-17/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2023/05/25/china_volt_typhoon_attacks/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2022/06/03/amazon_kindle_leaves_china/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2023/05/18/baidu_q1_fy23/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2023/05/16/china_crackdown_on_ai_generated_news/
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2022/06/03/amazon_kindle_leaves_china/
[14] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33ZG8x4BwrTZ7UTjqK6Tt7CAAAAMQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[15] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: Does anyone even use Appstores on smart devices anymore?
Dinanziame
At the moment, my banking app is probably the easiest way, and might soon be almost the only way, to pay my bills. Some banks require two devices to authenticate yourself, so unless you want to use two different PCs you rather have to download their app. The app from the national train company is also the simplest way by far to buy a ticket. The app from the national topography service is very useful when hiking (much better than the one coming with the phone).
Maybe you don't use app stores anymore, but I can say with confidence you are in a very small minority.
Re: Does anyone even use Appstores on smart devices anymore?
Charlie Clark
Yes, I still use appstores (both Play and APKPure for geoblocked stuff). I have bought very few apps - mainly OSMand which is certainly worth it. But I also recently bought a years's subscription to Windy (outside the store no 30% for Google), which is unbeatable for doing anything outdoor.
Does anyone even use Appstores on smart devices anymore?
I must admit when I got my first android I brought loads of apps (Accuweather and Sound Hound were my first and still have them installed. Back then I found the smartphone couldn't do what my previous handset could do, I still prefer to buy apps instead of using adware supported apps), but then I am not normal. I do wonder who still uses the app stores and buys anything anymore.
I've not purchased any apps or installed any free apps for years, I find them all boring and I use my personal PC for gaming (Even then my most recent purchase Company of Heroes 3 I refunded based on feeling ripped off compared to COH 1 and 2)