App Store Expands: Does The "WAC" Have Anything To Do With It?

[Michael Essany]

Earlier this month, the world learned that a stronghold of twenty-four global carriers will try to "play nice" with one another and build a huge, open marketplace for mobile apps as an ostensible effort to compete with the App Store.

Although it doesn't overtly appear that Apple is suddenly rushing to dig into as many territories around the world as possible before the App Store gets some new competition from the Wholesale Applications Community (WAC), some conspiracy theorists suspect that a "mad dash" has begun at Apple. And some have strong opinions about this situation - a topic of discussion that resulted after Apple posted on its iPhone Dev Center today that the App Store is continuing to expand at an accelerated pace around the world.

According to today's announcement, developers are encouraged to capitalize on the expansion of App Store support and push their applications to new global audiences, particularly those in Armenia, Botswana, Bulgaria, Jordan, Kenya, Macedonia, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritius, Niger, Senegal, Tunisia, and Uganda.

Of course, it isn't clear to me (or anyone else) how exactly Apple picks up a magic bullet against the WAC by having the App Store in Armenia, Botswana, and other regions that aren't iPhone-crazy territories. Nonetheless, some see Apple's rapid expansion of the App Store as evidence of the company's global defense mechanism.

It should be noted that the expansion of the App Store into thirteen new countries was not a decision made overnight. Plans were in place to do so long before the dream of the WAC was revealed. I say "dream" not to be disparaging, but rather to reiterate the reality that the dream-team partnership of these two dozen carriers has not yet manifested. And the WAC will be a far bigger undertaking than perhaps even its participants presently realize.

In other words, it's unlikely that Apple is frantically striving to expand the App Store... at least, not yet.

[Inverted2]

Finally, just hope that allows a more open app approval process.

[k.nitsua]

Finally, just hope that allows a more open app approval process.

Doubtful. If anything, it creates more issues for control. Expanding to say the UAE will cause censorship issues - giving Apple more reasons to reject apps.

[rhekt]

@k.nitsua

i agree

[holdemdogg]

@k.nitsua

I agree too

[pbateman420]

Ok fine. A new app store. You won't be able to install apps to an un jail broken iPhone anyways I suspect

[adsonjustin]

interesting...

[vampr]

just because your paranoid, doesn't mean they're not after you...

[tudtran]

Great news for us. More competitions mean more for the customers.

[StealthBravo]

It won't be allowed

[CaptainChaos]

Apple cannot expand into terratories that they don't have iPhones in unless they decide to write apps for other phone manufactures. Doesn't make sense.

[creasy425]

@captainchaos. Now that's a hell of an idea. Appstore apps on other devices......I frickin love it.