Asus’s New Application Store for Netbooks Capitalizes on Popularity, Cuts into Apple’s Stranglehold

 9 Jun 2010 - By Omar Mariño+
 omar@myddnetwork.com


For years, Apple’s 1 major claim to fame has been its exclusive App store.  Thousands upon thousands of third party created apps allow end users unique and invaluable new ways to utilize the hardware that the technology giant has created.  But is Apple’s hold slipping?  First Android launched its own app store then others like Garmin announced their own store for software compatible with its GPS devices.  Now, computer manufacturer Asus has jumped on the band wagon. 

Later this year, the hardware company will jump into the software arena and launch an app store loaded with netbook specific or netbook optimized software.  This will be an excellent resource for netbook users—like myself—who often find that content created for standard PCs either doesn’t work properly or doesn’t display properly on the smaller, sleeker devices.

Asus Girl

Asus Girl on the Beach with her Netbook

The true test of this new outlet will be the variety and utility of the apps available.  If Asus opens up the store to third party developers as Apple and Anroid have, we may see a vibrant community spring up responsible for the creation of software that truly revolutionizes the way netbooks can be used.  However, if the company puts tight regulations on acceptable software, it may become nothing more than a PR talking point and come to be resented by the users it was supposed to enthrall.  Only time will tell.

The app store software will be available for download and come preloaded on new Asus devices later this year.






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