Amazon Android App Store Released to China

Over the weekend Amazon opened its online store on the heels of its Kindle e-book store, which opened in December 2012, and became the first western company to offer pay-for Andriod apps. 

Last year Amazon secured less than three percent of China's booming 169 billion yuan ($27 billion) e-commerce market in the fourth quarter. The move to sell Android apps signals a large potential for Amazon since Google only offers free apps in its store, as China represents a large market to any technology based company.

Both the app store and the e-book store are key initiatives to bring content to the company's Kindle devices in the U.S. market. But Amazon has yet to start selling its tablet and e-reader hardware in China, and there has been no word on a release date. “It seems like there is pent-up demand for Amazon's Kindle," said Mark Natkin, managing director of Beijing-based technology firm Marbridge Consulting.

"Amazon is a well-regarded brand both in terms of quality of its products and in terms of its service," Natkin said. 

The Amazon store will offer many features that other countries enjoy, from app reviews, refunds, including a "free app a day" feature. Every day, an application, frequently a game, is offered for free. 

Amazon is up against tough competition as there are many app stores for Android in China, and many of them pirated apps. The app store faces fierce competition from the local rivals, including E Commerce China Dangdang Inc and 360buy, another major online shopping mall. Both of these sites also sell e-books. Amazon is betting that users are afraid of malware being installed on their devices. Like Apple, Amazon offers a review process for apps to curate the selection and try to prevent illicit, infringing or malicious apps. Though the market is saturated with app stores, Amazon will also include locally designed software as a way to compete.