Ultra rare, but I'm getting it on my iPad 3) ------ jebblue I wonder what the app will be like? That might be interesting. Maybe it doesn't have to be one of those simple games or stories but more like a PowerPoint presentation like where all the images are on the screen instead of scrolling left and right to be viewed. I bet I could make a $2.99 one if I put a lot of work into it. ------ hugacow What apps are you using in the example? Looks like a pretty decent game. ------ MaysonL This appears to be a play at Google's (previously) failed $9.99/year fee- subscription app market: playstore.com/i/publishing_agreement.html#policies (though it uses a different name for their "app promotion service"): "Google agrees not to display third-party ad-sponsored app listings in the Google Play store unless the publisher has implemented the Google Play developer API. In the event the publisher chooses to implement this service, Google will notify you that you should re-review your app and implement this service if it is in compliance with the Google Play developer API. This restriction applies to any paid app and any free app, whether in-app or full-screen ad." Looks to be an interesting angle at least, allowing Google to advertise _your_ apps, or at least get a cut of any sales. ------ yoshyosh I'm not sure I understand what this is. Is this an ad in play store or a way for publishers to distribute apps for free? (assuming its related to in app billing) I'm very interested in knowing what it is and more information will be appreciated. Also it's a shame there is no info about this on play store ~~~ kennywinker This is, I think, something like in-app billing on iOS. It is a way for publishers to distribute apps for free. For this reason, you'll see many of the very best apps on Google Play, like Google's core apps, are free on Android, while they might cost $1.99 on the iOS app store. ------ Zenst Interesting idea, though I suspect that the apps that could be created with this may not be what most are after. From the article: "It's a free service for developers who have already signed up to the Google Play developer program." Saying what apps will be popular and what will not be popular is well, well beyond my guesses and most would not be good enough to justify the $3 I feel. If you had the apps you wanted you'd be more interested than something that can be hacked together in 3 hours. At the bottom there is the usual "you must agree" link and they are asking for your feedback, which suggests you just agree to them being able to have a chance at this and nothing more. You don't have to give away the keys to the kingdom, no. Not even with this. ------ chdir What about the price point? Is that not a little steep for me to test it out? ~~~ kennywinker I asked this same question and got this response: "Since every project is a little different, the fee will depend on what we need to do to take care of your project's needs. There's no way for us to know until we get to it. Pricing is one of those things that we'll have to get used to." ~~~ chdir Thanks for the reply. The price point might be a deal breaker for me. I generally buy the apps that are under $5, my threshold for in-app-billing based apps is a few dollars. The app store for android also has a ton of free apps that cost me a few dollars every year because I read so much in a holiday. ~~~ kennywinker You should definitely pay the $3 to be able to play with it to see if it works well for you or not. If it is something you'd like to try out, you can always just buy the app and put it in the play store yourself. Not sure I get the concern about price point though. ------ thedjpetersen I'm curious to see how they can do this. So far the only way I know to do it, is to use an auction, or perhaps have a subscription like Spotify. I wonder if Google will allow subscriptions. ------ nirvana Looks like a very interesting approach. I'm guessing the developer has to agree to giving google access to his app? (I just clicked, nothing is happening yet.) I'm concerned that this means they get "you" from the developer's point of view. This would be a problem for me personally, but I have no idea how serious. I'm guessing they might not mean it to be a problem for the majority of developers. ~~~ kennywinker I also asked about this, and this is the reply I got: "This isn't a problem, our goal is to deliver a better experience for developers, we're just looking for a small subset of apps with a great potential for success. You'll see these apps displayed on the play store. You won't be charged for the app itself, you'll simply see an ad for the app. We have worked with dozens of apps on Android and Android is still the number 1 mobile platform. We are pretty sure that we know how to make our platform better." ------ drdr I find it funny that Google's answer to Apple's 30% is a 10% revenue share for publishers. Interesting move. ------ capex This is too dangerous. Google already has the power to sell our search results, and this would be another way to build a market share and get more people addicted to their ads. I am more worried about these than Apple's 30%.. ~~~ kennywinker I asked about this as well and got this: "The fact that Google Play is the #1 platform with over 500,000 apps says a lot to us about the value Google Play developers bring to Google. The Google Play team has an excellent track record of creating high-quality and innovative apps with their best in-app offerings. We're trying to get in front of those who are already successful and provide them with an additional option to monetize their apps. In fact, while trying to get in front of our valued developers, we noticed a lot of good quality free apps on Android, but not enough free apps with in-app billing so our users could try them out for free. That's what inspired us to develop this new approach for helping developers monetize their apps. We're hoping to find a few developers we think have a great idea with their apps, who we can add to our developer program in return for an ad." ------ maeon3 There will be a small app that will say buy the app for $9.99 for $9.99 and then every 20 minutes you will get a picture that you will have to push back into the black hole to make you feel good while being a whore for all the other apps. I don't trust google or apple with this and I refuse to join in so I refuse to buy anything from them. Apple wants to sell your digital soul. And with the amount of data apple has on you, your entire digital life can be recreated and sold to anyone who will pay. The black market is too good for them not to do this. ~~~ pork What? How do you interpret that? ~~~ maeon3 What do you think blackmail means? Apple is an all seeing, all hearing entity. I have no incentive to install them on my system, and I won't. You can't make a buck unless I buy it from you. Apple knows this and wants my secrets because they can profit off me by sharing them. Apple even wants to know where I am so they can send me advertisements about my most recent p