Malaysian operator Maxis has just launched its app store, 1Store. At launch the store is said to contain 1200 applications. Initially Java and Symbian apps are supported, but BlackBerry and Android are coming as well.
The revenue share for developers is an interesting one. At first sight it seems that Maxis is going for the now very common 70-30 revenue split between developer and app store owner. However, in the FAQ some additional info is available:
For applications priced at RM8 and below, the revenue sharing apportionment is fixed at a ratio of 70:30 (Developer: Maxis). For applications that are priced at above RM8 the revenue sharing apportionment is fixed at 50:50 (Developer: Maxis). Developers will be able to view full details of the revenue-sharing apportionment in the contract available for download when they sign up to become a Maxis 1Store developer.
Converted to US Dollars, this means that developers will receive 70% revenue share for applications with a maximum price of $5.81. For more expensive applications, developers will only receive 50% revenue share. This price dependent revenue share brings some strange pricing questions to developers.
All applications priced between $5.82 and $8.13 will generate the same maximum for the developer as an application priced at $5.81. As a consequence, developers will likely price their apps below the $5.81 threshold or above $8.13. It is not clear what the reasoning behind this unique revenue share agreement is.
Developers that are interested to publish their applications can go here. For more details on the 1Store, see Appstores.info.
Vincent Hoogsteder