Mobile cloud platform company Appcelerator has used its Codestrong developer conference in San Francisco this week to launch its Open Mobile Marketplace offering for ISVs and cloud providers. This conduit is intended to provide a route for selling software based on Appcelerator's own Titanium platform across multiple mobile operating systems.
Claiming to have more than 1.5 million developers among its community ranks, the Open Mobile Marketplace launches with 50 mobile solutions, including PayPal, Salesforce, Millennial Media, and a full gaming platform. The channel itself is intended to enable any third party to sell native and HTML5 mobile modules, app templates, design elements, and cloud extensions to Appcelerator's entire developer community.
Appcelerator's new marketplace seeks to addresses what the company suggests is the "larger mobile platform fragmentation problem" currently facing the cloud and software development industry. It is of course true to state that as computing moves to distributed, multiple platforms such as iOS and Android, it is becoming increasingly difficult for vendors to deliver their services consistently across these popular devices. With Appcelerator's use of open web standards, a platform with over 3,600 native feature, and now Marketplace, the proposition to cloud and software vendors is that they can build solutions on one integrated mobile platform that can be used by web developers worldwide to reach multiple mobile operating systems.
"Mobile commerce is a trillion dollar opportunity … and platform ubiquity is essential to reach our customers anytime, anywhere, and in anyway," said Laura Chambers, senior director of mobile at, PayPal. "We see Appcelerator's reach and ease of implementation across multiple platforms as a significant advantage for our customers and the mobile industry as a whole."
Marketplace is available for any developer who wants to publish a native or HTML5 mobile module, app template, or mobile cloud service. Appcelerator says it offers self-serve tools for publishers to upload content, integrate with existing subscription services, promote assets, and support and maintain offerings. Assets can be free or paid, with a 70/30 revenue share agreement available for paid-for content.
Titanium Studio, Appcelerator's cross-platform IDE, has also been updated to integrate Marketplace into the Titanium mobile development workflow. Similar to Apple iTunes, Appcelerator will feature popular modules, staff favorites, and modules developed by Appcelerator partners.
"From day one, Appcelerator has been focused on enabling a thriving mobile ecosystem," noted Jeff Haynie, CEO of Appcelerator. "With over 25,000 mobile applications in use by over 20 million users, the stage is set for enabling the entire mobile value-chain to scale their business by increasing their reach and adding innovation on top of the Titanium platform. This open and extensible approach represents the future of where Titanium is going as a platform and where Appcelerator is going as a company."
