SAN JOSE, Calif — The Android Market, where Google distributes mobile applications and other digital content, is getting a revamp with a newly named “Google Play” store as the company moves to compete more directly with Apple and as a seller of digital music, video, games, apps and books.
Google Play launched Tuesday on the Web; it will become available this week for users connecting with Android smartphones and tablets.
First launched in October 2008 after the first Android smartphone went on sale, the Android Market was primarily a place to download smartphone apps. But with Google adding movie rentals and a streaming-music service in 2011, the company now is trying to create a unified, easier-to-navigate online store that it says will make things better for consumers and content creators alike.
Analysts said Google is taking a necessary step to match its competitors by putting all its digital offerings in one store and posting the virtual equivalent of signs in the aisles so consumers can easily find the things they are looking for.
“For the users, it’s really about delivering this simpler, more integrated experience,” said Chris Yerga, Google’s engineering director for digital content. “It’s sort of like the chocolate and peanut butter thing — the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. It’s going to attract more purchasers to the store. … It’s good for Google, but it’s also good for our content partners.”
An easy-to-use content store is critical for Google, said Mike McGuire, an analyst with Gartner who follows the digital-content market. That’s because Google is trying to compete with Apple’s system of iPhones and iPads connected to the music, video and books in its iTunes store.
“They don’t have near the level of control that Apple does,” McGuire said. “They don’t control all the hardware like Apple does, but they can make the navigation and the discovery of either content or apps easier. They have to do this.”
