Baidu is letting users preview mobile apps without needing to download them, as the Chinese search giant looks to expand into mobile. Baidu’s free ‘Light App’ platform will run other apps, giving users a chance to access them without having to install them first. The service would help less well-known apps get more visibility, the […]
Baidu is letting users preview mobile apps without needing to download them, as the Chinese search giant looks to expand into mobile.
Baidu’s free ‘Light App’ platform will run other apps, giving users a chance to access them without having to install them first.
The service would help less well-known apps get more visibility, the firm said at its annual Baidu World event.
“The traditional app store model has a fundamental flaw because it only benefits a few popular apps, while a huge number of small developers are finding it hard to survive,” Baidu chief executive Robin Li said, according to the China Daily newspaper.
He added that only a few hundred apps – which reportedly make up just 0.1% of the apps available – made up 70% of all downloads.
But the chief executive said the Light App would provide exposure to “low frequency” apps, which a user might need to use only occasionally.
Developers of these less popular apps would still earn revenue through the conventional channels – adverts within their app or through downloads.
Baidu has said it plans to add other services, such as online payment systems, travel guides and music to the Light App platform, China Daily reported.
In July, Baidu bought China’s largest mobile app store, 91 Wireless Websoft, for nearly $2bn (£1.3bn).
