BlackBerry has revealed that one single developer has created over a third of the apps contained within the BlackBerry World app store.
Over 47,000 of the approximate 120,000 total apps contained within the BlackBerry World app store have been developed by one company, S4BB.
Highlighted by the struggling Canadian smartphone manufacturer as a “BlackBerry Developer Success Story”, S4BB is described as a “young, leading-edge Hong Kong based company” that has a strong focus on creating BlackBerry apps.
S4BB started developing for BlackBerry in 2006 when the company was at its peak. Accruing over 3 million downloads by November 2012, S4BB has created a variety of BlackBerry World apps including city guides and hundreds of audio books.
However, the majority of the apps available in the BlackBerry World app store from S4BB are far from high-end. Some bare titles such as the “Easy Smiley Pack”, “Silent Foto Free” or “Font Master: Fancy Character TrueType Font Collection”, which doesn’t exactly scream quality or usefulness.
Seeing as one company is basically bombarding the BlackBerry World app store with apps, it raises questions about the quality of apps contained within the store and about the legitimacy of some BlackBerry announcements.
During the BlackBerry Live Keynote in May, CEO Thorsten Heins announced that BB10 now offers 120,000 apps, but it seems that the BlackBerry World app store is flooded with what are essentially spam apps.
“Developers in all app stores employ a number of different monetisation tactics,” said BlackBerry in a statement. “BlackBerry World is an open market for developers and we let market forces dictate the success or failure of these tactics.”
Recently, BlackBerry admitted it is open to a private sale in an attempt to fix its problems behind closed doors. The company released an official press statement saying it is looking at “strategic alternatives” for its future operations.
“Given the importance and strength of our technology, and the evolving industry and competitive landscape, we believe that now is the right time to explore strategic alternatives,” said Timothy Dattels, Chairman of BlackBerry’s newly formed Special Committee of the Board.
Next, read whether BlackBerry is completely redundant.
Via: IBTimes
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
