Google Play's head, Jamie Rosenberg, talks about revenue, Apple's app store, and more

Google Play might have the upper hand when it comes to the amount of apps it holds, but it still trails behind Apple's App Store in terms of revenue. Still, Google's app repository, which has over 1.5 million apps at the moment, is quickly catching up. The reason for this? Well, Google's VP of digital content, Jamie Rosenberg, revealed that Google Play lags behind Apple's app store, because Cupertino simply had more time, as it "laid the foundation for what they're doing with the initial launch of iTunes" more than a decade ago. Nevertheless, Mr. Rosenberg believes that the search giant is "making tremendous progress".

Apparently, one of the most successful approaches to increasing the received revenue from Google Play is the implementation of new payment options. As per Jamie Rosenberg, there was a big spike in the revenue from certain markets right after Google Gift Cards got launched.

"If you think about it, Apple laid the foundation for what they’re doing with the initial launch of iTunes."

In addition, Google's VP of digital content said that another pretty important aspect of bringing home more bacon is "getting consumers in a ready-to-pay-state" while the latter are being engaged with interesting content. For example, if a given user is playing a game they really like, it is more likely that said user will be willing to spend money on a similar game. That's what Google Play is focusing on at the moment - providing the right content in the right time.

Jamie Rosenberg also stated that developers won't be able to pay Google and get their apps promoted in Google Play in the foreseeable future. However, he admitted that Google is constantly trying to improve Google Play and make it a "rewarding platform for developers".


No one knows when or whether Google Play will catch up with Apple's App Store. Hopefully, for the search giant, the revenue trends will keep their upward directions.

Don't forget to tune up with us today – we will be reporting live from Google I/O 2014here.

source: The Wall Street Journal