Baidu launches app preview service

Chinese search engine Baidu has said it
will allow people to preview mobile apps
without needing to download them.
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.
Analysts say the move can be seen as an
effort by Baidu to expand its reach in
China's mobile internet market.
"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 a rapidly expanding mobile internet
market in China, some correspondents
say the country's largest search engine
must be more innovative to stay ahead.
In July, Baidu bought China's largest
mobile app store, 91 Wireless Websoft,
for nearly $2bn (£1.3bn).