Opera wants to shake up the app store as we know it. Instead of one-time paid and free apps, it wants to build a store where each and every app works as a subscriptions service.
The idea, it claims, is pretty straightforward. App developers would simply charge users a set weekly, monthly or annual fee, and in return offer all-you-can-eat access to the corresponding app’s functionality.
It’s certainly worked for the like of ‘Netflix and Spotify as standalone services. But elsewhere the app subscription service has proven less successful, so whether Opera can make a go of it really remains to be seen. Crucial to any chance of success will be to get partners on board quickly — without that, the service will be doomed from the get-go. Let’s wait see. [Opera via Engadget]