Friday, April 19, 2013

Alibaba re-launch mobile OS, unveils new online storefronts


News this week: China’s largest e-commerce company Alibaba Group has re-launched its mobile operating system (OS) under the new moniker, Alibaba Mobile Operating System (AMOS), following a last minute cancellation last September when Google stepped in to halt the company’s launch press conference with computer manufacturer Acer.

As part of the company’s push to gain adoption of AMOS, Alibaba will subsidise handset makers RMB 1 (US$0.16) a month for every AMOS-handset sold, and has also setup a US$162 million fund to encourage mobile app developers to build apps for AMOS through a revenue sharing scheme.

Separately, Alibaba.com, Alibaba’s B2B subsidiary, unveiled a free “mini-site” service that offers its Gold Suppliers to customise the design of their online storefront and homepage layout. Alibaba reports that more than 12,000 China Gold Supplier members have switched to the new service since its launch two months ago.

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