Amazon App Store is Pulling Out of China

[KokodayoCN]

Summary

On 22nd May, users that are using or used Amazon China services has been notified via email that Amazon China will stop providing app store services to Chinese customers, after previously stopped Kindle-related services. Other services, such as Amazon Store and Amazon Web Service, seems unaffected. 

 

In the email, Amazon China states that:

Quote

我们留意到您之前使用过/或还在使用亚马逊应用商店，我们发送次邮件旨在通知您：自7月17日起，亚马逊中国将不再提供应用商店服务。(We noticed that you previously used/or is still using Amazon App Store, we are sending this email to notify you that: after 17th Jul., Amazon China will no longer provide app store services).

South China Morning Post has reported on this event. In their story, SCMP states that "Amazon did not give a reason for the closure".

 

My thoughts

It is another step for Amazon to retreat from Chinese Internet due to low demand and strong competitors in the market. It's not surprising, but disappointing.

 

Sources

https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3221654/amazon-close-china-app-store-further-retreat-worlds-largest-internet-market

[williamcll]

Hopefully they pull out their legal team so I can buy paperback books from pirated PDFs on taobao.

[Lumoneko]

I'm not surprised, the App Store industry in China are ruthless in the ways they compete. Without boots on the ground playing their game, Amazon was doomed to be a niche App Store there.