App Stores are much more likely to be a viable business for an already-successful technology company with a well-known brand.<p>Speaking from personal experience, App Stores don't work very well for smaller companies with a smaller customer base.  An App Store is going to require a developer to learn a unique instruction set.  The incentive for most developers to do this is to earn money from the company's customers.  If the company is small and has a small base (even if it is growing), it's difficult to attract a lot of developers.  The hurdle of learning the instruction set + the low potential of earning substantial revenue is not that interesting.