[searchableguy]

I appreciate the sentiment of having more domestic alternatives and competition but there's an insignificant amount of work here. Indie developers and studios won't start making apps and games for India unless they can sustain themselves. That is hard. I expect bigger companies such as jio to take lion's share and have a default monopoly at this point.

> India has emerged as the fastest growing app market in the world with 19 billion apps downloaded in 2019, up from 6.55 billion in 2016, according to data from analytics and market intelligence firm App Annie’s State of Mobile 2020 report published last week.

> Indians have spent only $120 million on mobile apps whereas China dominates mobile spending with $48 billion, which is 40% of total revenue generated through mobile apps.

> In-app subscriptions contributed to 96% of spend in top non-gaming apps.

https://entrackr.com/2020/01/india-is-fastest-growing-market...

Some background:

> PM Narendra Modi on Sunday urged startups and entrepreneurs to develop innovative “toys and games, for India and of India” to meet domestic demand and increase its share in the global toy business, estimated at Rs 7 lakh crore. He also called upon people to support indigenously developed apps which could replace the ones currently in vogue and are controlled by foreign companies.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/...

[ffpip]

Jio unfortunately blatantly copies western apps and adds a 'Made in India' tag. Therefore people think it is patriotic to use it.

They copied Whatsapp but removed the end to end encryption. They copied Zoom and removed the decent security. They copied amazon and started JioMart, whose apps look exactly the same.

Am waiting for them to start Jioogle, as an alternative search engine.

[thewhitetulip]

One funny post I came across on Reddit.

Future of India, Jio edition

Once Jio is a monopoly, you'll have to get JioMilk from JioCow which'll be grazed on JioFarms using JioGrass in JioContainers. The cows will drink JioWater which'll come from JioMonsoon from JioRiver on JioMountain.

You'll also use JioApps on JioAndroid (* in partnership with Google) which you'll buy from JioMart which'll use JioRouter and JioFiber on Jio sim card, it'll use JioDart for delivery and the delivery guy will use JioHonda bike using Reliance for petrol on JioRoad (special roads to be used only by Jio Customers) breating JioAir (special air for Jio customers), biker will use JioGlass which'll connect to JioNet using JioVast for virus protection.

You'll also use JioVators in JioMalls to go up and down the floors watch a JioCinema in the JioMall, walk on JioTiles use JioRailings.

You'll get JioPlants from JioNursery which'll be plucked from JioForest growing on JioSoil.

You'll vote in JioElections using JioEVMs while standing in JioLines having a JioVoterCard while living in a Jiocracy.

https://np.reddit.com/r/india/comments/hsuglq/the_future_of_...

[ffpip]

Jiopoly.

Half of the the things you mentioned are already a reality.

[thewhitetulip]

But they aren't the only shops right? In this future, they are the only JioShops available

[oblio]

The things is, that's kind of how it starts.

First you copy badly, then you copy well, then you improve.

Baby steps.

[d3nj4l]

A monopoly doesn't have much incentive to improve, especially not one that the state is effectively enforcing.

[oblio]

India is a huge market. Wouldn't other local companies in other domains see how much money Jio is making and try to compete with them? Tata, etc.?

[ffpip]

They won't improve. I'm willing to bet on it.

They are getting into the advertising business. Advertisers and privacy/security don't go together.

India is just getting used to the internet. Massive market. Billion users.

[oblio]

Advertisers and security/privacy do work well together, from a certain point of view.

As Jio, if I'd clone Zoom, I would add encryption, so that only I, Jio, would be able to analyze that traffic. Same thing with WhatsApp.

[ffpip]

I meant security/privacy from the company in question. Jio.

e2ee in JioChat was just not even implemented. They just copied whatsapp.

[oblio]

That's kind of bad, but I think that for regular users, it's a non-feature. They don't care. They only care about traffic not being snooped in along the way. They will trust the messenger company.

I'd imagine JioChat is encrypted in transit, isn't it?

[hesarenu]

"Therefore people think it is patriotic to use it." - i doubt they have any many users.

[higerordermap]

Chinese apps have always been a security risk. Mostly youth will be annoyed by lack of their favourite time-waster apps, but there are alternatives.

[searchableguy]

My point was that we need to do more than just a ban.

> Chinese apps have always been a security risk

I don't disagree. But I find this phrasing a little unclear. National security and broadly speaking security are different. Indian apps and services don't fare well in the latter category.

> but there are alternatives.

Yes, but why haven't they seen the same growth naturally? The top grossing page is filled with more Indian apps only recently due to the political atmosphere. What happened before?

Indian companies and developers have a cultural advantage and market understanding both of which are important for entertainment services to take off such as games. What's the reason behind the lag? Can you give examples of alternatives that were well established before this year?

> Mostly youth will be annoyed by lack of their favorite time-waster apps

This mentality doesn't help. This is discouraging individuals from experimenting with creative outlets in the country. That would have given us more Indian games opposed to china filling the market. E-sports is a big industry and is only growing. How do you expect anyone to innovate here when they are demonized by culture for taking interest in these games?

Surely, the problem is people aren't educated on topics such as addiction and they are considered as taboos.

[rtx]

Chinese government support for its companies.

[anniefrost]

Hey, US government also support its companies. They were literally forcing non-US company to sell their company to US company.