[walterbell]

> Why would they make profit on their hardware alone if they can have an almost passive income in the form of an app store.

Why not both? Google is offering Android app store _and_ Debian Linux packages. Each distribution mechanism meets different needs.

[rchaud]

Google's ads business dwarfs everything else, so as long as ads can be integrated into apps deployed through Google Play Services, they're happy.

Third party app stores mostly provide unprofitable utility apps Google aren't interested in stopping. And thank goodness for that, because it allows any Android phone to be used as a relatively open computing device without having to register with Play Services.