Google Now Owns The .app TLD
The mission of the proposed gTLD, .app, is to provide a dedicated domain space for application developers. The term “app” is associated with a wide variety of applications, including mobile applications, web- and browser-based applications, cloud-hosted applications and even desktop applications. Charleston Road Registry expects uses of the gTLD will include a wide variety of uses across all of these types of applications, not limited to any specific platform or provider. The proposed gTLD will enhance consumer choice by providing new availability in the second-level domain space in which application developers can deliver new content and offerings. It also creates new layers of organization on the Internet and signals the kind of content available in the domain.
Honestly, I am uncomfortable with the idea of either Apple or Google owning the .app TLD. In its filing, quoted above, Google pledges that this “won’t be limited to any specific platform” but who really knows what level of control the company is allowed to enforce on the domain.
It may sound like abstract scare-mongering but monetisation of app marketing is a huge business. Google is currently considering paid app placements in the Play Store, for example.