RIM says Android app ecosystem is a “cesspool,” but what if Google agreed?

The former king of smartphones, RIM, has been having trouble getting its fledgling PlayBook OS off the ground, even going so far as to build a system for running Android apps on the platform. This effort hasn’t exactly turned things around for RIM, which is still seeing the PlayBook falter in the market. In fact, the high rate of Android app piracy on its platform has resulted in a large volume of complaints from developers.
The solution, according to RIM VP Alec Saunders is to remove sideloading of third-party apps, which RIM is going to do in an upcoming software update. According to Saunders, RIM is making this move to avoid creating a “chaotic cesspool” like the Google Play Store. If it’s true for RIM, are Android developers suffering from excessive piracy because of sideloading on Android as well? Could Google disable sideloading and see a new renaissance for apps?

Impact on Android

If Google decided to end sideloading on Android, it would certainly make it more difficult to pirate apps — that is not in dispute. However, it would also hinder quite a lot of legitimate uses of the platform. Amazon’s Appstore for Android relies entirely on sideloading, which is why some early AT&T Android devices did not work with Amazon. Moving to seal up Android like a drum would more than likely result in a lawsuit from Amazon.
We would also see fabulous things like the Android Humble Bundle go extinct. The Humble Bundle is a pack of games for Android and other platforms that is sold as a batch of standalone APKs with most of the profits donated to charity. The folks behind this initiative only recently added support for Android, and killing sideloading would be the end of that.
A great many users would also likely be perturbed by the elimination of sideloading. Android allows you to backup applications and store the APK files for a rainy day. Without sideloading, those files aren’t good for anything. People in some regions, like China, where the Play Store is often blocked also rely heavily on the ability to sideload apps.
App developers, both professional and casual, would be hit hard as well. With the plethora of Android devices out there, developers need to test apps on a few different devices at the very least. Without sideloading, beta testing in the community would be impossible. Already cash-strapped developers would have to buy more devices for in-house testing.
Android is designed to allow application sideloading, and changing that would likely introduce more problems than it solves.