why are they buying TLD's? why is anyone allowed to buy TLD's? This doesn't seem like it will bode well for consumers; .app seems like it would have a lot of demand.
I think the broader naming options are good to have, though they should have done this way sooner.
Trying to register a .com today and its just impossible to find a name that's already taken. most all you find are squatters. I know some people don't like the new ones but its necessary at this point - we're running out of room.
However you are assuming that if what you call a "squatter" as a pejorative didn't have the name it would be available and wouldn't have been grabbed prior to you wanting that particular name by someone else. Like a flower shop in Omaha or General Electric?
At least people in the domain business are in the business to sell domains. Every try to buy a domain that google or any large company owns? I have. Money doesn't even matter to them at all. They don't need more money, right?
I have a case now where I am trying to buy a name for a client that will pay $500,000 USD for it plus stock options. And the corporation that owns the name (not google but a company in the UK) has no interest at all in parting with the name at even those price levels. Part of the reason is that the people in corporate jobs don't personally stand to gain by selling the domain the money doesn't go into their pocket. So they aren't motivated by economic benefits at all which makes it particularly difficult to get deals like that done (although there are other ways for sure).
I think the broader naming options are good to have, though they should have done this way sooner.
Trying to register a .com today and its just impossible to find a name that's already taken. most all you find are squatters. I know some people don't like the new ones but its necessary at this point - we're running out of room.