An App Store for the Mac? I Hope So!
Eight months ago, I speculated that Apple would release a Mac version of its ever-popular App Store before 2009. The main benefit of having such a store is that it would provide a unified place for Mac users to browse and purchase Mac applications. The success of the App Store for the iPhone/iPod Touch has proven that this concept has great value potential. When do we think this store will launch and what, if any, barriers will need to be overcome?
Barries
Two words: approval process. Needless to say, one of the biggest issues with the iPhone/iPod App Store is the approval process for applications. Some apps get rejected for no apparent reason, others aren’t let in because they “duplicate functionality.” Needless to say, every single reason Apple has provided for not letting an app into the mobile store is flat-out nonsense. Looks like the FCC will finally put the screws to Apple and figure out what’s really going on. In either case, Apple needs to provide clear guidelines for those submitting application for approval/rejection. The same thing would need to happen with the App Store for the Mac. Seeing as how many developers already have their apps made, all they would need to do is submit them to the store.
Also, Apple would need to add a trial period in which users can test out apps. This is an element that’s – even today – severely lacking in the mobile App Store and its presence would be severely missed in the proposed Mac App store, given that many Mac programs cost a lot more than $0.99. Without a trial period, a user would not want to fork over $60 for an app he has not yet tried; moreover, the developer would not want to give his potential users that kind of experience. All this would deter developers from making their apps available in the Mac App Store, rendering the whole thing useless.
Timeframe
How long until Apple releases this beast? That’s the question to which only the C-level executives at Apple know the answer (CEO, COO, etc.) In my original post, I proposed that the new store would be out within 2009. We haven’t heard any rumors of it being in existence quite yet, so maybe Apple is keeping it a very tight secret. Perhaps it’s trying to fix the aforementioned issues with the mobile App Store first, then moving on to the Mac side. Maybe Apple its release will coincide with Snow Leopard (due in September, and be the “one more thing” surprise. Or maybe it’s not even in the cards.
One thing is certain, though: an App Store for the Mac – if released – would provide a unified place for Mac users to browse and purchase applications. Those new to the Mac would benefit greatly from this, since they are less familiar with existing Mac developers and their appropriate websites. One thing’s for sure: since the Mac isn’t a closed platform the way the iPhone/iPod Touch are, users would still be able to get Mac apps from whatever source they desire. And that would not involve jailbreaking!
Posted in App Store, Apple, Mac, iPhone
6. August 2009 at 1:32 pm :
TechNest Report – An App Store for the Mac? I Hope So! – Eight months ago, I speculated that Apple would release a … http://ow.ly/15K5uH
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
6. August 2009 at 10:08 pm :
Is an App Store for the Mac the next killer app from Apple? http://bit.ly/U99pA
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
14. August 2009 at 5:21 pm :
What you mention in the last couple sentences is, in my opinion, the key to the current App Store's massive size (or as most would say, massive success). The App Store on legitimate (non-jailbroken) iPhones is the only way to distribute apps to the public. If you want to distribute an app, you must give control over to the App Store first, whether you like or agree with their rules or not.
Certainly apple will not close the Mac and change the norm in order to insure the success of a new distribution platform; developers and the public would call foul to a much larger degree than the mobile App Store which existed from the start. However, I believe an official desktop app store would still be a huge success.
The thing that I love about the App Store on the iPhone is that whatever I download, I know what to expect. I can trust that the app will function as described (because it was approved), and be as reliable as the reviewers say it is. When I download an app from a developer's site, for all I know it could be a malicious. It's almost impossible to find even a single review about a young app. This intimidates the non-tech crowd. The app store concept also has other advantages you mentioned like publicity for lesser known developers. I wouldn't be surprised if an official desktop app store doesn't open its doors in the near future.
28. September 2009 at 4:33 pm :
Completely agreed!
I don't think Apple would lock down the Mac and make this proposed App Store for Mac THE ONLY way to get apps. There defintely will be outrage left and right from the community and developers alike! Having the app store on the iPhone from the get-go is one thing, introducing it into an already existing infrastructure us something completely different.
But over time, I think it's possible that this App Store for Mac will represent almost all sales of Mac apps just because it will be so easy to use (just like iTunes is for songs vs Amazon – both are easy but iTunes makes it a 1-click process).
(sorry for the late reply, by the way, we will be relaunching TNR soon with a different name and different content).