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Apple brings App Store to Mac OS X

engadget.com

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Re: Apple brings App Store to Mac OS X

#21

Post by danilocampos »

This is very exciting. The problem of distribution and monetization for desktop software is significant and largely unsolved. Steam is already proof that a digital store can make desktop users really happy, but it addresses gamers, who are cheerful early adopters. Most other people who don't game only know this model through their mobile device, but now they're ready for more.

As for developers? For more than half of 2009, the App Store paid for my rent and cell phone bill. It helped me move across the country to the west coast. This was huge for me. I barely had to do much more than write code, design UI, and ship things. A huge chunk of the business of actually selling bits to other people was abstracted behind a bunch of buttons on iTunes Connect. This was such a powerful thing – I couldn't have had anything close to the moderate success I did without Apple's App Store strategy.

This is going to enable a new wave of great work for OS X. This platform already has some of the best shareware and freeware ever. Now that indie Mac devs will have an easy way to get paid, they'll be able to devote even more attention to their wares.

Re: Apple brings App Store to Mac OS X

#22

Post by goatforce5 »

tmlee wrote: post #13
mkramlich wrote: post #10

the big question is whether the App Store will become the only allowed way to get software onto a Mac. Anybody heard anything? If they disallow all the historical ways I suspect there will be an exodus of disgrunted developers, many going to Linux.

All the mac users can only hope not.. The fact that they have an app store is that we can see that Jobs is trying to pitch the Mac to the rest of the users as well... normal users wont be able to find apps online, they need a central location to do so. The thing that struck me was that, why is he doing that? Isnt the "iPad" meant to do all that, and leave the Mac as trucks?

I'd say that everything that was announced about Lion was targeted at happy iPhone/iPad users who have perhaps been on the fence about buying a Mac.

"The new OS X? It works just like that iOS thing you know and love!"

"Back to the Mac" should have been "Come to the Mac".

Re: Apple brings App Store to Mac OS X

#23

Post by jonhendry »

mkramlich wrote: post #10

the big question is whether the App Store will become the only allowed way to get software onto a Mac. Anybody heard anything? If they disallow all the historical ways I suspect there will be an exodus of disgrunted developers, many going to Linux.

Can't see Matlab or AutoCad or Adobe CS5 being sold through the App Store, and I'm sure Apple knows that. There's also lots of research apps and such.

Jobs mentioned that the store would be one way of getting apps.

Re: Apple brings App Store to Mac OS X

#24

Post by jaaron »

gcv wrote: post #12

1. I hope I can still build my own custom Emacs.app from source and install it. 2. I hope App Store apps will be sandboxed and prevented from polluting the system. 3. I hope Adobe switches to the App Store model, and that it will mean that the behavior of the horrific Creative Suite installer will finally be reigned in (take a look in /Applications/.AdobePatchFiles and check how large it is).

Oh, please, please tell me Adobe will work with the OS X app store. Adobe's updater needs terminated with prejudice.

Re: Apple brings App Store to Mac OS X

#25

Post by dailyrorschach »

tmlee wrote: post #13
mkramlich wrote: post #10

the big question is whether the App Store will become the only allowed way to get software onto a Mac. Anybody heard anything? If they disallow all the historical ways I suspect there will be an exodus of disgrunted developers, many going to Linux.

All the mac users can only hope not.. The fact that they have an app store is that we can see that Jobs is trying to pitch the Mac to the rest of the users as well... normal users wont be able to find apps online, they need a central location to do so. The thing that struck me was that, why is he doing that? Isnt the "iPad" meant to do all that, and leave the Mac as trucks?

I don't see a reason why they would disallow it at all, especially since they're launching it on 10.6.

And through their website Apple has long featured their own and independent OS X apps, this seems like a logical evolution. But not one that excludes regular power users, and savvy users, from using the PC the way they have for years.

Re: Apple brings App Store to Mac OS X

#26

Post by jcromartie »

gcv wrote: post #12

1. I hope I can still build my own custom Emacs.app from source and install it. 2. I hope App Store apps will be sandboxed and prevented from polluting the system. 3. I hope Adobe switches to the App Store model, and that it will mean that the behavior of the horrific Creative Suite installer will finally be reigned in (take a look in /Applications/.AdobePatchFiles and check how large it is).

I don't think the ability to do whatever you want with OS X is going anywhere. A huge chunk of Apple's Mac business is with developers (of all types) and power users. A move like that (point 1) would be utterly suicidal.

Re: Apple brings App Store to Mac OS X

#27

Post by rcoder »

iloveyouocean wrote: post #16

Will there be an approval process and what will it look like?

There's an approval guidelines document for the Mac App Store up on the Apple developer site now. It's behind a login wall, so I assume it's under the usual NDA, but if you're a registered Apple dev, you should be able to get it at the following URL:

https://developer.apple.com/appstore/mac/resources/approval/...

Re: Apple brings App Store to Mac OS X

#29

Post by jankassens »

mkramlich wrote: post #10

the big question is whether the App Store will become the only allowed way to get software onto a Mac. Anybody heard anything? If they disallow all the historical ways I suspect there will be an exodus of disgrunted developers, many going to Linux.

"Won't be the only place, but we think it'll be the best place." -- Steve Jobs

Re: Apple brings App Store to Mac OS X

#30

Post by JofArnold »

Aqua_Geek wrote: post #3

It will be interesting to see how well it does on Mac OS X. I doubt it will bring in the same number of new developers as iOS did, but I imagine it will bring in a nice chunk of new revenue for Apple and hopefully help some indie dev shops reach some more customers.

30,000 new OSX developers a month apparently... The iOS halo effect is pretty significant it would appear.
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