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Apple brings App Store to Mac OS X

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Re: Apple brings App Store to Mac OS X

#111

Post by slantyyz »

danilocampos wrote: post #21

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…

I see some potential negatives for developers (arguably positive for consumers).

1 - Price deflation. There is a bit of a connotation that App Store means lots of 99 cents apps. Yes, it's not the same platform as the iPhone, but people jumping from the iPhone App Store are going to have some preconceived expectations.

2 - Family licensing. You normally pay a premium for family licensing of a lot of Mac software. This is going to disappear as a pricing tier, so how are developers going to react, given item #1, above?

3 - Marginalization of devs who don't want to participate in the App Store. App Store will be a major way for users to find software. If you're not in there (whether by your choice or Apple's choice), your revenue opportunities could head south.

Having said that, I think the App Store is going to be great for the more non-technical users who use the Mac.

Re: Apple brings App Store to Mac OS X

#112

Post by tlrobinson »

danilocampos wrote: post #105
tlrobinson wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not so excited about this. Am I the only one who thinks this is Apple's first step in exerting more control over developers and users on the OS X platform like they do on iOS? EDIT: to all the replies about how you still have a choice of distribution on OS X: yes, you do right now, but who knows how long that will last? As I said, this might be the first step in locking down the platform. I don't believe this wil…

> I'm not so excited about this... this might be the first step in locking down the platform. Of course you're not excited about this. You're a brilliant nerd who founded a startup that invented a new programming language . This isn't for you. Or for me. Getting to be Nerd Jesus every time a computer runs into trouble is gratifying. We get to be important. We get to trick out our gear to do all kinds of goofy, custom…

Absolutely, I understand I'm in the minority. I just hope if it does happen there will be a suitable replacement to switch to by then (and no, Linux is not there yet). That means both hardware and software, since by then all Apple hardware will likely only run Apple software.

Re: Apple brings App Store to Mac OS X

#113

Post by lzw »

tertius wrote: post #39
Poiesis wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

During the keynote, it was mentioned that this was an additional way to distribute apps, not the only way.

It's like boiling a toad. Lets hope it doesn't go that way.

IT is amazing that I can't go a week without seeing mainstream FUD about how apple is boiling a toad, meanwhile the countries economy is just shy of "roiling" and half the people are shouting "Turn up the heat!"

Too much worry about Apple- which has been treating people well and going above and beyond the call of duty for decades, and no worry about the government which has just blown up the biggest bubble the country has seen and then blamed it on bankers.

Re: Apple brings App Store to Mac OS X

#114

Post by wtallis »

sshumaker wrote: post #61

There seems like there's one serious flaw in this idea. What's to prevent people from inserting malware into their applications? Unlike the iPhone, OSX isn't sandboxed. And there's no way Apple's approval process can possibly check for possible badness hiding in the compiled code. Unless, of course, they are building a special sandbox for these OSX apps as well. Which means that you'll have to write apps specifically…

How many malware writers are going to pay $99 a year to Apple for the privelege of trying to sneak malware into Apple's store under the guise of something useful?

Re: Apple brings App Store to Mac OS X

#115

Post by slantyyz »

mirkules wrote: post #58

Does anyone know if you have an app in the OS X app store, but you also want to distribute on your own, if this is allowed under the terms? Or, is it pretty much once you go into the app store there is no coming out of it? From Apple's business perspective, it would make sense to lock you in -- they probably don't want to foot the bill to advertise for you and then you go sell your software on the side full price wit…

We'll find out in 90 days.

Re: Apple brings App Store to Mac OS X

#116

Post by alextgordon »

mirkules wrote: post #58

Does anyone know if you have an app in the OS X app store, but you also want to distribute on your own, if this is allowed under the terms? Or, is it pretty much once you go into the app store there is no coming out of it? From Apple's business perspective, it would make sense to lock you in -- they probably don't want to foot the bill to advertise for you and then you go sell your software on the side full price wit…

There is nothing in the terms that says you can't do that, but that doesn't mean they won't add it later (I don't think they will).

From developers' perspective, this would severely limit distribution channels, and force them to give up 30% of revenue.

Or increase their prices by 43% just for the store.

Re: Apple brings App Store to Mac OS X

#117

Post by Tamerlin »

mkramlich wrote: post #96
slantyyz wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's a little too much FUD. With the phone, it was a new device, and in many ways, it makes sense to lock it down. The Mac has a 25 year legacy, and if they were to take away that choice, so many people would leave the platform. Apple might be jerks a lot of the time, but they're hardly stupid.

Disagree it's FUD. It's an intelligent observation or prediction of what this might be the first step towards. It's called the slippery slope phenomenon. It happens.

On top of that, it's an observation based on past and repeated history. Apple has a long track record of stabbing its own 3rd party developers in the back -- witness 64-bit Photoshop CS4, and what Apple had to do with it.

I know CS5 is now 64-bit on both Windows and OSX, but the OSX users had to wait an extra 18 months because of Apple, not because of Adobe.

Re: Apple brings App Store to Mac OS X

#118

Post by loire280 »

tlrobinson wrote: post #35
danilocampos wrote: post #21

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…

I'm not so excited about this. Am I the only one who thinks this is Apple's first step in exerting more control over developers and users on the OS X platform like they do on iOS? EDIT: to all the replies about how you still have a choice of distribution on OS X: yes, you do right now, but who knows how long that will last? As I said, this might be the first step in locking down the platform. I don't believe this wil…

On the other hand, streamlining the software-buying process and making buying software a regular activity is huge for the software market.

I'd bet there's a huge number of computer owners who don't understand or don't care to buy and install software. They get their computer from Dell preloaded with Office 20XX and never (intentionally) install software again. Apple is creating a market of normal people who impulse-buy software.

Re: Apple brings App Store to Mac OS X

#119

Post by slantyyz »

mkramlich wrote: post #93
malandrew wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No intelligent disgruntled developer is going to ditch OS X for Linux. OS X has 10-20x more userbase than all Linux distros combined. I'm not hating on Linux here, so don't downvote me for that. I'm just being realistic.

In the role of dev workstation, I'd personally be willing to switch to Linux, at least as a protest vote. As a target OS to sell software on, a pragmatic vendor would be less likely to abandon it, agreed. However, if in order to ship a Mac app, you not only had to only distribute through the App Store and also could only develop with XCode, Objective-C, that whole inane overly complicated bureaucratic software develo…

After their experience with the watchdogs in Europe on iOS, I think Apple's learned their lesson on attempting to shut down alternative development platforms.

Re: Apple brings App Store to Mac OS X

#120

Post by lzw »

lzw wrote: post #106
icey wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not suggesting it would be an evil master plan. I could easily see Steve Jobs deciding that the Mac experience would be much simpler and better if Apple reviewed all software that went on the Mac, exactly the same way he's decided that for the iPhone and iPad.

No, you're just spreading FUD, and it is a dead horse. One thing Apple has over most other businesses is a much higher level of integrity.

Speak the truth on hacker news and get voted down. Here's the truth: Facebook: promised your data was private so you could open up with friends, then made data public by default, allows friends to leak your data. now spreading data all over the web.

Google says "do no evil" yet arbitrarily punishes websites with ranking, cancels people's adwords and adsense accounts, and employes (apparently) zero customer service and has no interest in resolving any issues people might have.

Microsoft- do I really need to go over the history of microsoft's lapses in integrity?

Dell-- was making all of its profit via kickbacks from intel and failed to report it to investors, denying investors an honest accounting of how its business was really cratering.

I could go on....

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