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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

#141

Post by JofArnold »

chc wrote: post #104
tlrobinson wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How can you say it's the least risky way to release a commercial product when Apple has the ability to reject your product at will?

My girlfriend has the ability to slit my throat at night without me having any way to resist, but I still think being around her is less risky than, say, walking across the freeway. A hopeless situation that is extremely unlikely to occur is less of a risk than a slightly-less-bad situation that is very likely. In practice, it seems like the difficulty of getting eyeballs and converting them into sales is generally m…

:O

Cohabitation: it could be fatal! Best to be avoided.

Re: Apple brings App Store to Mac OS X

#142

Post by mkramlich »

mkramlich wrote: post #95
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 disagree it's unsolved. Folks have been distributing and monetizing software for desktop-class machines since the 80's, just's fine, thanks. Been there, done that, have the T-shirt, and the T-shirt still fits fine.

Negative -1? Really? Voting system is broken. I recommend for the Nth time that only trusted admins be allowed to take any piece of content down below 1 point. Right now, if any particular user simply disagrees with a given comment, they have the power to penalize and reduce another user's karma. Not because the user said something rude, trollish, juvenile or "evil", but merely because they might disagree. That to me is a broken mechanism. Please let's change this. Think HN will be the better for it.

Re: Apple brings App Store to Mac OS X

#143

Post by mkramlich »

slantyyz wrote: post #119
mkramlich wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

I hope you are correct.

Re: Apple brings App Store to Mac OS X

#144

Post by scott_s »

danilocampos wrote: post #132
tlrobinson wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

I'm not so gloomy, though – I suspect that Apple will continue to serve us and mainstream users through some middle ground. There's money in both. Apple dedicated a huge chunk of today's talk, and consequently a huge chunk of development resources, to their creative tools. The whole bicycle for the mind stuff – this is very important to Apple's overall mission, history and perception. And in the end, being technicall…

As long as Apple wants people not employed by Apple to make software for their platforms, the Mac will probably remain a system developers find friendly.

Re: Apple brings App Store to Mac OS X

#145

Post by goatforce5 »

derefr wrote: post #130
goatforce5 wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The big difference being that the App Store will be preinstalled, and probably have a default place on the Dock and a permanent home under the Apple menu in the top left of the screen.

I'm hoping, but not expecting, that the App Store will replace Software Update, so updates to Safari/iTunes/etc can show up right next to updates to your own installed apps, and OS security updates can just be treated as updates to the (non-removable) OS "app."

Yes, I imagine so.

If you want to keep getting updates to Safari, etc., you better have the Mac App Store installed which will (coincidentally) try to get you to spend cash money while you're in there.

Re: Apple brings App Store to Mac OS X

#146

Post by jonhendry »

tensor wrote: post #91
JofArnold wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The difference is on OSX you have a choice; Mac App Store or adhoc/old way. Besides, Apple are being much more liberal re iOS approval of late - the old times are long gone except the odd mistake here and there. EDIT: I wonder if this will act as a proving ground for apple re dual App Store + adhoc distribution ala android market? EDIT2: I'm just going to come out and say it... At times I worry about installing rando…

You don't have to look further than iOS to see that yes, it is a problem. Charging developers a yearly fee aside, excluding apps that Apple is not comfortable with due to competitive reasons is a HUGE problem. Also, a lot of us who develop on OS X actually use the unix tool chain. Something like homebrew or fink just won't fit into the app store framework. Edit: that said, I do see the positive aspects of it. So long…

The App Store guidelines pretty much rule out most big applications. Just like the iOS guidelines, you can't download loadable code bundles, you can't use your own licensing system, your own update system, etc.

Matlab, Photoshop, etc, are not compatible with the guidelines, so unless Apple wants to do away with entire market segments, they're going to continue allowing traditional development and installs, with the App Store being an optional distribution method.

Re: Apple brings App Store to Mac OS X

#147

Post by scott_s »

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.

Claiming that data point 1 may be the start of the slippery slope certainly sounds like "fear, uncertainty and doubt" to me.

It's also worth noting that the slippery slope argument is widely regarded as a fallacy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slippery_slope

Re: Apple brings App Store to Mac OS X

#148

Post by nlogn »

qeorge wrote: post #56
al_james wrote: post #5

Its about time this happened really. Its an obvious idea, and could potentially be a great user experience. I bet Microsoft have their own within a year.

Incidentally, an App Store is planned for Windows 8: http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2010/06/leaked-windows... I'm still skeptical that MS can ship an app store with Windows and not run afoul of anti-trust laws. We shall see.

How would Microsoft run afoul of anti-trust laws? I could see that happening if and only if they made their app store the exclusive software channel.

Re: Apple brings App Store to Mac OS X

#149

Post by jonhendry »

hermitcrab wrote: post #129
protomyth wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the savings in dealing with credit card processing / paypal along with not having to maintain my own updates. Bandwidth / Hosting is not a small issue.

I pay PayPal about 2.5% for payment processing. For a full featured ecommerce provider you typically pay 5 to 10%. Hosting costs for a commercial software vendor are pretty trivial. 30% is taking the piss.

That's great until they balk at turning over a few hundred thousand dollars for whatever reason.

Re: Apple brings App Store to Mac OS X

#150

Post by jonhendry »

slantyyz wrote: post #107
tlrobinson wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's true right now, but who's to say that won't change in the future. You can't run apps on iOS devices without paying $100 to get developer certificates to sign your app first.

Apple actually lowered the barriers to entry on Mac devs. They recently dropped the price to the premium developer access to $99, iirc.

But no hardware discounts.
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