Mac App Store Thoughts
While I normally like to write about web development, I do have an interest in software development as well. Today, Apple unveiled their much-touted Mac App Store, an online store similar to the App Store found on the iPhone and iPad. I thought I would share some of my thoughts on the new location for downloading apps.
A Single App
It is interesting that the Mac App Store is a single, standalone application. It is not rolled into iTunes, but rather is more like the App stores found on the iPad and iPhone. I believe this decision to make the app standalone is a deliberate move by Apple to bridge the gap between portable i-devices and computers, a connect they hinted would grow strength with the next major version of OSX, Lion.
It is also cool that Apple bundled the store in an OSX update. This instantly creates a large userbase for Apple developers to target, much like how iPhone and iPad developers can target every user with one of those devices.
Pricing
One of the things I am very excited about in the new Mac App Store is the pricing of applications compared to their counterparts found in brick-and-mortar stores or on developer websites. Pixelmator, the popular image editor is just $29.99 on the App Store, if you walk into an Apple Store the purchase will set you back $59.99. Here’ a big one: Aperture 3, the big daddy to Apple’s iPhoto application, costs just $79.99 on the App Store, on Amazon.com or at an Apple store is costs $199.99! Thats a 60% savings!
Apple have also made their popular iLife and iWork Application suites available on a per-application basis. This means you can purchase just iPhoto or iMovie, or just Numbers or Keynote, without having to purchase the whole suite. Each iLife application costs $14.99, which means you actually save five bucks over buying the suite in its entirety (you do lose the iWeb and iDVD applications however if you go the App Store route). iWork applications cost $20 each, which means you undercut the suite by almost another $20 by buying the apps individually.
Ease of Use
I can already tell the Mac App Store is going to cost me a lot of money, because it is so easy to download applications! It works almost identically to purchasing an app on the iPhone; you click “install” and you instantly see the app appear in your dock with a progress bar overlaid. That’s it. There’s no dragging and dropping like traditional app installs. I can definitely see the store being used by novice users as it provides a simple and easy way to tap into the rich world of Mac software.
Closing Thoughts
All in all, I think Apple has done a great job with their latest release. The Mac App Store is going to change the world of Mac software, just like the iPhone changed mobile development. It is going to be very exciting to see how thing progress!