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Apple Begins Accepting Mac App Store Submissions

i wonder if handbreak and mac the ripper will be on the app store :p
I hope better touch tools or w.e. its called for the magic mouse is on there... that is a great app, everyone i recommend it too loves it.
 
Westside guy said:
I don't see any advantages to push updates over the model many existing Mac apps use now. I mean, come on - currently you're notified of an update, and if you approve it the app downloads, self-updates, and relaunches all on its own. Push won't be any easier than that.
Click to expand...

Except that the process that you described happens when you start the app Which is when you need to use it. And must be repeated for each app. Having it updated before you need to use it is an advantage. Updating multiple apps in one step is an advantage.
 
I cant wait for this for the simple fact developers have gotten SHADY. its much worse on windows then it is on osx but even osx gets its fair share of "FREE DOWNLOAD" then when you install the app it does absolutely nothing unless you buy it. id rather know that up front and not be able to download it rather then deal with that crap.
 
Who's kidding whom?

ECUpirate44 said:
It will be interesting to see how this works out.

My main concern is why big name software developers would have any interest in the app store. What do they need an app store for? If they submitted their apps to the app store, all they would be doing it giving 30% to Apple. Why not just keep selling it through their own website?
Click to expand...


You're kidding, right? Have you ever sold software? And were your supply train costs really below 30% long term? I doubt it.
 
ECUpirate44 said:
It will be interesting to see how this works out.

My main concern is why big name software developers would have any interest in the app store. What do they need an app store for? If they submitted their apps to the app store, all they would be doing it giving 30% to Apple. Why not just keep selling it through their own website?
Click to expand...

The same reason they sell software through Best Buy, Target, etc. That 30 percent gets you in front of a ton of eyes. Aside from Aspyr, I can't name another software developer off the top of my head that offers downloadable software for Mac. It's also similar to Amazon offering downloads of stuff like Norton Internet Security. I bought that for my mom's computer and saved $9 going through Amazon instead of Symantec for a download.

It's also much easier for the user to go through the Mac App Store, which will probably look just like the iTunes Store, instead of through X developer's website. It looks more trustworthy since Apple backs it.

I would like to know whether trials will be available, and if so, how will they be done?
 
My practical side says that this will be good for Apple and developers. Developers will be able to easy distribute, sell, update their software, and the platform will be even easier to use.

However, as a long-time advocate of computing freedom I worry. What sort of DRM is Apple going to embed into the OS with this App Store? I'm thinking it must be at some low level, because we're talking binary code execution here. This isn't something like Fairplay, where a separate framework (QuickTime) does the encryption work outside of the main OS. Is this the first step to locking down the platform? Will Apple start keeping us from running debuggers on code on our systems? How far will they go?

I've always loved that we can run whatever code we like on our computers. I've always liked OS X as a platform because it is stable, well-implemented and secure. I'm concerned that over the next few releases, OS X might start running seriously counter to my beliefs when it comes to computing freedom.

Yep I'm a bit of an idealist. I just don't want one of my favorite platforms to be locked down. (Linux is the other.)
 
Monetization of effort

There is some very perceptive discussion on this thread.

I am excited about the Mac App store because I would LOVE to be able to pay for a lot of things that are currently freeware if it helped ensure that they were more actively supported and evolved. There is no way that this would not be good for the developer community in general and the quality of Mac software in particular.

There are a lot of examples being cited so I will throw one of my own out:
I can't believe that Rogue Amoeba's SoundSource is free - I use it all the time and would be more than happy to pay for something that has value to me.

How much? Well, would $10 help Rogue Amoeba support this great little utility better, and maybe explore some imaginative new ways to extend it's capabilities?
 
why would devs want to give away 30% of their profits? For the iPhone I can understand since iTunes is the only way to distribute your app but with the mac their are endless possibilities that don't result in a loss.
 
Michael CM1 said:
Aside from Aspyr, I can't name another software developer off the top of my head that offers downloadable software for Mac.
Click to expand...

Your memory may be faulty. :D Electronic download is de rigueur for all shareware publishers, of course. But setting them aside...

Bare Bones software such as BBedit is available as an electronic purchase. So is everything from FreeVerse. What else is on my computer... Codeweavers software is download-only. VMware Fusion and Parallels are both available to buy and download. Even Adobe and Microsoft have electronic software downloads available for at least some segment of their customer base.

Downloadable software is already getting to be the rule rather than the exception.

Back on topic - I really don't have anything against this idea of the Mac App Store, I just don't think it's going to be the smashing success the iTunes App store is. But, as I said before, time will tell. There are obviously some fans of the idea here... we'll just have to see if that's a majority sentiment.
 
Makes me really think about writing Mac Apps now.

I think the Mac App store is a huge equalizer for small developers. I hope it's as successful as the iOS App Store.

There are so many other ways to get software on the Mac, it's going to be an uphill battle to get consumers to develop an App Store habit on their Mac.
 
No new XCode build?

So is there a new XCode 4 beta? I was kinda assuming that there would be some new framework that Apple would require for the Mac App store. Is this not the case?

And will the App Store work with stuff like screensavers, widgets, iTunes visualizers? I'm hoping for more info for Apple, and not just information restricted to currently registered developers.
 
Mac app store is nothing but good. You can get easy updates, installs, devs are gana spend that 30% anyway plus get more advertising, maybe more free apps, easier way to find apps, maybe able to use iTunes gift cards if you don't have a credit card, your credit card is safe, more reviews, easy way to look at pics of the app, I guess you can say the app is "safe" ect ect. Plus you still have the current option.
 
A few quick notes ...

1. Credit card processing is expensive. Many Mac shareware developers use payment processing services like Kagi or Digital River that take 15-20 percent off the top anyway. Billing simplification and an easy to use payment systems (Apple ID) could be worth the extra 10 percent alone.

2. Apple's promotional marketing will be stellar. Besides the normal curated featured apps within the Mac Store you can expect future Web/Print/TV Mac ads that showoff Mac App Store applications --- "There's a [Mac] App for that.". If you're lucky enough to get featured, you'll be rolling in the dough.

3. Universal updates and push notifications are a huge benefit.

The major issues Apple needs to address with both the iOS and Mac App Store is 1) upgrades (or the lack there of) and 2) trial downloads. Hopefully, that's coming soon enough.

It's an exciting time for the Mac. Sales continue to climb, a new OS is coming and now it's getting an App Store. Glad to see Apple still cares about the "trucks."

The next App Store needs to be the Apple TV App Store (which Jobs pretty much confirmed they were going to do). I hope they're staffing up appropriately.

www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_37/b4194030216774.htm&t=1288782759
 
Hmmm

So the App Store does or does NOT include the downloads originally on the Downloads page from Apple.com???

Anyway, this is good for downloading free stuffz :D. I'll have to do some hacking to get it to work in 10.5 Leopard ;).
 
Plus, and I dont remember if I heard correctly, but I was also under the impression that once you buy an app. It is free for any computer that is connected to your itunes account. That is Hot! Though developers might not like that very much. But then will apple stop selling iLife family pack? There are certainly things to iron out but overall I like it. As for are they going to make it the only way to get apps. The worriers can just top buying apple if they do. I probably will even though I love apple, I dont think forcing an app store only model is right for the mac. BUT i do agree with it on the iphone and the ipod touch. I think its safer for everyone if there is a garden when it comes to phones but not necessarily for computers.



jaw04005 said:
A few quick notes ...

1. Credit card processing is expensive. Many Mac shareware developers use payment processing services like Kagi or Digital River that take 15-20 percent off the top anyway. Billing simplification and an easy to use payment systems (Apple ID) could be worth the extra 10 percent alone.

2. Apple's promotional marketing will be stellar. Besides the normal curated featured apps within the Mac Store you can expect future Web/Print/TV Mac ads that showoff Mac App Store applications --- "There's a [Mac] App for that.". If you're lucky enough to get featured, you'll be rolling in the dough.

3. Universal updates and push notifications are a huge benefit.

The major issues Apple needs to address with both the iOS and Mac App Store is 1) upgrades (or the lack there of) and 2) trial downloads. Hopefully, that's coming soon enough.

It's an exciting time for the Mac. Sales continue to climb, a new OS is coming and now it's getting an App Store. Glad to see Apple still cares about the "trucks."

The next App Store needs to be the Apple TV App Store (which Jobs pretty much confirmed they were going to do). I hope they're staffing up appropriately.

www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_37/b4194030216774.htm&t=1288782759
Click to expand...
 
To people complaining about the 30% you need to realize that the developers will now not put up for the cost of bandwidth, credit card processing and more. Credit card processing alone will run you a good bit, plus your time to design/create/test the order forms. 30% off the top does sound high but it's going to be the price to pay to be if you want to be in the ballgame.

ethana said:
You're obviously not a developer (no offense intended, just a statement). Developers currently have to code into their apps the update mechanisms you talk about, which is a lot of overhead. Plus they have to keep the servers up that do these updates.

With the Mac App Store, it's all built in. It takes it out of the developers hands and gives them more time for real coding, thus more features quicker, resulting in more satisfied customers, higher revenues, and less expenses.

...

Ethan
Click to expand...

You obviously have never seen or heard of Sparkle. There is basically no reason for developers to code in their own update "mechanisms". Setting up should take you little time.

http://sparkle.andymatuschak.org/
 
ECUpirate44 said:
It will be interesting to see how this works out.

My main concern is why big name software developers would have any interest in the app store. What do they need an app store for?
Click to expand...

They don't.

However for every big name software company, whose web site you know about, and whom customers trust with their credit card number, there are probably hundreds of smart Mac developers who, rounded to the nearest percent, 0% of Mac users have heard of, and why would joe consumer give someone they haven't heard of their credit card number.

However most Mac users have heard of the iTunes App store, look there to find apps written by people they've never heard of, and iTunes already has over 100 million of their credit card numbers on file. Just hit the buy button 1 more time, like that last Taylor Swift song they just purchased on a whim.

That puts those 100X more developers in business for only a 30% cut out of the sales price (rather than these same 100's of developers getting 92% to 100% of nearly nothing).

Nothing to do with the big Mac software companies... yet.
 
I was surprised at the 30% split, but reading the posts from people who obviously know more about selling software, I'm really excited for this. There will be another Mac myth gone; the one about Macs having no software.

Imagine booting up your Mac for the first time and having access to a bunch of high quality apps sorted by category according to your needs. Don't forget the reviews, easy payment, and easy updates.. Many first-time Mac users don't know where to get apps for Macs and this will solve that. Pretty revolutionary if you ask me.
 
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I'm totally going to submit a flashlight app :)
 
This will be huge. Maybe not as explosively successful as the current App store, as it is central to Apple computer users as opposed to solely iPod/iPhone/iPad users, but huge. Symbolically this represents another big step towards cloud computing as a whole, which you can bet your skinjob's left arm is the future of modern technological living on just about every conceivable level.

You can buy your computer online, get it in the mail, buy your software for the computer via Mac App Store, get your updates as they become available online from Mac App Store. Almost no interaction needed on the user end for content delivery and refreshing, all delivered from a central hub. Might sound a little dystopian in one way, but in another it's really friggin' awesome when you want it fast, easy, and now.

My only concern is that for the developers, who, as time goes on, may find it increasingly difficult to stand out amid the aforementioned 1000 fart apps that low-brow devs looking to make a quick buck often get approved. That's not to say small dev's don't deserve a spotlight, but I would really like to see an overhaul of how apps are organized, and allow for a better user experience when searching for legitimate and finely crafted apps. The current system works OK on the existing App Store, but I can't help but feel annoyed at how many embarrassingly cheap still-birthed apps make it on to the "what's hot" pages. I suspect over time categorization and closer analysis of apps will be a focus for Apple as they move further into their role as a major retailer.
 
I can't wait for this. Finding and installing things will be done so much quicker and easier. That and launch pad have me excited for Lion (though I guess the MAS isn't really Lion...)
 
hope it is REALLY SOON.... steve said WITHIN 90 days....so could be any day now.....although i dont see it coming earlier than december-ish
 
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