Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Apple to Sell Software via Software Update?

Originally posted by Analog Kid
I don't like the idea-- not in Software Update, or anywhere in the menu structure...

I don't want SU cluttered with things I can buy
Click to expand...

Erm, they just need to put it on a different tab, and there will be no clutter. Unlike a certain competing software / OS maker, I trust Apple to get this one right.

Plus, this move would counter one of Apple's main weaknesses compared to PCs - lack of easy, conviniently purchased software. (I.e - non-mailorder delivery.)

Regards, GulGnu
 
Re: S-UD allows downloads to desktop?

Originally posted by splashman
I didn't know that was possible. How?

I see a check-box for "Download important updates in the background." Is that it?

I'd prefer to have all the updaters on my system, so I don't have to download a whole gaggle of updaters if I have to re-install the system.
Click to expand...

You could also check out this page on Apples website.

(tig)
 
Originally posted by ITR 81
Do you have reg account or edu account?

I just checked mine and it's not listed as such but I do have edu account.
Click to expand...

I don't have it either. I assume only those who have purchased d/l sw from Apple would have it in their account.
 
Originally posted by Analog Kid
I don't want SU cluttered with things I can buy (especially with one click!). Software Update is a great tool, and supporting 3rd party updates isn't a bad idea as long as it's smart about what it shows me-- the current method of listing iPod and Airport Extreme updates that I can't use because I don't have the hardware drives me nuts.
Click to expand...

I think showing you all updates, regardless of whether or not you use/need them, is a good policy. You can easlily choose to ignore them if you wish.

I learned a while ago that it's a good idea to keep ALL parts of your system up to date so if you upgrade in the future, you're good to go and not scrambling around for older updates.
 
Another potentially bothersome aspect is 3rd party software that may be buggy or come with a "friendly" virus. I've always been impressed with how airtight Apple's Software Update is but thought to myself ("self") this would be a very easy and frightening way for someone to send in a Trojan Horse. Indeed OS X is secure, can be, but if you give someone the access rights to mess with your core UNIX underpinnings there's a recipe for disaster.
 
The problem that I see with this is SECURITY. Thats right SECURITY. We all know how M$ has problems with this since almost 99.9% of their apps have access to the net. Ex. Why would Word, powerpoint, and excel need access to the net?

Separate app please.

-backdraft
 
If implemented correctly this can be as safe, if not safer, than the current software update.

You would connect over SSL to the apple software server, which should be an IP address and not a DNS address which coul d be hijacked with a fake DNS server installed on your machine.

After this, you'd grab the software, which would have a SHA1 checksum (very secure checksum) and you'd verify the file against a checksum from a different apple server

The only way that anyone could install fake updates/software is by hacking the install/update server AND the SHA1 checksum server... which isn't very easy as long as the servers are secure.
 
I think that one problem with this is that it would make it very easy to pirate sowtware. You could just download the file to your desktop, make a disk image of it and include the serial. Unless of course apple makes the file so that it will only work on the computer that it is downloaded on or somthing like that.
 
Originally posted by rdowns
I think showing you all updates, regardless of whether or not you use/need them, is a good policy. You can easlily choose to ignore them if you wish.

I learned a while ago that it's a good idea to keep ALL parts of your system up to date so if you upgrade in the future, you're good to go and not scrambling around for older updates.
Click to expand...

I always had an 'Apple thinks this is good for your Mac, so just go for it' attitude. I wouldn't like it so much to have mixed with other software offers. Having the offers on a separate tab would do fine with me.
 
Perhaps the new iApp

Couldn't that be the new iApp that coording to Jobs is the one iApp 'noone has thought about yet'

Anyway, its sounds like i good feature that I'll sure be using.
 
I think it's a good idea, with a few caveats

I think something like this is a good idea, if Apple took certain precautions and steps:
Provide an option NOT to see the 3rd party updates in the software update (something akin to what The Evil Empire does - you can select what software choices NOT to see in the Windows Update).
Have some sort of certification for 3rd party vendors: a guarantee of sorts that Apple has checked the code/vendors software and by downloading the vendor's update your system won't get FUBARed.
Just my 1/200th of a US Dollar.
 
Don't like it

I don't like to see commerce creeping into my OS, leave it out, this is the start of something bad, and will irritate us just as much as all those pop up banners do.

no thanks, leave SU as it is, don't fix what isn't broken.
 
Originally posted by rdowns
I think showing you all updates, regardless of whether or not you use/need them, is a good policy. You can easlily choose to ignore them if you wish.

I learned a while ago that it's a good idea to keep ALL parts of your system up to date so if you upgrade in the future, you're good to go and not scrambling around for older updates.
Click to expand...

I just don't think this is a sustainable model... As the number of updates I don't need exceed the number of updates I do need, I will either need to download and ever increasing amount of useless patches or filter them myself and risk needing something important.

Either way, the hassle will become such that I'll check for updates less often.

When I install new software or new hardware, the first thing I do is check for updates as part of the installation process.
 
Originally posted by GulGnu
Erm, they just need to put it on a different tab, and there will be no clutter. Unlike a certain competing software / OS maker, I trust Apple to get this one right.

Plus, this move would counter one of Apple's main weaknesses compared to PCs - lack of easy, conviniently purchased software. (I.e - non-mailorder delivery.)

Regards, GulGnu
Click to expand...

I still consider the separate tab to be clutter, in the same way I consider banner ads to be clutter. I don't want commercials in my frequently used OS functions.

There's obviously people here with different opinions on this, and I may be more sensitive to to this than most, but I have a strongly negative reaction when I see the "Mac OS X Software" menu item while looking for something OS related in the Apple Menu and would have the same strongly negative response to such a tab in my Software Update.

Perhaps adding the tab and removing the menu item would be a net gain, but I'd prefer having neither.

Free updates to third party apps I have installed is a different matter-- and a move I would welcome.

I've got a bookmark to Apple in Safari. If I want to buy new software, let me go to the web store. As a convenience matter, I find this much better because I can seem more information about a product in a browser than the SU interface provides for.

And how many tabs would be required to sort 3rd party apps in a browsable way? One per vendor? One per genre?
 
Originally posted by Analog Kid
I still consider the separate tab to be clutter, in the same way I consider banner ads to be clutter. I don't want commercials in my frequently used OS functions.

There's obviously people here with different opinions on this, and I may be more sensitive to to this than most, but I have a strongly negative reaction when I see the "Mac OS X Software" menu item while looking for something OS related in the Apple Menu and would have the same strongly negative response to such a tab in my Software Update.

Perhaps adding the tab and removing the menu item would be a net gain, but I'd prefer having neither.

Free updates to third party apps I have installed is a different matter-- and a move I would welcome.

I've got a bookmark to Apple in Safari. If I want to buy new software, let me go to the web store. As a convenience matter, I find this much better because I can seem more information about a product in a browser than the SU interface provides for.

And how many tabs would be required to sort 3rd party apps in a browsable way? One per vendor? One per genre?
Click to expand...

I doubt you will find many OS without them asking you to upgrade this and that.

Almost all known software asks you to upgrade it from time to time.

If your using a computer your using a commercialized product.

If you had it your way Apple wouldn't be able to even put it's www. site on their.
Thats to extreme and would end up hurting Apple then helping it.

Extremism of this type hurts everything and has never lead to anything good.

I think it's a good idea. As it's not spam when you have the products on your computer to begin with. Also I rather cut out the middle man then have to pay extra for a d*mn box and printed materials.
 
Originally posted by Jerry Spoon
With download speeds on the rise, this makes sense to me. Save me a trip to the store and make it convenient. Just hope the interface is simple. Knowing Apple, it will be.
Click to expand...

ON the rise? Really?
Just how did you reach this conclusion? Current Broadband provider’s monopoly gives them little incentive to upgrade your speed (see 128 kps Upstream from cable). As more people use broadband the quality of service will fall as cable companies won’t see a reason to provide more bandwidth. It will be worse, not better.
 
Originally posted by ITR 81
h. Also I rather cut out the middle man then have to pay extra for a d*mn box and printed materials.
Click to expand...

I would rather have a box, even if the software is provided over the internet they will still bilk you for the cost of the box. I’d rather have the box because if apple provides payed for updates like they do iTunes music, then I’d have to back up all my payed for updates. What a waste.
 
Good idea

Well what a damn good idea.

I'm certain apple will do it right. Of course there will be DRM of sorts, only people who steal can see this as a problem.

It's not clear but I would imagine it will be limited to updates, not software you don't have installed. After all that's the way it is now, don't have keynote, don't see the updates. It's hardly clutter.

I spend about 30 mins a month checking for new software, and days sometimes waiting for it to arrive, bring it on apple.

What I would also like to see is the applestore selling software by download, this would need a different level of DRM than updates and apple would need to work with the software companies to make it work.

I'd be quite happy to download in the background even 1 Gb dl's would only take about 4 hrs, here in the UK they can take up to 2 weeks by our inferior postal service.

And finally, it's a jolly good green concept, no oil for disks, no trees for packaging and no polution for delivery.
 
Originally posted by Ibjr
ON the rise? Really?
Just how did you reach this conclusion? Current Broadband provider’s monopoly gives them little incentive to upgrade your speed (see 128 kps Upstream from cable). As more people use broadband the quality of service will fall as cable companies won’t see a reason to provide more bandwidth. It will be worse, not better.
Click to expand...

He probably has Comcast (former ATTBI customer); some of us just got the standard 1.5Mbps/128kbps subscription upgraded to 3Mbps/256kbps at no extra cost.
 
Originally posted by Ibjr
I would rather have a box, even if the software is provided over the internet they will still bilk you for the cost of the box. I’d rather have the box because if apple provides payed for updates like they do iTunes music, then I’d have to back up all my payed for updates. What a waste.
Click to expand...

I think they will still do both. Right now they are just giving the end users more options.

I'll be going sat. broadband sometime next yr..so I wouldn't mind getting upgrades via the internet.

Most I've seen with it is 400-500k down and 128-256k up.
 
"I think this should be a separate application or component and not SWU, though. Software Update is for updating system software, not an electronic retail store. It already does a fantastic job at what it is, so I don't want to see it being cluttered with extra features that aren't a part of what software update is there to accomplish. If Apple wants an Apple Store built into Mac OS X, that is great, but make it a separate entity and don't let it clutter something dedicated like SWU."

my thoughts exactly
 
Originally posted by latergator116
Sounds stupid to me. The software update is to update software, not to purchase software. If you want to buy software:a. make a seperate app to specificaly do that, or b: go to the store
Click to expand...

this would complicate things IMHO. The Software Update is a good idea. Esp if you can turn off the for pay stuff and just have the program do its job, for those of us not rolling hard with the 20 inch rims and the bling bling.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back