What Is the Mac App Store?
Last week, Apple released an update to Mac OS X Snow Leopard (10.6.6) that includes the Mac App Store, which they had introduced in their
“Back to the Mac” press conference in October. The Mac App Store is exactly what it sounds like: a version of the popular software marketplace previously only available on iPhones and iPads that sells apps meant for your Mac laptop or desktop computer.
Some of the apps available in the Mac App Store will be familiar to iPhone and iPad users (such as
Angry Birds, which is currently the best-selling app, unsurprisingly). And the store’s interface,
as others have noted, is strikingly similar to the iPad's App Store. Still, there are some notable Mac-specific apps available, such as the individual
iLife ’11 applications (iPhoto ’11, Garage Band ’11, etc.).
If you’d like to take the Mac App Store for a spin and are currently running the Snow Leopard operating system, simply click on the apple in the far left of your top menu bar, select
Software Update, and download the
Mac OS X 10.6.6 update. When you restart your computer after downloading the update, you will see the App Store icon on your dock. Unfortunately, if you don’t have Snow Leopard, you won’t have access to this update.
What This Means for the Future of Software
While the Mac App Store is currently not much more than a way to enjoy iPhone-style apps on your computer, it very well could signal a significant shift in the way software is sold and obtained on personal computers. Think about it. The App Store is a centralized, trusted source of relatively inexpensive downloadable software. It makes it easy to find the software you need, and you know that Apple has certified all the apps as safe and meeting certain quality standards. Furthermore, it eliminates the need for the user to keep up with boxes, media discs, and product keys.
Of course, it's unlikely that the big-dollar software companies will put their offerings in the Mac App Store any time soon; it may be a while before we see Microsoft Office or Adobe Photoshop available for an easy and inexpensive download. But it's not hard to imagine that the App Store--and possibly other centralized store interfaces like it--could eventually be the main way we purchase software. It sure would take a lot of the headache out of the process.