20.01.2011

A look at Apple's new Mac App Store

Two weeks after the launch of the new Mac App Store, we've taken a look at its current features.

How do I access the store?

To access the Mac App Store you must first be running Snow Leopard on an Intel-based Mac, and then upgrade to Mac OS X 10.6.6. This will automatically add the Mac App Store icon to your dock. Mac OSX Lion and new Macs will come with the store already installed.

If you use iTunes, then the layout will look familiar (and iTunes gift cards work in the store). As yet there is no wish list facility, which would be a nice addition. Also, unlike iTunes or the iOS store, there is as yet no provision to buy apps as gifts for others.

Easy to Use, and (on the whole) very User-Friendly

Browsing and choosing apps is easy, and apps are downloaded and installed automatically after buying. Pricing initially seems to be a bit varied, with some apps cheaper then buying direct from the developer, and some more expensive.

One thing to be wary of is the fact that you are only asked to confirm your first purchase; after that, purchases happen instantly with no confirmation.

However the store recognises that you've purchased an app so you can't buy the same one twice (but see 'Existing apps not recognised' below). All apps are licensed to you the user, not your machine, so if you lose an app for any reason - or replace your hard drive or even migrate to a new machine - you can re-install free. This also means that you can install the app on any machine you own.

As well as easy access to multi-Mac licensing, and no license keys to keep track of - your account with Apple is all you need, you also get the benefit of user reviews, and the confidence that all apps have been approved by Apple (although this does also have its downside - read on for more details).

Installing an app

When you buy an app, it is automatically installed in your 'Applications' folder and the icon added to your Mac's dock. There is no way to choose a different folder or where you want the icon to go. You can obviously move the icon from your dock - and you can also move the app from the 'Applications' folder and it will still work. However please note that it's not clear how this will affect updates so we'd advise not doing this presently.

Given that one click installation is a great feature, it's puzzling to see that Apple haven't made it as easy to uninstall apps. Dragging one to the trash will uninstall it but won't remove any support files - these have to be removed separately.

So far, and so good on the whole. There are however some problems with the Mac App Store.

Existing apps not recognised, licenses not recognised

First it doesn't always recognise your existing apps, and won't offer you upgrades on apps that weren't purchased through it. Here's why: if you already have a program installed (free or not) with an identical version number AND bundle ID to the version carried by the Mac App Store then, although the store will tell you that the application is installed, your existing license is not transferred and the store won't check for updates.

Transfer of app licenses to Apple's system not supported

Just as frustrating is the fact that you can have an identical version of an app on your machine with a different bundle ID, and the store will not show it as installed. There is no licence transfer facility. Combined with the 'instant buy' feature mentioned above this could lead to quite a few unneccessary accidental purchases. The silver lining to this cloud is that accidentally over-installing an app does not appear to remove existing data.

Developers cannot charge for upgrades

Developers have made initial offerings of concessions of up to 50% for all customers (new and existing) to bring their apps under Apple's offical mantle, but all this does is give a bonanza for new customers whilst not really serving existing ones. Add to this Apple's refusal to allow developers to charge for upgrades - meaning developers must either offer them for free, or regard them as a completely new app with no discount for existing customers - and you can see potential problems being created between developers and their customers.

No promotional codes

At present the store does not cater for promotional codes in any way. Nowadays this is such a generic feature of online purchasing, useful in customer relations or marketing, that the omission is puzzling. It's all the more frustrating given that it would be a great way to solve the upgrade/transition problems mentioned above by allowing developers to give existing customers the new Mac App Store compatible version of their software for free.

No 'try before you buy'

Another problem is the lack of ability to try before you buy. Apple's strict 'no demos' policy means that apps that are feature-limited or trial-only free versions of paid software are forbidden. Recent research done on Apple's iOS mobile app store showed that although only 1/4 of all apps were free, these made up 3/4 of all downloads. With many of these initially free apps having paid upgrades or special features, this is a successful business model and one that Apple seem to be deliberately ignoring the chance to get involved in.

Many app features, popular apps and developers locked out

The final major problem with the Mac App Store is that Apple's definition of what constitutes an acceptable app has left a lot of developers out in the cold. 

Given that Apple has shut down the app downloads section of its site as it launched the Mac App Store, this means that presently some very popular (and free) apps are missing from the 'official' selection. Examples include 'Growl' (a notification app that tells you when downloads are finished, emails are received etc), audio apps like 'Wiretap' (which allows you to record audio from pretty much any other app or hardware device) and 'Radioshift' (which records internet radio), and nearly all backup apps.

Apps that have their own internal update mechanism are also prohibited; Apple want all notifications to come from the store. The problem with this is that users will no longer get a notification that an update/upgrade is available when they launch their app, but only when they go to the app store.

Finally, at present Apple doesn't cater for volume discounts or bundled apps either.

It's worth bearing in mind that the iOS mobile app store started out with similarly stringent guidelines which were relaxed over time. However at present developers have been polarised. Some have already stopped making apps available directly from their site; others are effectively locked out. This may lead to two camps, and sites like http://www.macheist.com and http://www.macupdate.com shouldn't be too worried just yet.

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