Tag Archives | Mac App Store

Apple Speeds Up Plans To Ditch Boxed Software

Posted by Ed Oswald on July 20, 2011 at 8:46 pm

No doubt, the launch of Mac OS X Lion through the Mac App Store has garnered the lion’s share of the tech headlines today. But buried deep within that news was something even more dramatic: the discontinuation of nearly every piece of boxed software Apple currently sells.

AppleInsider reports that resellers on Wednesday received “end of life” (layman’s definition: we’re not selling it anymore) notices for several boxed Apple software products including iWork ’09, Aperture 3, and iLife ’11, as well as the Apple Remote Desktop and Jam Packs for Apple’s GarageBand product.

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Amazon Takes Apple On Again With Mac Download Store

Posted by Ed Oswald on May 26, 2011 at 4:45 pm

It’s almost like Amazon is doing everything it possibly can to be the biggest thorn in Apple’s backside possible. On Thursday the e-retailer introduced a Mac Download Store. Amazon says that it will start with about 250 game and application downloads.

While that may not be anywhere near as big as the “real” Mac App Store, the retailer is aiming to attract consumers through another draw: having software that Apple doesn’t. For example, Microsoft’s Office for Mac is available through Amazon, whereas it has yet to appear in the App Store.

“Mac Download store features an install-less download process where the customer gets just the product without any unwanted extras,” the company said in promoting the new offering. It also noted that all purchases would remain available for unlimited downloads for personal use — an important function for anybody considering moving away from software stored on optical discs.

I do find it interesting that Amazon didn’t call this an app store or an “appstore” — probably the lawyers told execs that it wouldn’t be a good idea to get roiled in another trademark battle again. Either way, it shows you that the retailer is serious about selling digital content of many sorts, in many venues.

If you’re looking to try the store, Amazon is giving $5 off any purchase through June 1. Use the code “SAVE5MAC” at checkout.

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Apple's Mac App Store Debuts Thursday

Posted by Ed Oswald on January 5, 2011 at 9:32 pm

With all the hubbub surrounding CES and everything non-Apple, chances are you may have forgot that Thursday will be a big day for Apple itself. As it had previously confirmed, the Mac App Store will launch — although we’re not exactly sure when.

Jim Dalrymple at The Loop claims that sources are telling him the service would become available at noon ET, and it will follow a similar structure to Apple’s successful App Store for its iOS products. The goal is simple: users will have a simple one-stop shop to purchase both free and fee-based applications.

No doubt many folks will scoff at Apple’s attempt to once again exert its control over the experience of its customers, but it will have benefits. For example, smaller developers would be able to benefit from the widespread exposure Apple would be able to give their application, while at the same time not having to worry about the expenses of delivering the product to the consumer.

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Cydia’s Building a Mac App Store, But Why?

Posted by Jared Newman on December 13, 2010 at 12:08 pm

The devil will be in the details if Cydia wants to rival Apple’s upcoming Mac App Store.

Mac Cydia will be available “within weeks,” according to Jay Freeman, who developed the Cydia Store for jailbroken iOS devices. Details are light at the moment, but Mac Cydia will likely lack the restrictions Apple will impose on its own store. (The Mac App Store won’t allow in-app purchases, demos, “lite” software or content that Apple deems inappropriate.)

It’s tempting to dismiss Mac Cydia as a solution in search of a problem. The main purpose of Cydia’s iOS store is to give iPhone owners a marketplace with virtually no rules. Mac users are already unrestricted in what they can download and install, so the purpose of a free-wheeling storefront is less obvious. But that doesn’t mean it’s unnecessary.

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