When Steve Jobs announced that the Mac would get its own App Store during the Back to the Mac event on Wednesday, it likely caused many Mac fans and owners to rejoice. With the popularity of the iOS App Store among owners of portable devices such as the iPod Touch, iPhone, and iPad, it was only a matter of time until the Mac had a marketplace of its own.

The announcement of the upcoming App Store is icing on the cake for the Mac. As reported last week by IDC, Apple recently jumped into third place in the U.S. PC market behind HP and Dell, and it holds a 10.6 percent market share. As he spoke at the Back to the Mac event, Apple's COO Tim Cook stated that the Mac currently has 50 million users across the globe, and it had 14 million units sold during the fiscal year of 2010. That number is triple the amount sold five years ago. During the last quarter alone, Mac sales grew 27 percent, a rate 2.5 times greater than the market.

As for when the Mac App Store will come to fruition, Jobs stated that it should be ready in 90 days, which falls around the end of January 2011. Once available, Mac users running OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard will be able to use the store. Later on in the summer of 2011, the App Store should be compatible with the Mac OS X 10.7 Lion. The Mac App Store will supposedly provide a user experience similar to that of the iOS App Store. Mac owners can look forward to browsing through lists of the most popular apps, as well as sections for apps that are free or must be purchased.

Apple is offering a 30/70 revenue split with app developers, which number somewhere in the proximity of 600,000. Those interested in developing new apps to be distributed throughout the store will have to follow guidelines similar to those used with the iOS App Store. Developers cannot replicate apps already made by Apple, they cannot use private APIs, and they cannot include any defamatory language or pornography. They must also develop apps that are not prone to crashes. 

Developers looking to create apps just for the sake of doing so have been warned to abstain from developing apps that fall under the category of “not very useful.”  Other things that Mac apps will not be able to do include: leave a shortcut on the desktop, download to the dock, present a licensing screen when started, require license keys, mention other computing platforms, and more.

Luckily, Mac users will not be saddled with as many restrictions as developers when it comes to the new App Store. Jobs noted that software can be purchased and installed onto the Mac in a variety of ways, and not just through the App Store. Jobs did claim, however, that it was the best way to do so. Users will be able to install software from the Internet, a CD, or via USB key.

For more, visit http://news.cnet.com/8301-31021_3-20020401-260.html?tag=cnetRiver

DISCLAIMER: The content provided in this article is not warranted or guaranteed by Developer Shed, Inc. The content provided is intended for entertainment and/or educational purposes in order to introduce to the reader key ideas, concepts, and/or product reviews. As such it is incumbent upon the reader to employ real-world tactics for security and implementation of best practices. We are not liable for any negative consequences that may result from implementing any information covered in our articles or tutorials. If this is a hardware review, it is not recommended to open and/or modify your hardware.

More Hardware News Articles
More By wubayou

blog comments powered by Disqus