Mac App Store Some Things You May Have Missed

David W. Martin (6:22 pm PDT, Jan 06 2011)

Apple has opened the Mac App Store today ushering a new era for Mac software distribution. It is an interesting new way to get software for your Mac in a way many of you are already used to using for the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.

It’s not perfect, but neither was the iTunes App Store for iOS. I’m sure that it will improve with time. I took a look through the Mac App Store today and I want to share some things about the new Mac App Store that you may have missed.

Free and Paid Apps, Some Issues

There are a plethora of free apps and one of the first ones to take a look at is the new Twitter application, which is the v2.0 of Tweetie that everyone has been waiting for since nearly the beginning of last year. I’ll have a review up about it later.

Of course there are paid apps, like Angry Birds which looks great on a big screen. However, there seem to be problems reported in user comments with Angry Birds — so you might want to keep an eye on its status before purchasing it.

RapidWeaver users also reported problems after purchasing it in the Mac App Store per an article on TUAW. However, it looks like a fix has already been submitted for it and it is already available to download and install.

No Trial Versions

The Mac App Store doesn’t contain trial versions of any applications — you have to go to the developers own website to obtain a trail version. This is true even for Apple software and iWork ’09 is an example of that.

Subtle Change to Apple Menu

The venerable “Mac OS X Software” on the Apple menu at the top left side of your screen has been replaced with “App Store. ” Selecting this option launches the Mac App Store application on a Mac updated to Mac OS X 10.6.6.

Check Your Purchases

If you launch the Mac App Store application and click “Purchases” you’ll see a complete list of applications you have purchased whether you paid for them or not. Their status will be listed – usually as “Installed.” If you drag an application to the Trash the button changes to “Install” giving you a quick and easy way to re-install applications on your Mac.

Application Icons Added to Dock

When applications are installed they are automatically added to the Finders Dock. If you don’t want them on their simply drag the applications Dock icon to the desktop and let go. It will be removed from the Dock. If you change your mind later and want it back in the Dock you’ll have to drag the application icon from the Applications folder to the Dock.

Application Finder for New File Types

If Mac OS X cannot find an application to open a particular file type you’ll see this dialog if you double-click the file that doesn’t already have an application associated with it. You’ll be given the option to choose an application to open it with or search the Mac App Store for an application that supports this new file type.

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19 comments »

imajoebob
Here’s something else you may have missed: Steve Jobs giving you the finger!
Got a computer with a PowerPC processor? FU!
Got an Intel running Leopard (10.5)? FU!!
Don’t want to pay 30 bucks for the privilege of giving your money to Steve (Snow Leopard)? FU!!!
Why does Jobs think its a great marketing strategy to abandon your legacy users when introducing new features? I understand why i can’t run Snow Leopard on my G4. But why can’t i access the “amazing” features Apple added to Safari and iTunes in the last couple years? Why can’t I PAY FOR MAC APPS? Why can’t developers sell PPC-compatible Mac Apps?
I was certain this was the year I would be trading in my PowerBook for a MacBook Pro. But considering the approximate 5/6-year life cycle for Apple platforms, and Cupertino cutting off development about a week after introducing new products, I have a real fear of being stuck with a very expensive white elephant. I think I may have to wait until (at least) 2012.

Zturn
because then the developer would have to make a ppc a 10.5 and a 10.6 version of the app then everytime you wanted to download you would have to see if it was compatible and if it wasnt you would do anther hissy fit and so they cut out all that so it just works you want it no need to check to see if it works it just does and your crying over paying 30 bucks for the 10.6 upgrade? it was 200 bucks when win 7 came out to “fix” vista so i will be happy to only have to pay 30 bucks for the next evolution of OSX i think it is a great deal!

imajoebob
No, a developer can simply make a Universal Binary. Or just make a version that works for PPCs. Right now they can ONLY make versions for Intel and ONLY for Snow Leopard. What if I have an app that can work on almost every Mac made since 2000? Apple won’t let me sell it! What if I have apps I wrote a few years ago for my G4/G5 that I think a lot of other users would like? Steve says I – and they – can go to hell, we’re not good enough for him. YOU’RE 5 bucks for Angry Birds is fine with him, but my 5 bucks is crap?
And it’s not 30 bucks to upgrade to Snow Leopard. It’s $1,030, plus another grand or so to upgrade the rest of my software, since the damned Snow Leopard won’t run on PPC. Win 7 was a full version upgrade, Snow Leopard was an interim update, and the first time Apple ever charged for that – they basically removed Universal Binary code and charged you extra for the privilege. And even if you didn’t want to or need to upgrade, now you have to. If you want to make FULL USE of your $4,000 Mac Pro you bought just over a year ago, you have to pay Jobs ANOTHER 30 bucks for the “privilege” of buying applications from Apple. Even though every other piece of software is 10.5 compatible, you have to pay extra to buy Mac Apps?
It’s a sham and a shame. Every time Jobs comes out with his latest “amazing” announcement he screws a bunch of long-time users, simply because they don’t want or need to throw away a perfectly good (and not very cheap) computer. The Reality Distortion Field is wearing quite thin.

http://ObamaPacman.com ObamaPacman
How clueless.
Mac App Store supports 5 years of recent intel macs. Too cheap to get Snow Leopard? You are probably too cheap to pay developers a few dollars.

dboy
++ 1
imajoebob
Steve doesn’t seem to mind me spending money on iTunes. So why won’t he let me spend it on my PowerBook? If Apple suddenly stopped selling iTunes to anyone with a player older than classic they’d burn Cupertino to the ground. But it’s okay to treat the customers WHO SAVED HIS COMPANY like crap?

http://www.technovia.co.uk Ian Betteridge
First of all, imajoebob, the last PowerPC Mac shipped nearly five years ago. I don’t think it’s unreasonable for Apple to have stopped supporting PowerPC with new OS releases and features. And when you calm down a little, I don’t actually think you think it either.
But I’m not sure why you think that Apple shouldn’t be able to charge for new features, or to use new software releases as a tempting little morsel to encourage you to update your hardware. Remember, Apple makes the vast majority of its money on hardware, not software sales. It’s not like you’re suddenly getting a bad experience by having to use Leopard rather than Snow Leopard, or having to buy your apps in the traditional way. Yes, you’re missing out on what some would argue is a better way to buy software (some wouldnt’ agree), but it’s not like your Mac is suddenly incapable of doing what it’s always done.
Finally, I think you’re underestimating the complexity for developers of supporting older OS versions. Apple consistently adds new APIs to new OS versions. For example, Snow Leopard added Grand Central Dispatch and OpenCL. If you’re a developer and want to take advantage of those technologies, in order to maintain backwards-compatibility you also have to ensure that your application works well *without* them – increasing the testing and code writing you need to do. And the further back you go in terms of OS versions, the worse and more complex that becomes.
The release of the Mac App Store is a great chance for Apple to encourage developers to make 10.6 the baseline target for development – and that’s something that benefits Apple, developers AND in the long-term the customers too. Apple wants to avoid getting into the situation that used to be the case with Windows development, where devs had to build apps which worked on Windows 3 because people didn’t upgrade regularly, and so missed out on creating apps which took full advantage of new technologies in Win95 and beyond.

imajoebob
Bull. I’m not asking that Apple continue to develop PPC software, just that they stop treating us like Windows buyers. We’re invisible to Jobs. He doesn’t appear to care a rat’s ass about anybody or anything that hasn’t bought a new computer (or phone or iPod) less than two years ago.
I’m not saying Apple should write software for my computer, I just want to be able to buy software others have written. It’s not that it can’t be done, it’s not that people don’t want to do it. Jobs simply won’t allow it. Unless you’ve spent at LEAST $1,000 on Apple in the last 3 years, Jobs doesn’t want to know you.
Some customer service.

Hubert Kunnemeyer
When you make a purchase the animation from the store window to the dock is really cool. It just flies out of the window and into the dock, It’s brilliant.
Mitchell
Just another note about having the options to search for an app that can open a certain extension. Even if you don’t have a file with that specific extension, you can just search in the search bar “extension:jpeg” (as an example) and it will bring up the apps that can open it.
designgurl
@zturn u also need to remember a G4 cant run snow leopard because u have to have an intel chip. So u can always upgrade. I tried going from tiger to leopard on my G4 and it ran so bafly i had to uninstal and eventually buy a mac with snowleopard just to run the latest programs.

chris
So yes, even the P4 (circa 2003-2004) I use at my basement for MUSIC is able to run Win7 and the latest programs.

king
I understand how people are upset
and given mac’s long life due to hardware+software quality
if Apple won’t support it , it will be soon obsolete killing that advantage of owning(paying for) a mac.
On the other hand,
I think Apple is trying to kill all the PPC computers as fast as they could, I don’t know why but that is how they want it. Its amazing how my 2002 iMac is considered “dead”, they won’t support it. Its really not that old. They stopped supporting it back in 2009.
Any how, its only Apple’s nature to quit on technology, remember when they killed the floppy disc in 98? The original iPhone which is like only 3 years old is already considered like a “classic”
http://www.ricklindeman.nl romanista
i just bought a new powerbook, after 7 years with an imac g4, only last year i really began feeling it was too slow (for youtube even) , and new updates didn’t work and had to replace it.. it was really time to move on, and this first into the traject.. I can understand the frustration (especially with apple doing weird things as not letting you upgrade itunes, so you can’t update you iphone, which should be seperate thing.), but in 2011 it will be 6 years since the transition..
moritz
i would like to know where the family version of the Apple apps are: do I have to buy the same application for every machine I have?
miguel_a
Sorry Cupertino, Mac App Store = FAIL!
Alex
I’d like the point out that there ARE in fact trial versions and a developer simply has to release a LITE version like the iOS App Store. There are a few apps like this already.
haburep
@moritz
You only have to pay once. You can download to all your Macs. Even if you buy a new one.
flunkycarter
Also not mentioned here, is that if you want to delete the application from the Application folder… you’ll be prompted to enter your password.

About the author

David W. Martin has more than 20 years of experience in the industry as a programmer, systems and business analyst, author, and consultant. David has written for CNET's iPhoneatlas.com and MacLife.com he currently writes for CultofMac.com and BYTE.com. He comes to Cult of Mac's website with deep knowledge and passion for the all things Apple. Follow David on Twitter @david_w_martin.

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