For all the convenience of the Mac App Store, sometimes buying your software directly from Apple isn’t the best choice if you want to get all the features and functionality an app is capable of.
Why? As the case of Bare Bone Software’s popular text editing program BBEdit makes clear, the devs of some of the best software on OS X have been forced to cripple their apps in order to comply with Apple’s Mac App Store developer guidelines.
As we posted a couple of hours ago, BBEdit has just made its Mac App Store debut, at its lowest price yet.
Users who click the “Buy” button for BBEdit in the Mac App Store may be disappointed after the app downloads though. The app has several limitations compared to a version of BBEdit purchased directly from the developer.
According to the Bare Bones Mac App Store FAQ (highlighting added for emphasis)
Are there any differences between the Mac App Store versions of your software and the versions available directly from your website?
Yojimbo is functionally identical whether you purchase from our online store, or from the Mac App Store.
In BBEdit and TextWrangler, authenticated saves (the ability to save changes to files that you do not own) and the command-line tools are not available in the Mac App Store versions, in order to comply with Apple’s submission guidelines.
For customers using BBEdit or TextWrangler purchased from the Mac App Store, we have installers available which will install the command-line tools in your system. Please note that these are only for use with versions of BBEdit or TextWrangler obtained from the Mac App Store, and are not suitable for use otherwise.
BBEdit command-line tools installer: download
TextWrangler command-line tools installer: download
Authenticated saves will not be possible in versions of BBEdit or TextWrangler obtained from the Mac App Store. If you desire this capability, please purchase BBEdit directly from us or download TextWrangler directly from us.
If you have already purchased BBEdit from the Mac App store and need support for authenticated saves, please contact our customer service department for assistance. We will require proof of purchase from the Mac App Store in order to assist you; if you include that information when you write us, doing so will speed the process.
If you are a software developer, advanced user, or administrator the missing features highlighted above are serious omissions from the Mac App Store version of BBEdit.
As a user who is all three of the above — dev, admin and advanced user — I’m glad I looked carefully before updating to BBEdit 10 via the Mac App Store. I would have lost the ability to edit system files or other files that I do not own.
It’s not just existing BBEdit users accustomed to these features who are getting burned here, either. New users purchasing BBEdit from the Mac App Store would not be able to use many of the defining BBEdit features that their peers speak so glowingly about. How confusing is that?
The lesson here is to look carefully before you buy software from the Mac App Store. Compare what the Mac App Store has to offer versus what the developer offers directly. In BBEdit’s case, the choice where to shop is obvious: straight from Bare Bones’ official site.
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, MacLife.com, CultofMac.com, BYTE.com and recently for aNewDoman.net. 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 or see what he’s up to now at davidwmartin.com.
34 responses to “Buyers Beware! Mac App Store Purchases Might Not Be What You Expect!”
That’s why I uninstalled the Mac App store. Because for the software to be in the Mac App store, it has to pass Apple guidelines. Meaning if I want to have the “real deal”, I just buy it somewhere else, because it won’t have to comply with guidelines. Plus, it doesn’t help that basically all the software I use, is not in the App store and probably will never be in there or won’t be in there for a long time.
No offence but this seems like a minor issue to me. Anyone savvy enough to need to change those files is going to do it from the command line, not TextWrangler. All the command line tools are downloadable for all versions just as they always were as well. I see this as more of a minor inconvenience. The sky is not falling.
THE SKY IS FALLING!
Dear Prof. Peabody:
In this case Sherman isn’t amused. Sure you can get the command line tools, but you are missing the fact that you can no longer edit files you don’t own. That is a big deal. Stay tuned for more…
Good concept, but 30% cut and guidelines is going to keep a lot of software out of the store.
tinyurl.com/2df4ccp
This is a small problem at best but another example of how Apple chips away at its loyal customers. They seriously hate them.
http://bit.ly/dI3hcF
30% cut and a huge audience, vs 0% cut and a tiny audience, or 80% cut and wide retail distribution with its many foibles. Is the 30% really that bad? Most publishers will sell more through the App Store than independently. The guidelines are also reasonable, and provide a measure of protection against malware and system corruption. Great for the average user, and dare I say most.
Why does everyone focus on that 30% but ignore the benefits compared to other channels?
Well, IF you can get your software in. Remember, you have to meet Apple’s guidelines, and if you don’t, it won’t go in.
That’s really the thing. Software has been kept out because of Apple’s guidelines or have been modified to meet the guidelines, like here, for example.
But not good for me… xDLiterally (quite literally) NONE of the software I use and need is available in there. Plus I’m able to get those stuff directly from the Software maker at massive discounts, so even if it was in there, it probably would still be cheaper to buy it directly.Plus, the software I would buy from there, well, I can get cheaper elsewhere.
I just p a i d $21.87 for an i P a d 2-64GB and my boyfriend loves his Panasonîc Lumîx GF 1 Camera that we got for $38.76 there arriving tomorrow by UPS.I will never pay such expensive retail prices in stores again. Especially when I also sold a 40 inch LED TV to my boss for $657 which only cost me $62.81 to buy.
Here is the website we use to get it all from,
http://bit.ly/Bid1st
NOW 100% WORKING
Wow, this is really good stuff to know. I had no idea App store apps would have these limitations via Apple. Thanks for the head’s up!
tinyurl.com/2df4ccp
tinyurl.com/2df4ccp
Whenever possible, I use the Mac App Store to BROWSE apps but then I go directly to the vendor’s site to purchase them. That way not only am I insuring that I get a full copy of the application without Apple telling the developer what they can include in their software, but I’m also insuring that Apple doesn’t rape 30% of the profits for simply pushing a little button allowing the app into the store.
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Yes there are guidelines for sale, and rightly so. Are these guidelines so drastic that most cannot comply, or is it that most that don’t comply because the producer feels incensed at the idea of being told how to package their software?
Boxed software has guidelines too, though they are usually physical packaging restrictions. The restrictions and associated costs placed on retail distribution usually leave most software off the retail shelves due to the extremely high cost of retailing.
The example of software kept out of the App Store almost falls flat. In this case, BBEdit/TextWrangler, the producer decided to live with the restrictions. Yes, it has fewer features, but those are not essential features. I certainly haven’t missed them. If you miss that feature, you can buy it directly. Nobody’s stopping you. But most users would never have found them in the first place without the App Store.
Why did BareBones put BBEdit on the App Store? To reach a huge new market at a hugely reduced cost.
Marketing, distribution, order processing, updating, introduction, and high-availability hosting are all expensive. In retail distribution, those costs can consume anywhere from 50% to 90% of the final price.
The App Store eliminates the need for all of those business processes, requires much less negotiation, and is simple to use. All for ‘just’ 30%.
Normal software distribution eats 50-90% in costs.
The software you use may not be available on the App Store, but why?
Please cite a single piece of software you can get cheaper than it is on the App Store?
Thankyou for putting it so well. As a developer and a consumer I find the mac app-store opens up software, lets me browse similar stuff, see what other people bought, read reviews all without leaving the app-store. If you consider Apple a publisher, then 30% is quite low.
Apple’s guidelines aren’t that restrictive: Don’t mislead your purpose, don’t be confusing, don’t be malicious, and don’t undermine the other three in anyway. It’s not hard to make an app package. Frankly 99% of software that failed to meet the guidelines I’d think twice about installing.
Finally a sensible comment on the matter.
Thank you for mentioning the consumer benefits too.
This has been known since the “Apps submitted to Mac App Store”-guidelines was published sometime last year. Why is this news?
A lot of the guide lines are about use of APIs and not doing sneaky backhanded things to the system. This is mainly to ensure that your app won’t break others and won’t be broken by Apple’s next update.