Five reason why Apple’s Mac App Store could be revolutionary

Apple has announced that it will be launching an App Store for its Mac computers on January 6, and as usual, debate and discussion have already started about whether it will be a hit or a failure. We have had our share of discussions with members of the industry and tech observers and based on these, we must admit that we are in the camp that thinks that the Mac App Store could be revolutionary for both users and app developers. There are five reasons for our belief:

Single source for reliable software:

We have been hearing people point out that there are already hundreds of websites from which one can download or purchase software for Macs, so why would the Mac App Store make a difference? Well, the same was true for cellphone apps, and yet every cellphone manufacturer is now looking at an app store of their own. The stark fact is that most non-geeky users (and even a lot of the geeks) love the convenience of having a pre-installed reliable app store to go to, without having to diddle around with URLs and wonder if the software might be harmful or is overpriced. The App Store will simply be THE source for apps for Mac users who want their app fix quickly and with minimum fuss – and most of them are like that. Other Mac download sites will not die away, but they will lose a significant amount of traffic to the official store.

Better availability of apps:

One of the reasons I gave up using my iMac (yes, I had one of the BlueBerry ones) by 2002 was the fact that I simply could not get software for it from the stores. Most retailers across the world give much more shelf space to Windows software (and with good reason – after all, it is the most popular OS in the world), and this often means Mac users get squeezed out. Yes, we have always had the option of going to the developer’s website and purchasing the app online and downloading it, but honestly that gets way too tedious. Having a single place from where to get most apps through a single login would be awesome for most users.

Lower prices, more experimentation:

The original App Store had a host of apps that were free and even more that cost less than a dollar, encouraging users to try out new apps and experiment. That is something we expect to see happening on the Mac App Store too, as developers will slug it out on price, with newcomers even offering free options. As a result, users who did not have the time to surf around looking for alternatives to their already installed software might be tempted to look at other options if they happen to be easy to find in a central location and do not cost a bomb. The hegemony that a number of apps have had in the Mac OS space could well be shattered by the App Store, as users will be more inclined to try out alternatives, thanks to their easy and relatively low-cost availability.

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More apps…:

Best of all, the Mac App Store is likely to see more developers getting involved in developing applications for the Mac platform. Now, we would not like to say that we support one OS over another, but we definitely welcome more apps for any platform, as it simply gives users more choice. The Mac App Store might not lead to the kind of app explosion we saw on the iPhone or iPad (the Mac is not as dominant a player as those two are in their segments) but is almost certainly going to see more apps come to the Mac OS platform, which in turn might lead to the Mac platform getting more popular, which is of course, why the App Store is being launched.

…And more app stores:

Just as the iPhone App Store made other cellphone manufacturers and software developers work on their own app stores, the Mac App Store is likely to spur other computer manufacturers and software majors to come out with their own app stores. We have already seen Google release the Chrome Web Store for Web Apps that run within the Chrome Web browser and HP, Sony and Acer are also looking at App Centers that will come preinstalled on their computers in the coming days. All of which will make it easier for the user to access and download apps, which can only be good for both users and the developers who make the apps.

Of course, we are sure that we are going to be accused of being Apple fan boys yet again by taking this stance, but we do think that the Mac App Store is a step in the right direction, not just for Mac users, but computer users all over the world, as it promotes the concept of giving users a single, reliable source of apps for their computers. There is bound to be lots of controversy about the parameters for clearing apps and so on, but then, in the long run, that should lead to other app stores and rebel acts, which is great for app developers and users, as they both get more choice. We are waiting for your app stores, Microsoft and Linux!