Mac App Store, a new beginning?
I love to speculate about why companies do certain things and what that could mean for the future of their products and services.
When I heard about the Mac App Store it got me thinking about what direction it could ultimately go in over time. I see the Mac App Store as the beginnings of a transitional phase for software on Apples laptops and desktops, it will move them towards being more like a true consumer device like the various iOS based devices. I could see in the future Apple making it a requirement that all software be delivered via the App Store. In doing so this would allow them to better lock down OSX as far as security etc was concerned. By requiring every piece of software that runs on their system to be approved and then locking down the OS as much as possible it gives them the ability to provide a platform where the consumer doesn’t have to worry about malware or viruses. At the moment this isn’t a massive issue for Apple as it is, but as they keep gaining more and more market share they could become more of a target for hackers and virus writers. By starting to implement the systems now it gives them the ability to stop the problem before it starts.
The Mac App Store could ultimately give Apple a lot of flexibility to change OSX as and when they liked without breaking things for users and developers thus the requirement by Apple for apps to only use certain APIs and OS features. This could mean that the Mac App Store is actually the enabler of the holy grail for OS designers; not having to support backwards compatibility.
I think the Mac App Store will be interesting but I also think the knock on effects of it will probably be more interesting.
I think the idea that all apps would have to go through an app store is a dreadful idea. I mean, obviously web apps would be exempt, but if I pay a grand for a box, I want to be able to do what I want with it (without breaking licence agreements, hacking kernel etc). I think an app store can be a good idea, Synaptic for Debian/Ubuntu is very positive, it makes getting programs a lot simpler, but I don’t think it should be the *only* way of running applications.
The only reason for preventing non app store releases is to make support easier- for phones and perhaps tablets this is acceptable, but for a computer, it would be criminal. I wouldn’t mind non backward compatible changes as long as updating is optional and/or a VM style thing (eg win 7 xp compat mode) is provided, something which new hardwares can usually handle well.
I agree that for people like us (developers etc) that an app store only approach just wouldn’t be any good, but imagine if Apple just wanted their devices to be consumer appliances. Simplify everything as much as possible and aim at people who just want to do things in the same way they can with iOS devices but on a more powerful machine with a more traditional control mechanism.
I can imagine two product lines defined by the OS installed, one version for power users who don’t want restrictions and another for people who don’t care and just want something that works that they don’t have to think about or maintain and protect.
The ‘app store’ is likely to become a ubiquitous model. Mobile apps have proven the model through both the Apple and Android stores. Games machines have been doing this successfully for some time now with WiiWare, Xbox Live and Steam for the PC Gamers. Consumers (not the digital cognoscenti) find it a simple convenient way to get stuff and do stuff, its almost what’s been missing from PCs from the outset. Marketers love app stores since it provides instant gratification for the consumer making a conversion to a sale all the easier.
The up side for the average computer user is that it makes purchasing and installing software so much simpler with less of a risk or challenge.
The downside is the potential lock-in that the app store channels might lead to, and the potential to lock down machines to only run vendor approved software. The challenge for the IT literate is to influence app stores in a benign way if we can. Canonical’s recent development of the Ubuntu Software Centre is possibly a development in the right direction, in that its inclusive of the open source repositories along side commercial offerings. This may be an area that the Open Rights Group and the Electronic Frontier Foundation need to become engaged in the next couple of years.
The one hope I have for this development of the app store model is that through offering a channel for smaller companies and developers perhaps low cost ubiquitous apps might deliver useful relatively compact software at more affordable prices rather that the feature ridden bloatware that the large players currently offer.
I’ve been thinking about this app store a lot as I think it’s an important step for apple and for desktop computing as a whole.
As a die hard PC user and subsequent software pirate, most would expect me to stick to my view of complete freedom to install and run anything that I want, but having been exposed to the convenience, safety and control of apple’s app store on the iPad and iPhone, I find myself looking forward to the app store on the Mac.
As you mention, it will allow for a tightly controlled secure environment which will inherently be far more stable. Quality control is one of the biggest problems with the current software distribution model.
I also think that the resultant reduction in piracy which such a store would bring will result in a drop in application prices. I personally am happy to spend money in such an app store because I have been able to read user reviews first, I KNOW that the app is going to install and run as advertised… The apps tend to be very well priced… I automatically receive all updates and patches… And I have an instant online backup of my installation media for when my Mac crashes or needs to be formatted.
On a deeper more conceptual plane, I think this app store is the first move in a long term strategy to merge Mac OS and iOS into one single operating system. The new OS X 10.7 with it’s full screen apps is another step closer to an iPad like experience on the desktop, and with apple patent applications floating around depicting huge tilting touch screens on desktops… Who knows
Sorry for ranting on a bit… Just a particularly current and exciting topic for me
[...] after Apple first announced they were going to do a Mac appstore I posted the following article outlining what I thought they could do with [...]
[...] while back I wrote a couple of articles that contained predictions and suggestions as to where Apple could go with the mac app store. Well it appears that most of [...]