Attention, Mac shoppers. Apple’s Mac App Store opened for business on Thursday with a software update to Mac OS X 10.6.6, Snow Leopard. The store lets Mac owners visit, browse and purchase apps and media from the iTunes Store, just as iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users do for iOS devices.
The next major version of Mac OS X, Lion, is expected to have the Mac App Store integrated.
70-30 Split
The new store has more than 1,000 apps, including new apps such as Autodesk Sketchbook Pro, and features the ability for Mac users to download and install the apps in one step. Categories include Education, Games, Graphics & Design, Lifestyle, Productivity, Utilities and others. Selected products are featured under new and noteworthy, what’s hot, staff favorites, and top charts for paid and free apps, and functions include search and user ratings and reviews.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs said users “are going to love this innovative new way to discover and buy their favorite apps.”
Developers establish their own prices and keep 70 percent of the sales price. Hosting, store marketing, and credit-card fees are borne by Apple.
The company’s 30 percent cut could represent a substantial revenue stream. Currently, Apple is estimated to make as much as $2.5 billion annually on the mobile apps sold through iTunes. It could also increase the interest of third-party developers in creating apps for the Mac platform as it moves distribution, fulfillment and some marketing onto Apple’s plate.
Updates will be delivered through the Mac App Store, another innovation for personal computers.
Do Macs Need an App Store?
Although app stores for smartphones and devices such as the iPod touch have changed those devices into platforms, a pending question has been whether a store is needed for personal-computer software.
Phones have evolved from devices with which to make phone calls…