Tips for Mac App Store Developers: No Trials or Betas, File System and Custom Control Usage
Apple yesterday published a series of three updates for Mac App Store developers to its news and announcements page, offering several tips for those preparing their applications for submission to the forthcoming store.
The most important update for general users addresses demo, trial, and beta versions of software intended for distribution through the Mac App Store. Apple notes that developers should not submit these versions for inclusion in the Mac App Store and should instead distribute them through their own sites while limiting Mac App Store distribution to full retail versions of their applications.
Your website is the best place to provide demos, trial versions, or betas of your software for customers to explore. The apps you submit to be reviewed for the Mac App Store should be fully functional, retail versions of your apps.
Apple's other two updates point to sections of Apple's developer-only documentation, reminding those working on applications where to find resources for developing custom interface control elements that comply with Apple's interface guidelines and to make sure that they are properly utilizing the Mac OS X file system to store files related to their applications in appropriate locations on users' computers.Apple announced at its October 20th media event that the Mac App Store would debut for users of Mac OS X Snow Leopard within 90 days, meaning that a launch would be expected to occur by mid-January.
The company began accepting submissions for the Mac App Store one month ago and appears to be preparing Mac OS X 10.6.6 to support the store.
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Plus, why would you want your app on the store? Just do a good job advertising it. It will get lose in the thousands of apps on the store anyway. Then you dont have to give Apple a 30% cut.
This whole AppStore concept stinks. I hope that it fails, because if it succeeds, they will take it as an opportunity to completely lock down Mac OS X, too. Nobody should purchase software from the Mac AppStore.
And more restrictions imposed by Apple. But especially this one is funny: "[custom controls] that comply with Apple's interface guidelines". Well, not even Apple's own software complies with Apple's own interface guidelines. Requiring Third Parties to comply with those guidelines is almost cynical.
This whole AppStore concept stinks. I hope that it fails, because if it succeeds, they will take it as an opportunity to completely lock down Mac OS X, too. Nobody should purchase software from the Mac AppStore.
Isn't OSX already locked down?
I'm beginning to wonder about how useful the App Store will be - there are so many limitations of what you can / cannot, you'd be better off going to MacUpdate.com or elsewhere to get your wares, like at present.
Also I'm thinking this is a backdoor / psudo way of locking down OSX. Will be implied rather than explicit ( only if the MacAppStore is used so much that macUpdate.com becomes unused). So it comes a case of: If you don't submit your app to macAppStore, its just not going to sell because mac users won't bother ( read: too lazy ) to look elsewhere.
And more restrictions imposed by Apple. But especially this one is funny: "[custom controls] that comply with Apple's interface guidelines". Well, not even Apple's own software complies with Apple's own interface guidelines. Requiring Third Parties to comply with those guidelines is almost cynical.
This whole AppStore concept stinks. I hope that it fails, because if it succeeds, they will take it as an opportunity to completely lock down Mac OS X, too. Nobody should purchase software from the Mac AppStore.
Funny, heard this back when they announced it. Keep on rehashing the complaints.
This is great news for consumers. I fully support what Apple is doing to bring great, fully functional Mac software to the masses. Those who are tech savvy enough will simply go to the company website to download trial versions. There is no need to clutter the world's premier online software store with buggy betas and trial software.
Trial software is useful and can be a draw to potential customers. I'd rather try and THEN pay for software rather than paying and finding out it doesn't meet my needs.
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