Apple says that in 2018 it is "turning its attention" to the Mac App Store, bringing the desktop-based storefront more in line with the one found on iOS devices. The Mac App Store has been redesigned from the ground up for macOS Mojave, the company says, with a new sidebar that has Discover, Create, Work, Play, and Develop tabs.

mac app store macos mojave
Like on iPhone and iPad, the Mac App Store will have articles written by Apple editors to showcase useful apps and games currently popular on the App Store. This will be found in the Discover tab and include stories, interviews, tips, app collections, and more.

“Since its launch in 2011, the Mac App Store has become the single largest catalog of Mac apps and today remains the safest and best place to get Mac apps for users around the world,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “We are excited to usher in a new era for the Mac App Store with a beautiful new look, unique editorial content and emphasis on human curation that complements the ways people are using their Macs today.”

Users can still browse by Categories on a dedicated tab, and app pages now have more useful information like video previews and large screenshots. Ratings and reviews have also been made front and center.

mojave mac app store 2
The company also mentioned that later this year, apps like Office from Microsoft, Lightroom CC from Adobe, BBEdit from Bare Bones, Transmit from Panic, Live Studio from Snap Inc. and Houseparty, among others, will be made available on the Mac App Store.

On the topic of Office coming to the Mac App Store, Microsoft corporate vice president Kirk Koenigsbauer said, "We're excited to provide our joint customers with easy access to downloads and updates by bringing Office to the newly redesigned Mac App Store."

Top Rated Comments

jonnysods Avatar
77 months ago
Good. Its horrible right now!
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
coolfactor Avatar
77 months ago
Yay. Looking great Apple!
Yah, looking great, but let's make sure it's not just lipstick on a pig. The Updates panel has always been frustrating to use, with confusion around what is happening, duplicate listings, missing listings, etc. If they redesign, let's hope they are also fixing! Get rid of the web-based interface and go with a native macOS interface like the Software Update application from years past used to be.
[doublepost=1528144322][/doublepost]Yup, looks like lipstick on a pig, and nothing more. Still be a web-based piece of trash.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Janichsan Avatar
77 months ago
About time.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Janichsan Avatar
77 months ago
I am sure that this will be an improvement over the existing Mac App Store, and I love that Apple is giving more attention to Macs, but I worry that Apple is continuing making the MacOS more like iOS. It seems like many changes to the MacOS over the past few years to make the MacOS more like the iOS has either made things unintuitive and/or unnecessarily remove useful features.

I would like Apple to keep the two separate.
You obviously missed the part of the Keynote where Frederighi answered the question "Are you merging iOS and macOS?" with a resounding and unmistakeable "NO".
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Adam24 Avatar
77 months ago
I hope this isn’t exclusive to Mojave. :(
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Icaras Avatar
77 months ago
Yay. Looking great Apple!
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Delta Feature

Delta Game Emulator Now Available From App Store on iPhone

Wednesday April 17, 2024 9:58 am PDT by
Game emulator apps have come and gone since Apple announced App Store support for them on April 5, but now popular game emulator Delta from developer Riley Testut is available for download. Testut is known as the developer behind GBA4iOS, an open-source emulator that was available for a brief time more than a decade ago. GBA4iOS led to Delta, an emulator that has been available outside of...
iPhone 15 Pro Action Button Translate

All iPhone 16 Models to Feature Action Button, But Usefulness Debated

Tuesday April 16, 2024 6:54 am PDT by
Last September, Apple's iPhone 15 Pro models debuted with a new customizable Action button, offering faster access to a handful of functions, as well as the ability to assign Shortcuts. Apple is poised to include the feature on all upcoming iPhone 16 models, so we asked iPhone 15 Pro users what their experience has been with the additional button so far. The Action button replaces the switch ...
maxresdefault

Hands-On With the New App Store Delta Game Emulator

Wednesday April 17, 2024 12:19 pm PDT by
A decade ago, developer Riley Testut released the GBA4iOS emulator for iOS, and since it was against the rules at the time, Apple put a stop to downloads. Emulators have been a violation of the App Store rules for years, but that changed on April 5 when Apple suddenly reversed course and said that it was allowing retro game emulators on the App Store. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel ...
iOS NES Emulator Bimmy Feature

NES Emulator for iPhone and iPad Now Available on App Store [Removed]

Tuesday April 16, 2024 11:33 am PDT by
The first approved Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) emulator for the iPhone and iPad was made available on the App Store today following Apple's rule change. The emulator is called Bimmy, and it was developed by Tom Salvo. On the App Store, Bimmy is described as a tool for testing and playing public domain/"homebrew" games created for the NES, but the app allows you to load ROMs for any...
Provenance Emulator

PlayStation, GameCube, Wii, and SEGA Emulator for iPhone and Apple TV Coming to App Store

Friday April 19, 2024 8:29 am PDT by
The lead developer of the multi-emulator app Provenance has told iMore that his team is working towards releasing the app on the App Store, but he did not provide a timeframe. Provenance is a frontend for many existing emulators, and it would allow iPhone and Apple TV users to emulate games released for a wide variety of classic game consoles, including the original PlayStation, GameCube, Wii,...