Skip to Content

Apple's Mac App Store Updating With All-New Design Inspired by iOS

by

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
101 months ago
Good. Its horrible right now!
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
101 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
101 months ago
About time.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Janichsan Avatar
101 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
101 months ago
I hope this isn’t exclusive to Mojave. :(
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Icaras Avatar
101 months ago
Yay. Looking great Apple!
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

MacBook Neo Feature Pastel 1

First MacBook Neo Benchmarks Are In: Here's How It Compares to the M1 MacBook Air

Thursday March 5, 2026 4:07 pm PST by
Benchmarks for the new MacBook Neo surfaced today, and unsurprisingly, CPU performance is almost identical to the iPhone 16 Pro. The MacBook Neo uses the same 6-core A18 Pro chip that was first introduced in the iPhone 16 Pro, but it has one fewer GPU core. The MacBook Neo earned a single-core score of 3461 and a multi-core score of 8668, along with a Metal score of 31286. Here's how the...
imac video apple feature

Apple Unveils Seven New Products

Friday March 6, 2026 11:48 am PST by
Apple this week unveiled seven products, including an iPhone 17e, an iPad Air with the M4 chip, updated MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models, a new Studio Display, a higher-end Studio Display XDR, and an all-new MacBook Neo that starts at just $599. iPhone 17e features the same overall design as the iPhone 16e, but it gains Apple's A19 chip, MagSafe for magnetic wireless charging and magnetic...
Apple MacBook Pro M4 hero

Apple Planning 'MacBook Ultra' With Touchscreen and Higher Price

Sunday March 8, 2026 8:05 am PDT by
Apple is planning to launch an all-new "MacBook Ultra" model this year, featuring an OLED display, touchscreen, and a higher price point, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. Gurman revealed the information in his latest "Power On" newsletter. While Apple has been widely expected to launch new M6-series MacBook Pro models with OLED displays, touchscreen functionality, and a new, thinner design...