MacMost: App Stores

When buying an app in the App Store on the iPhone, iPad or Mac, it can be hard to judge which apps are worth it. Here are some ways to quickly assess an app based on the information shown in the App Store and elsewhere.

If you are unhappy with an App Store purchase on your Mac, iPhone or iPad, you can request a refund from Apple. You can do so through the iTunes or Music app on your Mac, or through the Settings app on iOS. This works for music, video and books as well. You eventually end up at a special Apple site where you can request the refund. You can skip directly to this site if you know how. Apple doesn't always issue a refund and it helps to use this sparingly. You can also cancel subscriptions you no longer want.

When you buy or download a free app in the Mac App Store, you can load it on any Mac using the same Apple ID. You can also easily remove the app if you don't think you need it in the near future, and then download it again any time you wish. You load apps with the Mac App Store and remove them with LaunchPad. This makes the Mac App Store similar to cloud services from Adobe and Microsoft.

I recently discovered that when people search the iOS App Store on an iPhone or iPad, they ofter view the typing suggestions as search results. However, these suggestions, which appear automatically, only give you a few established choices. Tapping the Search button to actually execute the search will show you the actual search results, complete with images, descriptions and more.

If you are new to Mac you may not have had the chance to use the Mac App Store very much. The App Store is a great way to get all of your software since it is more secure, a trusted payment system, and easy to find apps you need. You can look at top charts, read reviews and search for apps. Any apps you purchase can be installed on all of your Macs.

Besides helping you find new apps to install, the Mac App Store also has screens that show you your past purchases and lots of information about app updates. On the purchases screen you can re-download apps you have purchased in the past or on another Mac. On the Updates screen you can read detailed information about updates and decide when to install them.

When you download an app from the iOS or Mac App Stores, you have the ability to then go back to the store and leave a review. Here is how to get to the review form. There are also some general guidelines you may want to follow when writing a review. Make sure you review the app, not the App Store system. If the app isn't the one you wanted, don't review the app based on your misconception. Also take price into consideration and don't use the review process as a way to get support from the developer.

In episode number 500 of MacMost Now, Gary Rosenzweig takes a look at the Mac App Store. After updating to Mac OS X 10.6.6 you can browse, purchase and download Macintosh software using the Mac App Store, which fundamentally changes the way Mac users get software.

Gary Rosenzweig takes a look at the new iPhone App Store and some of the free and pay applications available, including Twitterrific, AIM, Band and Super Monkey Ball.