1/7/11
11:25 am

MacMost Now 500: Using The Mac App Store

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.

You can also watch this video at YouTube (but with ads).

Video Transcript: Hi, this is Gary with episode 500 of MacMost Now. Today let's take a look at the new Mac App Store. There was a fundamental change yesterday in how you find, purchase, and download Macintosh software.You can now do this through the new Mac App Store. Let's take a look. 
So to get the Mac App Store, what you need to do is go to Software Update so you can make sure you're running Version 10.6.6. It's part of that upgrade. The App Store itself is an application. You can find it in your doc after the upgrade. You can also find it in the Apple menu right here. You must have Version 10.6.6 Snow Leopard in order to run the App Store so, of course, you must be on an Intel Mac, as well. You browse through the App Store just as you would browse through the Music Store or the App Store in iTunes. Here you'll see some featured applications, you can browse through things on the front page, featured by Apple. You can also jump to other pages. For instance, you can go to Top Charts to see what the Top Paid and free apps are. You can also go to Categories and jump to any one of the categories. For instance, Games or Lifestyle or Photography, Productivity. You can also click on Purchases to see the applications you've purchased and Updates to see if there are any updates for the applications you've installed. 
You use the same account that you use for iTunes to purchase applications in the Mac App Store. All you need to do is use the sign in button and once you're signed in, you can make purchases and they can be charged to your credit card. You can also use iTunes gift cards to make purchases in the App Store, as well.
So, like with iTunes, you have this little purchase button here that tells you the price. You can also click next to it and get a link or Tell a Friend. You can browse through what's available, click on See All so you can see here's the top free games. And here at number 5 is my own game - Gold Strike. So as an example, you click on that, you'll see screenshots of the game, some information about it, description, and reviews, as well. You can actually install it from here. If you already have the application installed, it shows up here as Installed. 
If you've previously purchased something, say you have the latest iLife or you have iWork, it knows these apps are installed and shows them as such. Same is true with 3rd party applications; it'll show those as already installed if you had them previously as well. However, I've heard some reports that this won't be true once the 3rd party apps update - that you'll have to purchase them again. It's too early to tell right now. 
So as an example here, let me scroll down and install one of the apps. Let's install the new Twitter app. I click on the button here and it will start the download. You can see it jump there, to the dock. If I go down to the dock here, I can see it's there, with a progress bar, and then it jumps up and down when it's installed.
So some other facts about the App Store, it should be available internationally - just about every country that Apple does business. It also is completely separate from the iOS.In other words, the iPhone and iPod Touch and iPad store. Apps purchased in those are not compatible with the Mac and vice versa. They're completely different pieces of hardware. So they have different pieces of software. A lot of developers are creating versions for both. 
The store contains both free and priced apps. Some are as cheap as $0.99. Others are more typical software prices, like $10 or $20 or $25 dollars. This also means that you can now purchase some iLife apps and iWork apps separately from each other. Previously you couldn't do that. So for instance now, if you just want iMovie, you can purchase just iMovie.
Probably the most important fact about the Mac App Store is that it's not the only way to purchase Mac software. You can still purchase it just as you had before. You can do it directly from developers sites. You can do it from sites that sell software and you can find them in stores - particularly from large developers like Adobe and Microsoft.
Some apps will never find their way into the App Store because the restrictions like on what the apps can do and what content they contain. So you'd still be able to purchase those the same way you have before. 
So that's a quick look at the Mac App Store. A fitting topic, I feel, for the 500th episode of MacMost Now. I just want to thank everybody for their support over the years. I'm looking forward to episode 501 and beyond.

Comments: 15 Responses to “MacMost Now 500: Using The Mac App Store”

Camilo Guadalupe-Torres

14 years ago

Thanks for all your effort and disposition!!

Lynn

14 years ago

Once you have the app in your dock, how do you get it out of the dock? If I purchased, let us say, 2 apps, my dock would be on overload. Where do you store these apps other than the dock?

Gary Rosenzweig

14 years ago

The app is really in your Applications folder. The Dock only contains an alias to the app. You can simply drag the alias up and out of the Dock to remove it. The app itself remains in the Applications folder, it is only the alias that has been removed.
You can then launch it any number of ways such as going to your Applications folder and double-clicking on it. Or, using Spotlight to launch it. See episode 436: http://macmost.com/17-ways-to-launch-an-application-in-mac-os-x.html

Peter Dahl

14 years ago

I've been wanting to relay this for some time, and this seems to be the perfect occasion:

Thanks for some truly great content. As a rather new Mac user your to-the-point and no-nonsense videos are just what the doctor ordered. Very useful and greatly appreciated. Looking forward to the next 500 videos as well!

Gary Rosenzweig

14 years ago

Thanks!

biLL

14 years ago

yeS! you aRe a BLessing to/4 MAC Lovers eVerywheRe...

Albert777

14 years ago

Love the app store and Gold Strike!! thanks for all you do!!
One glitch I did notice is when you download an app from the store it won't let you change the icon like you could before (copy.png, get info, click on app icon, paste new icon.

Rod

14 years ago

Thanks for all your videos - I find them very informative!

You stated that Apple will be releasing individual App up-dates for programs in bundles. I wonder if Apple will finally release an up-date for programs in iLife (like iWeb) that was 'missed' on the iLife'11 up-grade?

Gary Rosenzweig

14 years ago

I doubt it. I think iWeb and iDVD are near end-of-life. iWeb was outdated when it first came out (old, antiquated way or building web pages) and iDVD is limited by what a DVD can do -- and DVDs are being replaced by online.

Alejandro

14 years ago

Congratulations on your 500th episode! As always, great information.

I was wondering... if I already have installed an application through the traditional method (Let's say TextWrangler), would its updates be automatically recognized in the App Store? Or should I install it again through the App Store?

It seems the App Store is kind of an enhanced version of Linux's Synaptic, don't you think?

Gary Rosenzweig

14 years ago

There is some question now as to what happens with 3rd-party apps you already own. Some say that you wont be able to get updates. But I guess the developer can always give them to you by their site if they wish. We'll have to see what happens.

Alejandro

14 years ago

Hi. I did a little test with TextWrangler, which I already had installed in the traditional way and It's free. I installed it again from the App Store and yesterday I checked - there was an update. Smooth and easy.

Scott

14 years ago

Gary, as always, thanks for the excellent info. My question is are apps downloaded from the Mac app store as fully featured as tradition boxed sets. For instance, over the holidays I purchased Aperture 3, for $187.00. I see that it's for sale on the app store for $79.00. Is this the same exact software? Are there any differences?

Gary Rosenzweig

14 years ago

It appears that Aperture in the App Store is the same. Apple just dropped the price. I haven't tried it, but it seems that it is the same application.
I just think this was a special case for Aperture. I haven't heard of anything else, except that you can also get iLife and iWork applications individually now.
Of course it would be up to 3rd-party developers as to what they do with the app store. But I doubt there would be any reason for them to release a different app store version than one elsewhere. And Apple does not allow trial versions in the app store.

lubo

14 years ago

Congratulations ,Gary!!!You and your site are doing great job!I hope you'll keep me away from the increasing disappointment from Apple and its OSX,which ,with all the bugs remind me more and more Windows OS !

Comments Closed.

MacMost Now 500: Using The Mac App Store

Comments: 15 Responses to “MacMost Now 500: Using The Mac App Store”

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