Apple to take down apps from Mac OS X Downloads page

Posted:
in macOS edited January 2014
Apple has revealed to developers that it will be shutting down its Downloads page for Mac OS X on Jan. 6, the day of the Mac App Store launch, as it focuses on the Mac App Store as "the best destination" for Mac OS X apps.



The Cupertino, Calif., Mac maker announced last week that the Mac App Store will debut in 90 countries on Jan. 6. Chief Executive Steve Jobs unveiled the store at the October "Back to the Mac" media event, promising that the store would open within 90 days.



In an email to developers, Apple revealed its plans to remove downloadable apps from the company's Mac OS X Downloads site, instead redirecting users to the Mac App Store.



Thank you for making the Mac OS X Download site a great destination with apps that offer users new ways to work, play, learn, and create on their Mac.



We recently announced that on January 6, 2011, the Mac App Store will open to users around the world, presenting you with an exciting, new opportunity to reach millions of customers. Since the introduction of the App Store in 2008, we?ve been thrilled with the incredible support from developers and the enthusiastic response from users. Now we?re bringing the revolutionary experience of the App Store to Mac OS X.



Because we believe the Mac App Store will be the best destination for users to discover, purchase, and download your apps, we will no longer offer apps on the Mac OS X Downloads site. Instead, beginning January 6, we will be directing users to explore the range of apps available on the Mac App Store.



We appreciate your support of the Mac platform and hope you?ll take advantage of this new opportunity to showcase your apps to even more users. To learn how you can offer your apps on the Mac App Store, visit the Apple Developer website at http://developer.apple.com/programs/mac.



For years, Apple's Mac OS X Downloads site has served as a repository for Mac OS X apps. Though the site promotes a number of third-party applications, Apple also uses the page to feature several of its own Mac OS X applications, such as iTunes, Safari and iWork.



In November, AppleInsider exclusively reported that the Mac App Store would launch in January 2011 and would include the release of Apple's iWork '11 productivity suite.



Like the App Store on iOS devices, developers will receive a 70 percent share of sales through the Mac App Store, with Apple keeping 30 percent. Unlike iOS, the Mac App Store will not be a "walled garden," leaving developers free to offer their apps through other avenues. Developers have been encouraged to use their own websites for demos, trial versions, or betas of their software, since the Mac App Store will only accept "fully functional, retail versions" of apps.



By taking down the Mac OS X Downloads section of its site, Apple is effectively casting an 'all-in' bet on the Mac App Store. Apple's latest email to developers creates a unified front by communicating the message that the Mac App Store will be the go-to place for Mac OS X downloads.



Evidence of Mac App Store support has been found in developer builds of Mac OS X 10.6.6. The store will be available to Mac OS X Snow Leopard users as a free download through Software Update.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 65
    No! I mean what about devs that don't necessarily agree or want to be in the App store, but still wants to develop Mac apps?
  • Reply 2 of 65
    macrrmacrr Posts: 488member
    makes sense.
  • Reply 3 of 65
    Since there is already a huge market for Mac apps, and they do not all instantly comply to the App Store guidelines, they could be alienating a very large portion of the developer community.



    This needs to be a transition.
  • Reply 4 of 65
    This was expected. Bring on the Mac App Store.
  • Reply 5 of 65
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by pika2000 View Post


    No! I mean what about devs that don't necessarily agree or want to be in the App store, but still wants to develop Mac apps?



    Apple isn't forbidding development on the Mac outside of the App Store. Take a look at www.macupdate.com, there are far more there than Apple's site. Also, for power users, Fink, macports, HomeBrew won't be in the App Store, but I don't see them going away either.



    App Store is just providing an "Apple-backed" way of distributing software. If devels see the advantage to themselves , they can certainly participate, if not, this isn't the end of the world.
  • Reply 6 of 65
    davendaven Posts: 696member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by pika2000 View Post


    No! I mean what about devs that don't necessarily agree or want to be in the App store, but still wants to develop Mac apps?



    Apple is basically saying "Give us a 30% cut of your Mac sales or go take a hike."
  • Reply 7 of 65
    Does anyone use this, really? I've used it to find a couple of dashboard widgets over the years, but I've never used it as a destination to find apps. That's what Google is for.
  • Reply 8 of 65
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jpellino View Post


    Since there is already a huge market for Mac apps, and they do not all instantly comply to the App Store guidelines, they could be alienating a very large portion of the developer community.



    This needs to be a transition.



    You underestimate the power of Apple. Developers will follow.
  • Reply 9 of 65
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ireland View Post


    You underestimate the power of Apple. Developers will follow.



    Not necessarily. Not all will. Dave Nanian was a recent guest on MacBreak Weekly and said that 30% was too big a hit to take on his profit. He also said that some of the guidelines would prevent at least one of his apps from being listed by Apple - SuperDuper in particular requires root access in order to back up the entire filesystem, and root access is prevented under the App Store guidelines.



    I'm sure plenty of developers will follow, particularly the ones who are not already well established, just not all of them.
  • Reply 10 of 65
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by pika2000 View Post


    No! I mean what about devs that don't necessarily agree or want to be in the App store, but still wants to develop Mac apps?



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jpellino View Post


    Since there is already a huge market for Mac apps, and they do not all instantly comply to the App Store guidelines, they could be alienating a very large portion of the developer community.



    This needs to be a transition.



    I guess you two need refreshers in reading comprehension. The Mac apps store is optional. It will not be like the iPhone app store. Developers can ignore the Mac app store if they so choose. Nothing will change for developers if they don't want to participate. They can market and sell their products the same as they are now. But there will be a huge incentive for developers to get their products into the store, namely the free marketing and advertising, hence the 70/30 split with Apple. Most developers won't be alienated. Far from it, they will be chomping at the bit to get their wares into the store. Applications like VueScan, GraphicConverter, Toast, and others will be easily available for purchase by millions of Mac users with the click of a button.
  • Reply 11 of 65
    macrrmacrr Posts: 488member
    it doesn't matter what you say. some people will make up their mind to believe anything and there is nothing you can do about it. it's pretty amazing really.
  • Reply 12 of 65
    I see people complaining here and people saying that it's no problem. But no one has mentioned the obvious. You need a Mac to browse what's available for the Mac, with the new Mac App Store. You used to be able to see what sorts of apps were available to mac users, through a webbrowser on a Windows PC. I think Apple would be wise to keep a web interface to the store available, even if you can't buy/download through the web interface.



    Greg
  • Reply 13 of 65
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DaveN View Post


    Apple is basically saying "Give us a 30% cut of your Mac sales or go take a hike."



    Exactly.
  • Reply 14 of 65
    tundraboytundraboy Posts: 1,884member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by MacRR View Post


    it doesn't matter what you say. some people will make up their mind to believe anything and there is nothing you can do about it. it's pretty amazing really.



    Nothing, mispost.
  • Reply 15 of 65
    bcodebcode Posts: 141member
    The major downside here is that there is much more than Apps on the Downloads page.



    I often check out the Desktop Images and designer Icons available - it's really nice to have them all under one roof, instead of searching hap-hazardly all over the web.



    Perhaps the Mac App Store will continue to offer these categories, but it seems highly unlikely - and I've yet to hear tell of it so far.
  • Reply 16 of 65
    nagrommenagromme Posts: 2,834member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DaveN View Post


    Apple is basically saying "Give us a 30% cut of your Mac sales or go take a hike."



    Apple is saying they themselves will have ONE software download service, not two.



    This was obviously coming: that Mac downloads page has long been the 3rd item in the Apple menu on Macs. It should surprise nobody that it will now point to the newer, better service instead.



    There are plenty of other ways to find non-App Store apps without Apple maintaining two parallel services. CNet Downloads for one.
  • Reply 17 of 65
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by pika2000 View Post


    No! I mean what about devs that don't necessarily agree or want to be in the App store, but still wants to develop Mac apps?



    Host it on your own site or somewhere else, then.
  • Reply 18 of 65
    wigginwiggin Posts: 2,265member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by leafy View Post


    Apple isn't forbidding development on the Mac outside of the App Store. Take a look at www.macupdate.com, there are far more there than Apple's site. Also, for power users, Fink, macports, HomeBrew won't be in the App Store, but I don't see them going away either.



    App Store is just providing an "Apple-backed" way of distributing software. If devels see the advantage to themselves , they can certainly participate, if not, this isn't the end of the world.



    This means you either have to abide by Apple's restrictive rules for the App Store or you have to have the resources to do additional marketing on your own. Obviously, it's not Apple's responsibility to market your apps for you, but take a look a the apps that are on the download page. How many are shareware or demos or violate the App Store's restrictions in one way or another? Demos and trials are a valuable tool to let people check out your app. But that won't be allowed in the App Store. And if customers have to find your web site to download a demo, then they can find it just as easily to make a purchase. So you don't need the App Store.



    Again, it's Apple's choice/right to do this. But I think it's going to mean that a bunch of cheap, little apps limited by Apple's restrictions will take away sales from and potentially kill off better, more functional apps that can't/won't be in the App Store. Not because they are better apps, but because they were easier to find.
  • Reply 19 of 65
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by djames4242 View Post


    Not necessarily. Not all will. Dave Nanian was a recent guest on MacBreak Weekly and said that 30% was too big a hit to take on his profit. He also said that some of the guidelines would prevent at least one of his apps from being listed by Apple - SuperDuper in particular requires root access in order to back up the entire filesystem, and root access is prevented under the App Store guidelines.



    I'm sure plenty of developers will follow, particularly the ones who are not already well established, just not all of them.



    SuperDuper and Carbon Copy Cloner should be given a special pass on this. Without those two applications over the years the Mac experience would have been very different, at least for me. They are indispensable utilities and root access is obviously required to do what they do. I love Time Machine but I won't go without a clone of my boot drives too. My suggestion is Apple have an advanced section (or what ever name they wish) for utilities such as this that have long since proven themselves as gold standards for the Mac community and it would a shame for them not to be in the App Store. Those applications in that section can actually have a far more stringent approval process but be allowed permission based root access.
  • Reply 20 of 65
    Since buying a Mac in 2002 I can't remember visiting Apple's download page once for anything other than Dashboard widgets and, more recently, Safari Extensions. Eventually both of those ended up on Versiontracker and MacUpdate though so once again, it's irrelevant.



    For me my app search goes something like this: 1) MacUpdate, 2) Versiontracker, 3) Google, 4) IRC or forums to see if such an app even exists for what I'm trying to accomplish, 5) Scour Sourceforge for some UNIX app I can compile and run in OS X, 6) See if a Windows app exists that will run acceptably under WINE.



    What's changed is that I'll probably head to the App Store to purchase apps if I already know exactly what I need and the developer doesn't offer a way to purchase it online themselves.
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