Daniel Knight - 2008.08.13 -
Mac Musings
IDuck writes 'When Wolfire Games released their animal martial arts game, Lugaru HD, on the Mac App store, they could be forgiven for thinking they were seeing double.A counterfeit version of the software is currently available on the app store at a much lower price point under the name Lugaru. Restart, this time hold Shift button when Mac starts. This will launch your Mac in Safe Mode. Open App Store and try updating while still in Safe Mode. Mac won’t start after Sierra installation. If the installation has finished, but instead of Sierra you only see a dull grey screen, you can resort to hardcore restoring methods. App Store purchases are safe and simple, so you can start playing, gaming, reading — or just doing — right away. Create a secure account with your preferred payment method on file and it’s easily accessible across your devices and the web.
People are divided on the 'kill switch' Apple built into the iPhone2.0 operating system. https://prestigeclever299.weebly.com/blog/darken-mac-screen-app. On one side are people who fear the abuse of thispower, which gives Apple the ability to turn off any app on your iPhoneor iPod touch.
Others applaud Apple's foresight and the ability to turn offdangerous apps, whether they are deliberately malicious or simplypoorly written.
I fall in the second camp, as Apple has rarely abused its power inthe past (the Blue & White firmwareupdate that disabled G4 upgrades was a rare exception). Request refund apple store purchase. Also,there's the outside chance that someone is going to create a free appthat has a hidden malicious component set to trigger weeks or months inthe future - and get it past Apple's testing.
The Mac App Store
More than that, it got me to thinking about the iTunes Store and the Macintosh.Now that Apple has demonstrated that an online application store works(to the tune of $1 million a day!), why not extend the concept beyondiPhone 2.0 and add software for Mac OS X? How to write a letter on apple mac.
I can think of no reason for Apple not to go this route - and hardlyany reason for software makers not to participate were Apple to launcha Mac App Store.
BenefitsQuality Control
Today, anyone who wants to make software for the Mac can offer it onthe Internet. That's not going to change. What could change is thequality of that software. A Mac App Store could be set up so that onlyapps that meet certain standards are allowed for sale - or even forfree distribution. This could turn the Mac App Store into a good sourceof quality software, in contrast to sites like VersionTracker, MacUpdate, Download.com, etc., which simplylist what's available and take no responsibility for quality.
These sites don't have a vested interest in quality; they make theirmoney from ads, so the goal is more advertising impressions, andlinking to anything and everything facilitates that. (That said, theyall have a mechanism for allowing users to rate programs.) Apple has avested interest in making the Mac experience as good as it can be, sokeeping buggy, ugly, and useless apps off the Mac App Store makessense.
Overhead
Today there are two ways to buy software: on disc or online. Ittakes time and money to master and burn CDs and DVDs, design packaging,and ship software. It takes time and energy to promote shareware anddemoware. And then there's the overhead for eSellerate, PayPal,or Kagihandling the financial side of the transaction.
Just as theoriginal iMac marked the beginning of the end for floppies, theMacBook Air marks thebeginning of the end for software distribution on optical discs. We'llstill see optical drives as tools for ripping CDs and watching DVDs,but just as people are buying music and video from the iTunes Storetoday, we'll be buying more and more software online in the future.
Compared with the fees others charge, Apple's 30% may sound high,but that includes intangibles that the others don't offer: broadexposure through iTunes, no need to master and produce discs or pay forbandwidth to distribute your apps, and access to Apple's FairPlay DRMtechnology.
I think the last one is a biggie: No need to use dongles, serialnumbers so long that they're hard to enter without error, locking to aspecific computer, or online authentication (think Microsoft, whichsometimes identifies authentic software as pirated!). How to force an app to close on mac. Moving to a newMac could be as easy as copying everything over, deauthorizing the oldcomputer (as you should be doing with your iTunes purchases), andauthorizing the new Mac.
The Kill Switch
As a condition of being offered through the Mac App Store, Applecould require that apps can be turned off using a kill switch - justlike the iPhone. Winebottler download mac 1.8. That way an app that's causing problems could bedisabled until a patch is available, and a malicious app (should oneslip through quality control) could be shut down completely.
Shareware
We have several types of shareware today - demoware, nagware, andhonorware among them. Demoware is either feature crippled or timelimited until you pay a registration fee. Nagware will let you know youaren't yet a registered user until your pay your fee and enter yourserial number. Data recovery for mac. And honorware is fully functional, not time limited, andthe programmer just hopes that you'll do the right thing andregister.
Apple could use DRM to the benefit of users and software publishers.Publishers could choose just how their shareware would function untilit is paid for, and FairPlay could eliminate the hassles of dealingwith lengthy serial numbers and using your credit card or PayPalaccount to pay for software. The Mac App Store would be just anotherpart of the iTunes Store solution.
Migration Assistant
Here's an idea: Why not set up the Migration Assistant so it can getthe machine ID off your old computer and offer to deauthorize it whileauthorizing your new Mac? Seems like a logical feature to me.
While we're at it, what if the Migration Assistant also let youconnect to Apple's servers, see which Macs (and PCs) are authorized foryour iTunes library, and allow you to disable computers you no longeruse? Since the Migration Assistant is used mostly when you're settingup a new Mac, this would be a sensible time to review that. It wouldalso be a good way for iTunes users to deauthorize dead computerswithout having to contact Apple.
No Misplaced Discs or Serial Numbers
Because all of this would be handled by iTunes, you'd be able todownload the app all over again if you needed to. That would all belinked to your iTunes ID and your authorized computer(s). No need todig up install CDs or find a serial number.
Software Updates![]()
As an added benefit, apps sold through the Mac App Store could beallowed to use Apple's Software Update application. When you check forupdates from Apple, Software Update could also report on and offer todownload updates for any apps you've purchased through the Mac AppStore.
Drawbacks
Apple has fallen short in a few areas with the current appstore.
A Bad Rap
The first that comes to mind is allowing the 'I Am Rich' app to be offered for sale.Programmer Armin Heinrich reports 8 sales of the $1,000 program (whichessentially does nothing) before Apple pulled it. Allowing the sale ofan overpriced, do nothing app did nothing good for Apple's reputation.While it's ultimately the buyer's decision to purchase useless apps,Apple should weed out do nothing apps that aren't free or very, verycheap. (Apple made $300 from every sale of 'I Am Rich', so they had avested interest. I'm glad Apple put sense ahead of profits when itdecided to remove the app.)
Confusion
Another is the confusion created by app names. As Griffithsand Frakes point out on Macworld, there are at least four appsnamed Sodoku listed in the App Store. Worse yet, some apps thataren't listed as Sodoku show up as Sodoku once you install them. Ifsomeone recommends you try Sodoku, how are you going to know which onethey mean? And if you try two or more, how are you going to know whichone(s) to delete when you settle on one? Microsoft office professional plus 2010 product key generator free download.
Slow with Updates
Apple has limited resources, and that means that new software andupdates to existing software aren't being approved as fast as theyshould be. Apple absolutely needs to maintain quality control, but appbuyers deserve updates for buggy software as quickly as possible.Perhaps Apple should have two tracks, one for new apps and a fastertrack for updates.
Go For It
I don't see this as something Apple needs to jump into. It's doingwell with the iPhone apps, but it has other areas to focus on right now(MobileMe, for instance). Once it has everything working as it shouldon the iPhone side, Apple could begin the transition to Macs withoutoptical drives as a standard feature.
Hmm, could that be part of the product transition hinted at duringthe most recent financial report?
Join us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Google+, or subscribe to our RSS news feed
Dan Knight has been using Macs since 1986,sold Macs for several years, supported them for many more years, andhas been publishing Low End Mac since April 1997. If you find Dan's articles helpful, please consider making a donation to his tip jar.
Links for the Day
Recent Content
The Mac App Store is horrifically bad. It’s filled with fake software, overpriced applications, and zero modern features. Sure, it’s not like Windows is doing much better, but the Mac App Store is a huge joke. What is keeping Apple from improving the Mac App Store?
What makes the Mac App Store so bad?
What makes the Mac App Store so bad? There’s more than one reason, that’s for sure.
Restrictive Rules
When a developer sells an app in the Mac App Store, there’s a lot that the app can’t do. Apps must be sandboxed, so they can only interact with macOS in certain permitted ways. Apps also can’t launch at login or run background processes. You also can’t imitate the UI of any default Mac apps, which is something consumers absolutely want. This dramatically restricts the type of apps available on the store, limiting user choice and the app store’s usefulness.
Terrible Search
Just like the iOS App Store, the Mac App Store’s search is hilariously bad. If you’re not searching for the full name of an app, good luck. Searching for a common app category to be sent down a garden path of awful apps, half of which are nothing like what you want.
More Scams than Software
The Mac App Store is also filled with scams designed to prey on the technologically illiterate. To be fair, most app stores are like this: Google Play and Microsoft are constantly battling fake and malicious apps in their store. But with Apple’s walled-garden approach, we expected better. Just search “Microsoft Office” to find a ton of absolute garbage. If you don’t know that Office isn’t available on the Mac App Store, you could easily purchase a bunch of garbage software that doesn’t do anything without Office. Considering Apple pushes the Mac App Store as the one true way to buy software on your Mac, it’s not impossible that an uneducated user could make that mistake.
No Trial Software or Paid Upgrades
Want a trial version of an expensive app? You better visit the developer’s website. Even after seven years, the Mac App Store still doesn’t offer trial apps or upgrades from free to full versions.
Totally Unnecessary
The worst part is, the Mac App Store is totally unnecessary. Developers of well-known apps that pulled their app from the Mac App Store saw no decrease in sales, and they get so much more freedom in exchange. What’s the point of putting up with the store anyway?
Developers Hate It
Turns out developers almost universally hate the Mac App Store. Apple gets a 30% cut of your money, and in return, developers get massive restrictions and an unreliable platform. Developers can’t reply to reviews or get meaningful analytics, and what and how they can sell is severely restricted. This drives devs away from the platform, further winnowing the apps available on the Mac App Store.
Annoying Update Notifications
It’s not just developers that hate the Mac App Store: it’s annoying for users as well. The store’s update notifications are basically useless. They are the perpetually bouncing dock icon of notifications. This is especially true when you have a system update mixed in with a bunch of miscellaneous installations. You’ll have no idea what your computer is going to do when you click “Restart,” how long it will take, or what you’ll get as a result. And just dismissing the notification is impossible: you have to set a later date to be annoyed again. Maybe you have no interest in High Sierra because you’ve heard it’s a buggy mess? Too bad, you’re gonna get notified once a week whether you like it or not.
Why Can’t the App Store Be Better?
The Mac App Store could stand to be a lot better. And it’s not like Apple is too stupid to know that. So why doesn’t Apple bother improving it? It’s impossible to say from the outside, but we suspect a lack of interest in improving the product internally. It would honestly be a ton of work to revamp the Mac App Store into a functional tool. And considering all desktop app stores (and many mobile app stores) are plagued with problems, it might not even be possible to have a functional desktop app store.
And after all that development work, would Apple gain much? Again, without internal data, it’s hard to say for sure. But we suspect the answer is “no.” It’s hard to imagine users getting really pumped about a new Mac App Store, or imagine that driving a bunch of sales of the Mac. As a result, it probably doesn’t get a lot of internal attention.
Mac App Store Useless Websites
However, it’s hard not to see this neglect as a symptom of Apple’s overall disinterest in the macOS platform. While new Mac hardware is finally coming out, it’s been clear for a while that Apple’s heart and soul are in the iPhone and iOS. And that’s fine: companies need to pursue the most profitable products. But die-hard Mac users who love the platform are being left behind.
Mac App Store Messenger
You might also like the following posts:
Mac App Store Useless AppHow to Make Phone Calls With Your MacMac App Store UsIs an iOS stability release a good thing?Why are there so many macOS and iOS bugs?Comments are closed.
|
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |