I only see this being useful as a software directory, of which there are already many out there.

This thing should _definetly_ have it’s own app. Maybe merged with the Software Update.

The beauty of this from a developers standpoint is it could easily push more impulse buying. Of course, Apple would need to work out how to offer demos or other information (though that could simply be a link to a .dmg file hosted at the developer’s site) but I think there’s a lot of exposure for developers in a situation like this. There are so many great apps out there, like Coda and Pixelmator, but we don’t hear about them unless it’s word of mouth or they make some “Top 10″ list somewhere, or they’re apart of a MacHeist bundle.

Ultimately, I think we’ll see Apple exploring this path. They’re already laying the groundwork.

@NickSavage I don’t think Apple would tell you if an app isn’t on their App Store, you wouldn’t be able to install it. Just like you can put any music you own into iTunes, whether you purchased it from iTunes or not. I think there is a lot more benefit to customers by offering them a central place to see the best of what’s available.

@DanielGrace Sorry about not mentioning the billing aspect. Completely slipped my mind, but another excellent point. Apple has built so much simplicity into the purchase process of iTunes and they handle returns/redownloads when things get messed up. This is a great boon for developers who want to go this route and I completely agree with you here.

@tej116 I also agree with your thoughts on Apple “approving” the apps for inclusion in the App Store. It does put more responsibility on Apple’s part, but I actually don’t think that’s something they’d shy away from. The developer community is already so “in love” with Apple and make such great quality apps anyway. Developers already follow Apple’s human interface guidelines to create “lickable” apps that are functionally similar, despite who develops them. (How many apps do you use that has an “Inspector”?) Ultimately, a solution such is this would provide a better experience for customers and that’s one of Apple’s core competencies anyway.

I’m glad you guys are having fun with this discussion! Thanks for the feedback and follow up!

But it would be a gret opportunity for Pixelmator and other smaller devs to find a larger audience, which is really great for Apple, too. If you don’t depend on big third-party players to support you, you are more immune from their whims.

I agree that it would be horrible if Apple could restrict non-approved apps like they do on the iPhone. That’s a separate issue than their ability to run an App Store, however.

My biggest reason (as a developer) to go through an app store for a computer wasn’t even mentioned in this article — billing. If Apple handled the billing and gave me lump sums (as they do on the iPhone) I’d be all over it. Well… as long as they can quell the yells about late or flat missing payments…

As to the point about censorship that Nick Savage brings up, people have jailbroken their iphones. Why not their macs? Besides, with each new app to the store is one less app Apple can frown at you for. Lets say you download an app from the app store for your iphone, and your iphone crashes. Apple approved it, so they have to fix your phone. Lets say you jailbroke it, and downloaded an app from the web. They don’t have to do anything for you.

For the same reasons we don’t let our government censor our press, we don’t let our computer companies decide how we use our computers.