Single Click: Apple Opens the Mac App Store

There is a store this week, and the store is the software: the Mac App Store that Apple opened on Thursday, delivered through the Mac OS X 10.6.6 update. The store is the promise: the desktop that works like the iPhone, the apps that arrive with one click, the updates that install themselves. The questions began that day: would the developers follow, would the big vendors come. The store is the January 2011 story, and the story is the lesson: the Mac that becomes an app platform, the desktop that gets a store, the software that moves to the cloud of clicks.

The Store is the subject of this article: what Apple opened on Thursday, how the store works, and what it means for the desktop.

1. The Opening This Week

The opening is the news, and the news is the week: the Thursday that Apple opened the Mac App Store, the Mac OS X 10.6.6 software update that delivered it, the store that appeared on Mac desktops everywhere. The opening is the report: the developers who counted more than 1,000 apps in the first day, the press that filed its stories, the readers who opened them, the number that became the headline. The opening is the moment: the desktop that changed, the software industry that watched, the questions that began on Thursday and continued through the week that ends on Friday.

The opening is also the calendar: the first week of January 2011, the year that begins with the store, the month that belongs to Apple, the season of Apple's moves. The opening is the follow through: the Mac App Store that Apple first showed at the Back to the Mac event in October, the months of waiting, the promise kept, the desktop that finally got its store. The opening this week was the beginning, and the beginning was the test: the developers who would come, the users who would buy, the software that would change, the year that would tell.

2. The Lineage

The lineage is the history, and the history is the iPhone: the App Store that opened on July 10, 2008, the store that changed the phone, the store that became the model for everything that followed. The lineage is the numbers: the more than 300,000 apps that filled the iOS App Store by late 2010, the developers who built them, the users who bought them, the platform that grew around them. The lineage is the proof: the economics that worked on the phone, the store that could work on the computer, the desktop that was next in line, the bet won once.

The lineage is also the announcement: the Back to the Mac event on October 20, 2010, the day Apple first showed the Mac App Store, the promise that the desktop would get what the phone had. The lineage is the patience: the months between the showing and the shipping, the developers who waited, the users who wondered, the date that finally came on the calendar. The lineage is the reading: the Mac App Store as the desktop follow through, the iPhone store that grew up, the platform that Apple built twice, the second store that carried the lessons of the first.

3. The Store

The store is the pitch, and the pitch is the simplicity: the Mac is a computer, the App Store is the store, the apps come to the desktop with the same ease as the iPhone, the same store, the same click. The store is the promise: the one click install, the automatic updates, the software that manages itself, the boxes that disappear, the discs that are no longer needed. The store is the identity: the single Apple ID that works in both stores, the account that follows the user across devices, the purchase that lives in the cloud of the Apple world.

The store is also the change: the Mac software that used to come in boxes, the programs that shipped on discs, the installs that took an afternoon and a phone call, the era that ended this week. The store is the new way: the download that begins with a click, the update that happens in the background, the software that is always current, the user who never thinks about it. The store is the desktop argument: the Mac that works like the iPhone, the computer that gets the phone's ease, the platform that Apple is building for the next decade.

4. The Economics

The economics are the deal, and the deal is the split: the 30 percent that Apple keeps, the 70 percent that the developer earns, the same terms that run the iPhone store, the same percentage, the same promise. The economics are the continuity: the store on the desktop that works like the store on the phone, the model that Apple proved, the model that Apple repeats. The economics are the draw: the developers who look at the numbers, the reach that the store offers, the 70 percent that beats the old channels, the math that made the iOS store what it became.

The economics are also the question: the cut that some will call too big, the gate that some will call too high, the terms that the developers accept for the reach. The economics are the trade: the distribution that Apple controls, the customers that Apple holds, the 30 percent that buys the store, the review, the audience, the machine, the whole apparatus of the store. The economics are the January 2011 reading: the model that worked on the phone, the model that now lands on the desktop, the numbers that every developer is doing, the math that will decide the platform's fate.

5. The Developers

The developers are the supply, and the supply is the story: the small teams that love the store, the indies that see the reach, the one person shops that finally have a channel, the makers who were waiting for this day. The developers are the hope: the Mac software that was hard to sell, the discovery that was hard to earn, the store that puts the product in front of the customer. The developers are the first week: the more than 1,000 apps that arrived by Thursday night, the builders who shipped, the catalog that filled the store on day one.

The developers are also the trade: the reach that comes with the rules, the store that brings the customers, the review that stands between them, the direct relationship that is gone for good. The developers are the give and take: the updates that Apple approves, the pages that Apple controls, the customers that Apple knows, the names that the developer never sees, the list that stays with Apple alone. The developers are the divide: the small teams that cheer, the big vendors that stay out or grumble, the two camps that this week revealed, the split that will shape the store for years.

6. The Walled Garden

The garden is the argument, and the argument is the desktop: the walled garden that arrives on the Mac, the store that gates the software, the review that stands at the door. The garden is the change: the Mac that was always open, the programs that anyone could install, the freedom that the store now frames, the open door that becomes a gate. The garden is the debate: the developers who call it control, the users who call it safety, the vendors who call it a toll, the words that filled the blogs this week, the posts that argued both sides.

The garden is also the grumbling: the big vendors who stayed out, the Adobe and the Microsoft names that were absent, the companies that watched from the side, the catalog that showed the gap on the first day. The garden is the warning: the store that chooses the software, the review that rejects the app, the gate that decides what the Mac can run, the power that moves to Cupertino. The garden is the counter: the store that is optional, the desktop that stays open, the other channels that still exist, the argument that this week began and will not end soon.

7. The Desktop

The desktop is the stage, and the stage is the Mac: the computer that started it all, the platform the store enters, the machine that gets the phone's magic, the computer that learns the tricks. The desktop is the prize: the years of Mac software, the catalogs of the old vendors, the installed base that waits, the market that Apple wants to own, the software that the store will sell. The desktop is the position: the computer as the app device, the store as the front door, the Mac that becomes the iPhone's bigger cousin, the desktop that gets its store.

The desktop is also the moment: the Mac OS X 10.6.6 update that brought the store, the update that arrived this week, the software that the whole platform waited on, the release that the developers watched. The desktop is the delivery: the store that came through the update, the store that needed no new computer, the change that happened on the machines people already own, the upgrade that needed no new hardware. The desktop is the statement: the Mac that is not just a computer, the Mac that is a platform, the store that makes the point for the whole industry.

8. The Lesson

The lesson is the shift, and the shift is the software: the desktop that becomes a store, the Mac that becomes a platform, the distribution that moves from the shelf to the click. The lesson is the validation: the iPhone model that comes to the computer, the store that Apple proved, the store that Apple repeats, the pattern that the whole industry will study, the model that will be copied. The lesson is the phrase: apps come to the desktop, the sentence that will be repeated, the claim that the Mac is an app platform, the thesis of the coming years.

The lesson is also the trade: the developers who gained the reach and gave up the control, the store that sits between them and their customers, the price of the platform. The lesson is the January 2011 story, and the story is the lesson: the opening on Thursday, the iPhone lineage, the desktop that got its store, the 30 percent that built the model, the walled garden that arrived, the apps that came to the Mac at last. The store is the beginning, and the beginning is the year: the platform that Apple will build, the story that will run all year.

Tags

#technology #business