First Impressions - Mac App Store
07/01/11 12:41 AM
So the App Store has launched and while pricing is currently very much in flux and extremely variable, there are already signs that the reduction in average price that I predicted is starting to take effect. Aperture 3 for example is £173 when purchased from the Apple Store in a boxed edition. The Aperture 3 upgrade is even £81. By contrast, Aperture 3 bought via the Mac App Store costs £44.99. That’s a serious saving. You can keep your box thanks Apple, I’ll take the bargain.
One thing that’s interesting however is the relative lack of serious/powerful software that is available on day 1 of the Mac App Store. I guess it’s not hugely surprising. Makers of high-end software have a lot invested in their apps and presumably they plan to analyse the App Store as a market before diving in headfirst.
Nonetheless, I find it a little disappointing. I’m a professional photographer and it wasn’t long before I started looking under the photography category for tasty apps. There’s a fair few there, but the place is awash with near novelty apps that look like they’ve been developed with the scope of the iPhone in mind. Like I say, I guess it’s not surprising, but I hope it isn’t a sign of the way things will go as the store matures.
There is certainly a place for entry-level, casual and single-function programs on the Mac OS X, I myself use quite a few, but the reason I turn to my Mac rather than my iPhone is in general to get serious work done. Serious work requires serious programs and at present there’s a real lack of these apps on the stores debut day. Lightroom 3, Dreamweaver, Photoshop, Rapidweaver, the strength of these apps is in their breadth. I can get nearly all of my editing done in LR 3 without turning elsewhere. I don’t want to buy 8 different mini-apps to get the same thing done, it’s simply not as efficient. Yes I know, Rapidweaver is available in the App Store, but without wishing to labour the point, there’s a real dearth of ‘proper’ apps at present.
Still, it’s day one and it’s interesting and certainly not all bad! I was excited to get my hands on the new version of Tweetie (now Twitter for Mac) and it didn’t cost me a penny. Fun times. Anyway, those are my initial thoughts. I’m keen to see how things develop.
One thing that’s interesting however is the relative lack of serious/powerful software that is available on day 1 of the Mac App Store. I guess it’s not hugely surprising. Makers of high-end software have a lot invested in their apps and presumably they plan to analyse the App Store as a market before diving in headfirst.
Nonetheless, I find it a little disappointing. I’m a professional photographer and it wasn’t long before I started looking under the photography category for tasty apps. There’s a fair few there, but the place is awash with near novelty apps that look like they’ve been developed with the scope of the iPhone in mind. Like I say, I guess it’s not surprising, but I hope it isn’t a sign of the way things will go as the store matures.
There is certainly a place for entry-level, casual and single-function programs on the Mac OS X, I myself use quite a few, but the reason I turn to my Mac rather than my iPhone is in general to get serious work done. Serious work requires serious programs and at present there’s a real lack of these apps on the stores debut day. Lightroom 3, Dreamweaver, Photoshop, Rapidweaver, the strength of these apps is in their breadth. I can get nearly all of my editing done in LR 3 without turning elsewhere. I don’t want to buy 8 different mini-apps to get the same thing done, it’s simply not as efficient. Yes I know, Rapidweaver is available in the App Store, but without wishing to labour the point, there’s a real dearth of ‘proper’ apps at present.
Still, it’s day one and it’s interesting and certainly not all bad! I was excited to get my hands on the new version of Tweetie (now Twitter for Mac) and it didn’t cost me a penny. Fun times. Anyway, those are my initial thoughts. I’m keen to see how things develop.
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Mac App Store
06/01/11 01:02 AM
Tomorrow Apple are set to launch their Macintosh App Store. In my mind, this is pretty much set to revolutionise desktop software, initially on the Mac, and, in time, everywhere.
The first thing it’s going to do is affect the cost of software. The Mac OS App Store is Apple’s natural progression from the App Store model that has worked so well for iOS. Five years ago, when people talked about software, there was either free software, or there was software that cost a bit of money. Even the cheapest software, basic utilities for example, cost £10 or £20. With the launch of the iOS App Store, developers started thinking about pricing apps with impulse purchasing in mind. By reducing the price of software down into the realms of pocket money, for what, in some cases, are pretty capable products (take OnOne’s DSLRemote or VNC) they’ve made the incentive to buy huge. In doing so, many have made some serious money.
We’ll see how pricing goes in the early days of the Mac App Store, but it’s my bet that a lot of software, particularly that in the mid-range cost area, will tumble in price. It’d be great to see flagship applications like Adobe’s Creative Suite suddenly start selling for £50, but I think it’s probable that the uniqueness of these high-end products will insulate their extravagant price points. For a time at least. The low to mid-range area of the market in terms of price will cheapen considerably though. Apps that previously sold for £30 will start selling for £5. Apps that sold for £200 might sell for £50. The motivation is that people will actually buy as the cost is worth the ease that comes with that price. Easy updates, easy installs, easy all round. By contrast, the high price of software at present drives piracy, which in turn loses devs money. In the eyes of the developers, the cheaper price is worth it for the increased sales volume.
From my point of view, there may however be a downside with the introduction of the Mac App Store. My great fear is a move towards an over iOSing of OS X. By this, I am talking specifically about the removal of the users control over the operating system. Don’t get me wrong, there’s much I love about iOS. I enjoy the simplicity and streamlined nature of my iPhone. The minimal maintenance time owning and using it requires and the quality of the user experience. That said, I turn to my iMac and MacBook for entirely different tasks. They are both creative tools and for me, their power lies in the fact that OS X creates a strong framework, a scaffold if you will, around which I can operate as I please. I can choose where I place files, I can choose how I open files, I can control things in my own way. I’ve been working on updating my main website over the last few days and whenever I work in Dreamweaver it makes me appreciate the power and flexibility of Mac OS X. I really really hope Apple doesn’t take this away.
Here’s an example. Because I’m an anal control freak, I like to arrange my apps within a series of categorised folders within the main “Applications” folder. I label this folder “*Applications” so that it sits at the top of the main Applications folder and within it I have a “Web Browsers” folder, a “Graphics Manipulation” folder and so on and so forth. Mac OS X in it’s current guise allows me to do this. It doesn’t give a monkeys. The introduction of the Mac App Store and OS X 10.7 Lion’s emphasis on moving iOS features to the Mac worries me that Apple will sacrifice the flexibility and power of OS X in pursuit of a super-easy, instantly user friendly operating system that removes these choices from the user.
On the face of it, it should be possible to make the user experience for the casual user easier, while retaining the customisability a power user like myself craves. I really hope this is what the Mac App Store heralds the start of. Above all I hope it paves the way for more affordable software and less piracy - that’s definitely a win-win situation!
The first thing it’s going to do is affect the cost of software. The Mac OS App Store is Apple’s natural progression from the App Store model that has worked so well for iOS. Five years ago, when people talked about software, there was either free software, or there was software that cost a bit of money. Even the cheapest software, basic utilities for example, cost £10 or £20. With the launch of the iOS App Store, developers started thinking about pricing apps with impulse purchasing in mind. By reducing the price of software down into the realms of pocket money, for what, in some cases, are pretty capable products (take OnOne’s DSLRemote or VNC) they’ve made the incentive to buy huge. In doing so, many have made some serious money.
We’ll see how pricing goes in the early days of the Mac App Store, but it’s my bet that a lot of software, particularly that in the mid-range cost area, will tumble in price. It’d be great to see flagship applications like Adobe’s Creative Suite suddenly start selling for £50, but I think it’s probable that the uniqueness of these high-end products will insulate their extravagant price points. For a time at least. The low to mid-range area of the market in terms of price will cheapen considerably though. Apps that previously sold for £30 will start selling for £5. Apps that sold for £200 might sell for £50. The motivation is that people will actually buy as the cost is worth the ease that comes with that price. Easy updates, easy installs, easy all round. By contrast, the high price of software at present drives piracy, which in turn loses devs money. In the eyes of the developers, the cheaper price is worth it for the increased sales volume.
From my point of view, there may however be a downside with the introduction of the Mac App Store. My great fear is a move towards an over iOSing of OS X. By this, I am talking specifically about the removal of the users control over the operating system. Don’t get me wrong, there’s much I love about iOS. I enjoy the simplicity and streamlined nature of my iPhone. The minimal maintenance time owning and using it requires and the quality of the user experience. That said, I turn to my iMac and MacBook for entirely different tasks. They are both creative tools and for me, their power lies in the fact that OS X creates a strong framework, a scaffold if you will, around which I can operate as I please. I can choose where I place files, I can choose how I open files, I can control things in my own way. I’ve been working on updating my main website over the last few days and whenever I work in Dreamweaver it makes me appreciate the power and flexibility of Mac OS X. I really really hope Apple doesn’t take this away.
Here’s an example. Because I’m an anal control freak, I like to arrange my apps within a series of categorised folders within the main “Applications” folder. I label this folder “*Applications” so that it sits at the top of the main Applications folder and within it I have a “Web Browsers” folder, a “Graphics Manipulation” folder and so on and so forth. Mac OS X in it’s current guise allows me to do this. It doesn’t give a monkeys. The introduction of the Mac App Store and OS X 10.7 Lion’s emphasis on moving iOS features to the Mac worries me that Apple will sacrifice the flexibility and power of OS X in pursuit of a super-easy, instantly user friendly operating system that removes these choices from the user.
On the face of it, it should be possible to make the user experience for the casual user easier, while retaining the customisability a power user like myself craves. I really hope this is what the Mac App Store heralds the start of. Above all I hope it paves the way for more affordable software and less piracy - that’s definitely a win-win situation!
The Apple Tablet - My Take
20/01/10 09:58 PM
It's pretty much universally accepted that at Apple's Media Event on the 27th they will announce some sort of tablet device. Anyone who knows me well will also know that I'm a veteran Apple geek, user and observer. Out of personal interest and a desire to lay my cards on table regarding the device, here's my analysis. I've got no insider knowledge, and no sources, these are merely educated guesses.
9.7" Screen - It seems that rumors of 10.1" screens are wrong and that we will be looking at a 9.7 inch form factor. Personally I think it will be much like a giant iPhone, but I also think that some form of ergonomic design will exist to make it easier to hand hold. Something that will spend so much time in the hand and on the lap will require, in my view, some subtle design features to make it comfortable to use.
Mac OS X - The tablet will run a full version of Mac OS X, but will integrate a variety of features to make it more suitable for a primarily hands on input method. Multi-touch gestures first seen on the iPhone and MacBook trackpads will be widespread and more extensive, and an onscreen touch keyboard is a given.
Integrated Stylus - This is a bit out there I know, but I've got a feeling that the handwriting recognition of Newton days will return in a far more powerful, more polished form. I might not be for the iPad name, but the rumor does make you think about it as a virtual notepad. Typing and multitouch is great, but we all still jot stuff down. I'd bet on handwriting recognition being to the tablet what multi-touch was to the iPhone. Rumors of a stylus are about, and while I can't see it as a primary input method, the ability to use the device like a giant graphics tablet is certainly there.
New Levels of Integration - There is so much scope for a device like this to be used like a Star Trek style tricorder. I'm convinced that Apple will leverage their existing Remote Desktop software to build a system that will allow you to control other devices (i.e. computers and iPhones) from afar. Jobs has been banging on about the digital lifestyle for years now. With an in-house Apple branded router in the stable, I envisage the tablet really tying things together and doing some pretty special things for 'remote' computing. Think of Sophos music streaming control pad, done big, done Apple.
E-Reader - The glaring difference between the iTablet and it's predecessor 'wow' products - iPhone and iPod - is that it is attempting to create a need rather than update an existing product. While tablets have existed in the past, they have never been even vaguely mainstream. Portable music and mobile phones however have been ubiquitous for years, long before the introduction of Apple's game changers. Books and media on the Apple Tablet are in my view going to be the killer app that the company hopes will kick-start the device.
We all still read vast quantities of stuff, be it novels, magazines or newspapers. The technology is very much in place and the growth of devices like the Kindle and Sony E-Reader have paved the way. We all needed music and phones before the iPod and iPhone debuted, and this was part of what drove their success. In my view the written word will be Apple's flagship feature and the missing piece which takes this device from, cool but novel to must-have.
Canvas - That's what I think they'll name it. All sorts of iPad rumors are awash today, but given the style of Apple's special event invitations, the need to differentiate the name audibly from iPod and the desire to maybe come up with a catchier less generic name, I figure Canvas is what they'll plump for. Back in the days of Spymac, the iWalk seemed a certainty. Despite all the 'evidence' it never came to be and we ended up with the iPod. I might be well of base on this and admit it's little more than a guess, but I hope to see Canvas. (Given Steve Jobs' propensity for anality, I imagine after reading my blog - he's a subscriber don't you know... - he'll change the name just to be difficult!
So there are my predictions. I'm sure there's some other stuff I've thought of over the months of this rumor churning, but there we go. Roll on next Wednesday!
9.7" Screen - It seems that rumors of 10.1" screens are wrong and that we will be looking at a 9.7 inch form factor. Personally I think it will be much like a giant iPhone, but I also think that some form of ergonomic design will exist to make it easier to hand hold. Something that will spend so much time in the hand and on the lap will require, in my view, some subtle design features to make it comfortable to use.
Mac OS X - The tablet will run a full version of Mac OS X, but will integrate a variety of features to make it more suitable for a primarily hands on input method. Multi-touch gestures first seen on the iPhone and MacBook trackpads will be widespread and more extensive, and an onscreen touch keyboard is a given.
Integrated Stylus - This is a bit out there I know, but I've got a feeling that the handwriting recognition of Newton days will return in a far more powerful, more polished form. I might not be for the iPad name, but the rumor does make you think about it as a virtual notepad. Typing and multitouch is great, but we all still jot stuff down. I'd bet on handwriting recognition being to the tablet what multi-touch was to the iPhone. Rumors of a stylus are about, and while I can't see it as a primary input method, the ability to use the device like a giant graphics tablet is certainly there.
New Levels of Integration - There is so much scope for a device like this to be used like a Star Trek style tricorder. I'm convinced that Apple will leverage their existing Remote Desktop software to build a system that will allow you to control other devices (i.e. computers and iPhones) from afar. Jobs has been banging on about the digital lifestyle for years now. With an in-house Apple branded router in the stable, I envisage the tablet really tying things together and doing some pretty special things for 'remote' computing. Think of Sophos music streaming control pad, done big, done Apple.
E-Reader - The glaring difference between the iTablet and it's predecessor 'wow' products - iPhone and iPod - is that it is attempting to create a need rather than update an existing product. While tablets have existed in the past, they have never been even vaguely mainstream. Portable music and mobile phones however have been ubiquitous for years, long before the introduction of Apple's game changers. Books and media on the Apple Tablet are in my view going to be the killer app that the company hopes will kick-start the device.
We all still read vast quantities of stuff, be it novels, magazines or newspapers. The technology is very much in place and the growth of devices like the Kindle and Sony E-Reader have paved the way. We all needed music and phones before the iPod and iPhone debuted, and this was part of what drove their success. In my view the written word will be Apple's flagship feature and the missing piece which takes this device from, cool but novel to must-have.
Canvas - That's what I think they'll name it. All sorts of iPad rumors are awash today, but given the style of Apple's special event invitations, the need to differentiate the name audibly from iPod and the desire to maybe come up with a catchier less generic name, I figure Canvas is what they'll plump for. Back in the days of Spymac, the iWalk seemed a certainty. Despite all the 'evidence' it never came to be and we ended up with the iPod. I might be well of base on this and admit it's little more than a guess, but I hope to see Canvas. (Given Steve Jobs' propensity for anality, I imagine after reading my blog - he's a subscriber don't you know... - he'll change the name just to be difficult!
So there are my predictions. I'm sure there's some other stuff I've thought of over the months of this rumor churning, but there we go. Roll on next Wednesday!
Some Useful Mac Articles
14/09/09 04:08 PM
I'm a big Mac fan and have just come across a really great website that I've basically overlooked for years. MacLife.com is filled with really useful info and two articles in particular stuck out to me today. Both have some rubbish in them, but that is the way with list articles wherever you go. I learnt a few tidbits though, and that's saying something! Enjoy!
How to Survive 17 of the Worst Mac Disasters
50 Things Every Mac Geek Should Know