The Mac App Store is set to debut on January 6, 2011, and with it comes a new era of Mac Apps. Good for the Mac user, for sure, but how will this new market impact channel partners and software developers? Will they take to the new Apple-sanctioned waters, or hang tight to their independent online stores — using  SEO (search engine optimization) and demo apps to potentially gain revenue and a user base? Let’s take a look:

It’s cozy inside the Apple walled-garden once you get there, but you have to play by the rules. For Mac App Store developers, that includes giving Apple a 30 percent cut of sales along with the promise of a no-nonsense application that isn’t a ‘lite’ or ‘demo’ app and that doesn’t mess around with Apple system files or the computer’s root files. Right away, this alienates a base of developers who have created applications that are utility-based, doing backup, customization of system files, tweaking of user experiences and even some legitimate — though dubiously used — apps such as bit-torrent applications.

Basically, if you’re a power user, you’d best look elsewhere for some good applications.

But what about those developers who have been successful with apps that would be deemed acceptable under the terms of the new App Store? A number of them originally set the price of their app based on the amount of work involved in making it. Shifting their apps to the Mac App Store would mean these developers would be very much inclined to raise the price of their apps roughly 30 percent to cover Apple’s cut.

Likewise, would developers who have had a lot of success with their apps pre-Mac App Store view making 30 percent less as the cost of doing business? These devs may hold off to see how the store develops before deciding to jump in.

Potential Winners (Other Than Apple)

And what about the smaller guy? The guy who would take the 30 percent hit because he can now be more easily discovered? That seems to be the sweet-spot. The Mac App Store will help bring a bevy of new and innovative apps to the Macintosh platform, letting users equip themselves as fast and easily as possible with apps they need, while giving small, obscure developers recognition and profitability.

Traditionally, new Mac users (and I’ve educated quite a few) don’t understand about DMG image files or that a majority of Mac apps don’t require installation; they merely require you to drag the app to the application folder. These Windows-weary converts frequently see the DMG file as the application, and don’t understand why they have to ‘keep opening it’ to run the program. There’s also confusion between a shortcut on the desktop, a shortcut on the dock and the application itself.

The Mac App Store will do away with all that by simply popping the application into your dock and installing it to the application folder all without you ever knowing. It’s transparent to the user and there’s no learning curve or confusion. And therein lies a selling point for developers. “Just click on our app in the App Store!” and off people go, buying like crazy.

Truth be told, it’s still too early to say how Macintosh developers will take to the platform, but it’s worth pointing out that apps that are non-native to Xcode  or cross-platform won’t see the light of day in the store. For someone like me, who tends to be a big power user, I expect the Mac App Store to be a sparsely used utility where I will buy official Apple apps, and that’s probably it.

At least we don’t have to jailbreak our Macs to keep what we love.

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