Apple prepare to launch Mac App store early in 2011

 Initially announced in October of this year, the Apple Mac App Store will go live on 6th January 2011, following up the tremendous success that the company has had with the mobile App Store for  iPhones and  iPads.

 

As increasing numbers of Apps are released for Macs, desktops, and laptops, the new store gives Apple and its developers an easier route to market for both paid-for and free software. Users are spending more time at their computers and using their machines in increasingly diverse ways – for work and leisure – so the Apple Mac App Store aims to capitalise on this increasing connectivity.

 

In the first instance, the Apple Mac App Store will be accessible to users who have the most up-to-date Mac OSX Operating system, Snow Leopard. However, Apple is also set to launch a new operating system in 2011 – Lion – which will immediately be compatible with the new App Store.

 

Apple ‘fanboys’, the nickname given to the company’s devoted worldwide following, will be excited by the move which will allow them to more easily access the latest software and applications for their machines. The current range of Apple Macs on the market includes the Mac Pro, Mac Mini, MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and the iMac.

 

Google already has a similar store, the Google Chrome Webstore, in addition to its Google Apps Marketplace, offering numerous products and services. Apps for Chrome will be pushed next year with the launch of a Chrome operating system and with rumours abounding that Google will launch its range of laptops in 2011. Apple wants to stay ahead of the curve in terms of hardware and software so the rivalry between the two technology giants will be one to watch in the new year.

 

The Apple Mac app store will be available in 90 countries from the first day it launches and will allow visitors to browse and read up on the latest and most popular apps, before downloading them quickly and efficiently with just one click in a similar manner to acquiring apps from the current mobile App store.