Apple has set strict guidelines for developers who wish to get their software into the forthcoming Mac App Store, with a ban on betas and demos and no scope for upgrade pricing.
As well as telling developers that the store won’t carry any “beta”, “demo”, “trial” or “test” versions, Apple has banned applications that look similar to its own or duplicate software already in the store, according to a list of rules at TUAW.com.
Apple is also promising a degree of quality control, warning against software with a “complex or less than very good” interface as well as software that changes the native user interface elements or behaviours of Mac OS X, which, TUAW says, “just wiped out 90% of the best Mac apps in a single, flaming fist punch”.
There is also a heft dose of censorship, prohibiting pornography and software that portrays violence against people or animals. Other rules ban applications that spawn processes which continue to run after the user has quit the application and games that solely target enemies from a specific race or culture.
Apple’s review process is not the only issue that developers’ face. In common with its iOS sibling, the Mac App Store only allows developers to charge one price — there is no scope for reduced, upgrade pricing.
And what happens if you’ve already bought an application? Will the App Store recognise legacy licence codes? Given that Apple’s rules specifically outlaw apps that require separate licence keys, it seems not.
Reception from developers has been mixed. Most seem to welcome it, including Pixelmator’s Saulius Dailide.
“I totally support the Mac App Store. Today, at least,” he wrote on Twitter.’ The good thing is that devs (us) will stop working on flashy product websites and instead focus on improving products.”
But Rogue Amoeba’s Paul Kafasis is not so sure.
“There are quite a few cons to the Mac App Store, when compared to selling on our own. To rattle off a few of these, there appear to be no trials, no paid upgrades, no access to customer information, no coupons, and no ability to ship updates outside of the store. As well, the list of allowable software is quite narrow and the fees (Apple’s 30%) are much higher than developers currently pay to payment processors,” he wrote in a blog post, Quick Thoughts on the Mac App Store.
“With Apple’s onerous guidelines, most of our applications would not be approved. Even if they would be, however, are the benefits good enough to give up being a truly independent software developer?”
