Apple Launches Mac App Store With More Than 1000 Apps

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The Mac App Store launched with over 1,000 free and paid applications,

on Jan. 6, Apple said. The inexplicably popular game Angry Birds is listed,

among other games and productivity tools.

The long-anticipated Mac App Store hopes to do what the App

Store did for the iPhone, making it easier and faster to find, buy and install

new applications for the Mac. Instead of going to several sites to buy

software, users can find them in a single store and buy apps using their

existing iTunes accounts. Installation becomes a single-step process, Apple

said.

Just like the App Store for the iPhone and iPad, Apple will

have full control over what software is listed on the Mac App Store through its

closed review process. However, unlike the App Store, which is essentially the

only legitimate way to install apps on the mobile devices, developers can

continue to distribute Mac software independently of the store.

The Mac App Store, available in 90 countries, requires Snow

Leopard users to first install Mac OS X v10.6.6 with a software update in order

to get the menu option to access the store, according to the company. It will

be an integral part of the company’s upcoming Mac OS X 10.7 Lion, expected

summer 2011. Apple pre-announced the store at the Back to the Mac event in

October.

For more, read the eWeek article: Apple Mac App Store Opens With More Than 1,000 Products.

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