Mac veterans remember well the dark days before Apple’s own software storefront -- a time when locating and buying software for their computer was akin to a nightmarish Easter egg hunt. Thankfully, Apple’s Mac App Store has made those memories a thing of the past, and even Amazon has jumped into the fray with its own Mac-friendly download store. But which should you use?
Finding Apple’s Mac App Store is easy -- assuming you have Mac OS X 10.6.6 or later, which includes the new OS X Lion. The Mac App Store is itself an application, and by default, Apple adds it to your Dock, between the Finder and Dashboard. (If you ditched the icon, click the Apple menu bar icon and select App Store.) Click, shop, and enjoy, just like iTunes.
Amazon’s Mac apps can be downloaded from any web browser, while the Mac App Store requires OS X 10.6.6 or higher.
By comparison, Amazon’s Mac Software Downloads is simply a subsection of its existing software offerings, accessible by browsing to Digital Games & Software > Software Downloads and then clicking on Mac Downloads in the Hot Links sidebar. Much of Amazon’s digital catalog is still compatible with Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard (and some even with 10.4 Tiger), whose users are shut out of the Mac App Store, including users of older G5 and G4 hardware.
VERDICT: Amazon for being available from any web browser and supporting legacy versions of Mac OS X.
If you’ve ever used an iOS device, you’re already familiar with how the Mac App Store works: choose a title, click on the Buy button, confirm your purchase, and download. Future updates are free because all purchases are tied to your existing Apple ID and billed to the same payment method you use with iTunes.
Amazon forces users into a multistep download process, while the Mac App Store installs your purchases automatically.
Shopping on Amazon’s store is similar to buying anything else from the e-tailer, with one exception: you have to first open the small Amazon Software Downloader, which in turn downloads a DMG file that you need to manually drag and drop (or install) into your Applications folder. It’s an unnecessarily complicated process, but you can save the installer for future use (or install it on another Mac you own), and Amazon allows unlimited future downloads. You’ll have to pay for future upgrades, since downloads are sold under the same old model as boxed copies.
Many of Amazon’s titles match the price of their boxed editions.
VERDICT: Mac App Store because it’s click, download, and enjoy.
Apple’s Mac App Store launched in January with over 1,000 apps on its virtual shelves. Apps are offered in 21 distinct categories ranging from Business to Weather. How many apps are there today? Apple isn’t saying, but excluding the massive Games category, we counted 8,030 apps (including duplicates in multiple categories) at press time. Apple has added a lot of titles in its first two quarters of doing business, and that number will surely only climb.
The Mac App Store has plenty of titles and categories to peruse.
Amazon has some catch-up to play here, with only 217 downloadable titles in 13 categories. By far the biggest categories are Children’s Software and Language & Travel with 131 and 135 titles, respectively (again including category duplicates). Amazon also offers a separate Mac Game Downloads section, adding another 53 titles to its digital lineup with prices ranging from $6.95 to $49.37.
Amazon currently has only 13 categories with fewer than 300 total apps.
VERDICT: Mac App Store for sheer number of titles available.
The Mac App Store prices run the gamut, but most popular apps range from free to $9.99. It’s not uncommon to find prices in the $20 to $30 range -- like Pixelmator, the powerful image editor that won an Apple Design Award at this year’s WWDC. Apple’s own Aperture 3 is currently one of the more expensive apps at $79.99, but it’s still a steep discount from the $199 boxed version.
The Mac App Store has plenty of free options.
Amazon’s downloads, on the other hand, start at $6.99 for games like Airport Mania and max out with Microsoft Office Home and Business 2011, currently $201.83 (same as the boxed edition). Nearly three-quarters of Amazon’s offerings are priced at $49.99 or less, with many titles discounted from their boxed editions.
VERDICT: Mac App Store, where a few bucks can get you some quality apps.
Amazon actually has the upper hand here, despite having fewer titles. That’s because Apple has a long list of restrictions for Mac App Store apps, rejecting software that requires shared components such as kernel extensions or browser plug-ins. Amazon has no such restrictions, and it’s come out of the gate with heavy hitters such as Microsoft Office 2011 (both Home & Student and Business editions), Quicken Essentials, and even Final Draft 8 for fledgling screenwriters. None of these are currently available in the Mac App Store.
Amazon tempts with familiar titles from key software publishers.
Apple’s storefront is largely comprised of smaller developers, many of whom ported popular iOS apps to the Mac. Aside from games and the iWork and iLife suites, users looking for heavyweight Mac software from big names will want to look elsewhere.
Meanwhile, the Mac App Store highlights quality apps from smaller developers.
VERDICT: TIE The Mac App Store has the wider selection, but Amazon has scored some of the bigger titles that consumers will be looking for.
Although the Mac App Store has the clear advantage in our head-to-head with Amazon for volume, pricing, and simplicity, as time goes on both outlets will likely be viable choices for Mac users, particularly professionals. We don’t see Microsoft or Adobe rushing to the Mac App Store, so they’re much more likely to hang a shingle with Amazon, offering discounted prices and freedom from Apple’s restrictions. But for average users, the Mac App Store is the one to beat.
For now, we’ll use both, since we couldn’t find any titles duplicated between the two storefronts. That means more choices for you -- so here are a couple of suggestions from each to get you started.
Adobe Photoshop Elements 9
$81.87
Download from Adobe, and you’ll pay full retail ($99), but Amazon will let you download it for nearly $20 less. Save another $20 with a mail-in rebate through December 31.
4000 Fonts
$29.99
A perfect example of a title you won’t find in the Mac App Store: 4,000 Mac- and Windows-friendly OpenType fonts in one tidy 129MB download for under 30 bucks.
Reeder
$9.99
The premiere RSS reader for iOS finally arrives on the Mac. Already one of the most celebrated apps, it’s been lavished with nearly universal praise from users -- and rightly so.
MPlayerX
Free
Everyone likes free, so here’s a multimedia player that bests Apple’s own by playing almost every file you can throw at it, complete with Multi-Touch, subtitles, and more.
akfreeridemtber
August 05, 2011 at 8:10am
p.s. your stupid spam filter wouldn't let me spell out anything...
