How Screw Up An App Store

Making good app stores are easy. Apple showed the way with the iTunes Music Store cum bookstore cum app store cum Blockbuster clone cum whatever-they-think-of-next.

Yes, there were online "stores" offering apps long before Apple.  Tucows.com was the first one I used on regular basis maybe fifteen years ago.  There were several I used like Handango for Windows Mobile 5/6.  They worked, but the user interface usually left a lot to be desired.

So along comes Apple expanding the iTunes Music Store into an app store for the iPhone as well.  And they did a great job.  Easy to search, easy to find what you want, good descriptions, screenshots, customer reviews, integrated buying, etc. etc.

Google's Android Market and Amazon's Android App Store are very good Just-different-enough clones so their stores are easy to use as well.

Since Apple set the standard for mobile app stores, when they released the Apple App Store for OS X, I expected a similar service.

Well, we pretty much got it.  However, let's look at the things that I feel that Apple not only didn't do right, but screwed up.

MarsEdit.  That's the OS X program I've been using for years to write blog entries.  The only app even close to MarsEdit on ANY OS is Windows Live Writer for, well, Windows.

MarsEdit is available on the Apple App Store.  For those who buy it from the App store, they're notified of updates and get an easier install/upgrade.  Well, OK, Instead of clicking a link to download, having the DMG file mount and dragging the app to your applications folder... you just click the link and then double click the downloaded file.  Not much easier really but just go with it for now as I'm trying to find customer advantages with the app store.

Anyway, So there is MarsEdit sitting on the App store.  It currently has 4 out of 5 stars from 18 people having rated it.  Only 18?  The most used blogging software on the Mac?  Why?  Because only 18 people have purchased and rated MarsEdit from the Apple App Store since it opened.

Well, as you'll see, Apple, in either their ignorance or arrogance has assumed that no one ever purchased apps until THEY saw fit to give us an app store.

You can only rate an app IF you purchased it from the Apple App Store.  Never mind that you've purchased it and a dozen upgrades in the past twelve years.  If it didn't happen in the app store, it didn't happen.  So your opinion doesn't count.

Ok, I can see where that can help reduce the author/supporter of a competing app from leaving a one star review.  Then again, if it means that much to the scummy competitor... it might be worth the $10-$40 to buy this competing app just to give it a low rating.  That's why I say it'll "help reduce", not "eliminate".

So buy buying software and supporting the author before the app store existed, the app store does nothing for me as far as that software goes.

What if the author is now selling solely via the App Store?  I can no longer get upgrades unless I buy the app again.

Or how about this one.  I've been running the beta of Reeder for OS X since it came out. (Reeder is a very good news aggregator/rss reader that is better than the free NetNewsWire in some respects, worse in others.)

The beta has expired.  Now normally, I'd click the button to get a new copy... be taken to the author's website where I'd download and install a new version.  Since it already exists, I'd have to confirm the replacement. Since it is out of beta, I'd expect to get a "trial use" window with an option to buy/register the full version.

That's three clicks plus registration.  And I can even download to my Windows or Linux machine and transfer to and install it on the Mac later.

Here's what happens in reality:

1. I click the button to get a new copy
2. I'm sent to the author's website
3. I find that there is no new copy to get.  Instead I have to click the button to go to the Apple App Store
4. The Apple App Store Preview page comes up in my browser
5. That launches the App Store app
6. I click to buy Reeder
7. I'm told that I can't buy it as a newer version (the expired beta) is installed on my computer.

I haven't even BOUGHT the durned thing yet and it's already more than twice the work of the old way.

Ok, so now I have go to the applications folder, delete the old copy and start over.

Ok, it's delete.  Oh NO! Hazel just popped up and I inadvertantly let it delete the data files for the Reeder I just deleted (Hazel is a great AppleScript thing that lives in my menu bar.  One of the things it does is to remove all of the junk files left behind when deleting an app.)

So no only do I start the purchase/download/install cycle again... but now I have to do a full setup of my news reader again.

In summary, there are three of the problems with the way Apple has set up the Apple App Store.

1. If you bought it before the App Store existed, you don't count
2. If the author moves solely to the app store, you don't count
3. Updating can take double the effort than the normal 'old skool' way

Plus If the author later dumps the App Store, you're probably hosed for upgrades, etc. as well

Now... back to the Reeder app.

• $10 for it on the App store.
• NetNewsWire is free (with little ads showing)

 

• Reeder supports Readability.
• NetNewsWire allows me to clip directly to MarsEdit

$10 is a fair price.  Which will I use more, Readability or MarsEdit?

MarsEdit wins.  The fact that I save $10 and don't have to deal with the App Store is the clincher.

Sorry Reeder Author, you and Apple both lose.  You lose the sale, Apple loses their $3 cut.