mac app store

Fix corrupt Mac App Store downloads

Apple's Mac App Store, which was introduced in OS X 10.6.6, has become Apple's central location for distributing new software as well as managing updates to the OS and purchased applications. Though in most situations the Mac App Store works fine to download and run a specified installer, there are times when errors occur and even persist regardless of how many times you retry the download.

MacFixIt reader Silverio recently wrote in with such a problem:

I've been experiencing problems to install updates for iMovie through Apple Store. The error message says that the product … Read more

How to apply OS X software updates from the command line

Apple's Software Update is a convenient and easy way to keep your Mac up-to-date with the latest security fixes and feature enhancements. To make the service user-friendly, it's been available as a simple graphic-based tool in the Apple menu, but in recent versions of OS X Apple has integrated this service with its Mac App Store. Though it's convenient for most people, if you do not wish to open the Mac App Store for managing updates, there's a way you can avoid it.

Unfortunately there is no known way to revert the Software Update service from … Read more

Possible hosting error hinders Apple's Software Update

Following yesterday's release of iTunes 10.7 and updates to iMovie, a number of people have been unable to install the updates. Upon selecting Software Update from the Apple menu, the Mac App Store will launch and begin the update process, but will give a warning that an error has occurred. Sometimes the warning says, "A server with the specified hostname cannot be found," and at other times it's "The operation couldn't be completed (NSURLErrorDomain error -1100).

This error is likely from a misconfiguration on Apple's part in how it has hosted its … Read more

Kindle for Mac App Store gets performance boost

Amazon has updated its OS X app with some new features readers should find useful.

First up, Amazon's new 1.10.3 version of Kindle comes with support for more OS X gestures, including panning and swiping. The app now supports Amazon's Kindle Format 8 books, which deliver some improved formatting options. Heavy readers will be happy to discover that the app also supports larger libraries and will work much better with books that have bunches of notes and highlights.

Amazon's Kindle app is the company's Trojan horse into the world of iOS and OS X. … Read more

Apple keeps Mountain Lion up-to-date in the Mac App store

Starting with OS X Lion, Apple's Mac App Store became the primary means for distributing OS X, but the version of OS X in the store would sometimes lag behind the latest release. With Mountain Lion, the App Store is now being used to distribute system updates in addition to the full OS installer, and along with this development Apple appears to be updating the full OS download version concurrently with the release of the latest patch.

This means that if for some reason you are looking for an older release of OS X than the most current version, … Read more

Tackling Mountain Lion download errors

Apple's Mountain Lion upgrade is available through the Mac App Store, and while most purchases are downloading just fine, a few people are experiencing a problem where the download will not complete. Instead of initiating a download, the Mac App Store issues a warning stating it could not complete the purchase because the product distribution file could not be verified, indicating damage to the file or an invalid digital signature.

People experiencing this problem have tried quitting and relaunching the Mac App Store, restarting their systems, and even trying Safe Mode, and have also tried waiting to see if … Read more

Apple quietly pulls Lion amid Mountain Lion launch

Apple today replaced last year's version of OS X with a shiny, new model. But in the process, it also quietly scrubbed that older version from its digital and physical stores.

Several readers have reached out to let us know that Lion, which was replaced with Mountain Lion today, can no longer be found on the Mac App Store. The same goes for the USB thumb drive Apple sold with a Lion installer for those who could not purchase it online. Links to Lion in the Mac App Store now show a warning message that the product is not … Read more

In-app purchase hacker sets sights on Mac App Store

The exploit that allowed users to purchase digital goods inside iOS apps without actually paying has jumped platforms and now works on Apple's Mac platform.

The Next Web notes that programmer Alexei Borodin, who created the iOS in-app purchase exploit, now has a similar solution for apps purchased in Apple's Mac App Store. Like the exploit for iOS, this too requires that users install special security certificates on their machines, though it also requires the installation of an extra helper program.

Earlier today Apple said it had a fix coming in the next version of iOS, due out … Read more

Steam's summer sale is great for Mac gamers

Online game retailer Steam is running a big summer sale right now, which makes it a great time to build out your Mac OS X game library, thanks to heavy discounts on some recent and not-so-recent games.

As we've noted previously, the Steam sale "offers daily deals, multiple random flash sales, and a unique community choice vote where voters choose on the next heavily discounted game (which revolves every eight hours)." While most of the games on sale are Windows-only, there is a healthy selection of Mac games. But more importantly, those Mac games are significantly less expensive than they are on Apple's own Mac App Store. … Read more