Apple overhauls Mac App Store to try to get you to actually use it
An all-new interface is designed to help you find Mac software.
- Shankland covered the tech industry for more than 25 years and was a science writer for five years before that. He has deep expertise in microprocessors, digital photography, computer hardware and software, internet standards, web technology, and more.
A look at Apple's overhauled Mac App Store
Apple has struggled to get people to use its Mac App Store to find and install software, but the company hopes an overhaul will help.
The new Mac App Store, unveiled Monday at Apple's developers conference, will come with a discovery tab to find new software and a few category tabs -- create, play, work, develop -- to explore specific categories. Also new will be more prominent reviews and the ability to watch video previews of software to get a better idea of what's on offer.
On iOS, the App Store is the only way to get software -- well, the only way short of jailbreaking your phone. On MacOS, though, the App Store is just a newer way, and the traditional download-and-install mechanism remains widely used. One big reason: that bypasses restrictions Apple places on Mac App Store software.
But Apple said developers are pleased with coming changes. Among the software titles that will show up in the Mac App Store are Microsoft Office 365, Adobe Systems' Lightroom, and BareBones' BBEdit editor, Apple said.
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