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Kevin Walzer, software developer.

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No App Store for me

I've come to a decision: no App Store for me at this time.

I've reviewed the guidelines more closely, and I'm concerned that several of my apps run afoul of these guidelines.

Specifically:

• Two of my apps (PortAuthority and Phynchronicity are GUI front-ends to command-line tools that require separate installation (MacPorts, Fink). This appears to violate section 2.24, "Apps that use deprecated or optionally installed technologies (e.g., Java, Rosetta) will be rejected."

• These two apps, and a third app, PacketStream, require an administrator password to utilize core functionality. This appears to violate section 2.27, "Apps that request escalation to root privileges or use setuid attributes will be rejected."

These three applications are 50% of my product portfolio, and they are my best-selling programs. I have not gotten rich developing them, but all three programs have steady sales and a growing customer base that benefits from the functionality these programs offer. It makes no sense to remove core features from these programs to allow them to fit in with the App Store.

The guidelines wouldn't prevent me from submitting my other apps, but I'm also concerned about the complexity of managing two entirely separate tracks for my products: not just different sales and marketing channels, but also different development tracks. (Products in the App Store can't have serial numbers, must be packaged in a different fashion, and must be "digitally signed"--all of which would require significant changes in my development process without adding any new features.)

The introduction of the App Store has also caused me to analyze who my customers are, and whether they fit the profile of likely App Store customers. After some consideration, I don't think they do. Marco Arment has posted a perceptive analysis of likely App Store customers: casual purchasers looking for entertainment as much as utility from their apps. In short, the type of customer who buys apps for the iPhone and iPad. Marco also suggests that the App Store will lead to the emergence of a new breed of lightweight, low-cost Mac apps--games and simple utilities--that fit in more with the iOS model than the current Mac model.

Many current Mac apps can fit into this new market with minimal work, but many can't. Marco suggests that this isn't bad news, however; he sees the App Store as a parallel app marketplace to the current Mac app marketplace, one that will eventually grow much larger than the current Mac app marketplace, but won't destroy the current marketplace. (In fact, he says that the App Store will likely grow the current Mac app market as well, simply by sheer momentum.)

If he's right, then I'm not too worried, and I'm even optimistic. I'm not terribly interested in making bite-sized, iOS-styled apps, but if the Mac market itself continues to grow, then that means additional customers for my nichey, power-user-oriented apps as well. I suspect other Mac developers, including such prominent ones as Rogue Amoeba, may follow arrive at this conclusion as well.

If that's the case, then I'm in good company.

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