14 DAY TRIAL // It’s been two weeks since Apple last updated the Mac OS X Downloads section of its web site, where the best third-party Mac apps are, or should we say, were featured by the company. In precisely one week from now, the Mac OS X Downloads area of Apple.com will be gone.
Earlier this month, Softpedia reported that Apple had confirmed via email that January 6 would mark the end of Mac OS X Downloads on Apple.com.
“The decision marks the switch to Apple’s forthcoming Mac App Store, which will be the central place for downloading and updating Apple-approved, third-party Macintosh programs,” we noted at the time.
One of the last updates on apple.com/downloads/macosx is actually a new release from FileMaker Inc. - Bento Event Planner 1.0.
FileMaker is a computer software company formed in 1998 from the vestiges of Claris as a wholly owned subsidiary of Apple Inc.
Their Bento Event Planner is regarded as a noteworthy addition to the Mac OS X Downloads section at Apple, as it allows users to track contacts, vendors, tasks, expenses, location details, important files, emails and more – and link them to any event.
According to FileMaker, the tool is perfect for planning meetings, conferences, trade-shows, weddings, parties and fundraisers.
It comes with a free trial of Bento for Mac, according to the brief description provided by FileMaker, and posted by Apple on its own web site.
However, Apple’s Mac OS X Downloads site isn’t limited to productivity software tools. Not by far, actually.
Users can browse an infinite range of titles, from Apple’s own programs, to all types of utilities, games, drivers, etc.
In fact, the Mac maker has a huge list of categories for software featured on the Mac OS X Downloads site, including sub-categories.
For example, the Productivity category includes Spotlight Plugins, System/Disk, Utilities, UNIX & Open Source, Video, Widgets (as shown in the screenshot available to the left).
The Games category (as gamers would expect), is broken down by genres: Action & Adventure, Cards & Puzzle, Demos & Updates, Kids & Learning, RPG & Strategy, Simulation & Sports etc.
Needless to point out, the service is extremely useful for those looking to quickly find a program for a specific task.
The Mac App Store will likely serve the customer even better. However, this area of Apple’s website will undoubtedly be missed by many.
One key advantage was the ability to filter results by the date they were added, popularity, name (alphabetical), and by Apple’s own impression of a given piece of software (Staff Picks).
Hopefully, Apple implements a similar system in the upcoming Mac App Store, which will arrive via Software Update as a free download around January 6.
