Apple has confirmed via email that January 6 will 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.
Apple promises that the Mac App Store will make discovering, installing and updating Mac apps easier than ever, “by bringing the revolutionary App Store experience to Mac OS X.”
The service will be available in 90 countries at launch and will feature paid and free apps in categories like Education, Games, Graphics & Design, Lifestyle, Productivity and Utilities, the company confirmed last week.
Starting with January 6, 2011, visitors of http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/ will be redirected to a page that advertises the Mac App Store, Apple now reveals.
The full email Apple sent to developers (courtesy of
TUAW) is available below.
Apple Developer
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Dear [name],
Thank you for making the Mac OS X Download site a great destination with apps that offer users new ways to work, play, learn, and create on their Mac.
We recently announced that on January 6, 2011, the Mac App Store will open to users around the world, presenting you with an exciting, new opportunity to reach millions of customers. Since the introduction of the App Store in 2008, we've been thrilled with the incredible support from developers and the enthusiastic response from users. Now we're bringing the revolutionary experience of the App Store to Mac OS X.
Because we believe the Mac App Store will be the best destination for users to discover, purchase, and download your apps, we will no longer offer apps on the Mac OS X Downloads site. Instead, beginning January 6, we will be directing users to explore the range of apps available on the Mac App Store.
We appreciate your support of the Mac platform and hope you'll take advantage of this new opportunity to showcase your apps to even more users. To learn how you can offer your apps on the Mac App Store, visit the Apple Developer website at <http://developer.apple.com/programs/mac/>.
Best regards,
Ron Okamoto
Vice President, Worldwide Developer Relations
Apple Inc.
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