Apple Defies Logic, Cuts Aperture 3 Price from $200 to Just $80

In tandem with the big Mac App Store announcement, Apple was keen today to reveal that iWork, iLife, and Aperture were also available for download among the 1,000+ applications that currently live in the venue. One surprising statement from Apple today was: “Aperture 3, Apple’s powerful photo editing and management software, is available for $79.99.”

Earlier today, Apple announced that the Mac App Store was open for business with more than 1,000 free and paid apps.

With it, Apple aims to brings the revolutionary App Store experience to the Mac, so that customers can find great new apps, buy them using their iTunes account, and download and install them in just one step, the company said today.

Available as a free service downloadable alongside Mac OS X 10.6.6, the sixth incremental update to Apple’s Snow Leopard operating system, the Mac App Store offers apps in categories like Education, Games, Graphics & Design, Lifestyle, Productivity, Utilities and others.

“With more than 1,000 apps, the Mac App Store is off to a great start,” Steve Jobs, Apple CEO, said today. “We think users are going to love this innovative new way to discover and buy their favorite apps.”

Apple’s press release includes high-profile developer names, like Autodesk, Ancestry.com and Boinx, and proceeds with the final announcement - that Apple’s own applications are also up for grabs.

First off, Apple broke down its iWork and iLife suites so that users can download the apps individually.

Next, Apple included Aperture 3 in the Mac App Store, but not before slashing its price to nothing.

Apple’s confirmation is available in the citation below (highlight ours):

“iPhoto®, iMovie® and GarageBand® apps from Apple’s popular iLife® ‘11 suite are available individually in the Mac App Store for $14.99 each, and Pages®, Keynote® and Numbers® apps from iWork® are available for $19.99 each. Aperture® 3, Apple’s powerful photo editing and management software, is available for $79.99.