14 DAY TRIAL // Confirmed to launch no later than January 2011, Apple’s Mac App Store will support neither Game Center, nor in app purchases, the company said. As of late, developers are being notified of the rules surrounding the forthcoming service one by one, these two lackluster features being the latest such impositions from Cupertino.
Whether or not these are initial restrictions that will, some day, become more flexible as Apple relaxes some of the guidelines remains to be seen.
For now, Apple specifically states via the updated iTunes Connect Developer Guide that neither of the two aforementioned features - which iOS device users have been enjoying since iOS 4’s debut - will make it in official Mac apps, upon the Mac App Store’s debut.
The Mac maker does not provide an explanation for its decision to restrict the two services to the iOS marketplace.
Instead, it provides the following information on the updated PDF document:
Game Center
"Game Center is Apple’s social gaming network that was implemented in iOS 4.1. All of your metadata for Game Center functionality is set up and managed in iTunes Connect, allowing you to test your Game Center features before submitting to Apple for review.
Note: Game Center is not available for Mac OS X apps."
In App Purchases
"The Manage Your In App Purchases module on the iTunes Connect Home page is visible if: ■ you are an Admin or Technical user ■ and, your Team Agent has clicked through the latest iOS Developer Program License Agreement in the iOS Developer Provisioning Portal
Note: In App Purchases are not available for Mac OS X apps."
Also limited to iOS is a developer’s ability to request promotional codes, or “promo codes”, which can be used to allow privileged parties to download paid apps free of charge.
Previously restricted to the United States, iOS promo codes are now usable worldwide, according to the updated iTunes Developer Guide.