“Developers have a great job for the apps in the store and get users to enjoy the convenience and pleasure in using the Mac App Store shows up.”
A Better Class of Apps:
One of the great things about iOS is that it brought many feature-focused, simple-to-use applications to market. Software maturity often brings software bloat, so you end up with sluggish software and tons of features you neither need nor want. While many of the initial offerings in the Mac App Store also exist on the Mac outside the App Store, you can see a hint of iOS apps making their way to the Mac platform. While some apps unquestionably require many features, and there is no paradigm in simplicity, the iOS-style of app will be a very useful addition to the Mac software ecosystem. I've been using Weet (Twitter client) and Reeder (RSS reader) on the Mac for a while now, and they both demonstrate how well simple and lightweight apps can work on the Mac. Too many features and slow performance is frustrating, so a little more iOS in our Mac apps is very welcome.
Copy Protection That Doesn't Suck:
I hate DRM/copy protection. I don't think there's anyone who likes it, but it's a reality when it comes to commercial software. Each piece of software uses a different kind of copy protection, too, whether it's online authorization, a serial number, or the devil incarnate: USB authorization dongles (I'm looking at you, Waves). Some of these authorization methods are so bad that it's easier to pirate the software. As a result, I pirate software I actually own to save myself the trouble of dealing with authorization issues (examples: Native Instruments, Final Draft, Adobe).
Games:
I want to love the iPad, but I don't. I do love it as a gaming platform, however, but I often wish I could just play those games on my Mac. Of all the apps making the transition from iOS to Mac, games dominate the category. For example, you can now play iOS favorites like Angry Birds, Chopper 2, Flight Control, and The Incident (which I think works much better with a keyboard, personally). The Mac has never been a serious gaming platform, so casual gaming should be a pretty great fit. Personally, I'm excited to be able to play most of my favorite games on the desktop so I don't have to pull out the iPad just to tackle a quick level on Angry Birds.
Purchase iWork and iLife Apps Individually, and Save Money:
If you're interested in the latest iPhoto, you may not be interested in the latest version of GarageBand. You may want Pages but not Keynote. Luckily in the Mac App Store, you can buy iLife and iWork apps individually and spend less doing it. If you buy the iWork suite, you'll pay $79. On the Mac App Store, however, you can get each app for $20 each, saving you $19 if you were to buy all three.
Additionally, I believe the Mac App Store will bring an overall price reduction to software on the Mac. While some apps are always going to be expensive, with apps transitioning over from iOS I think things are going to get more competitive and we'll see price drops like we did with the iPad. Maybe we'll even see hybrid purchase options, letting you buy an iOS and Mac app together (like you can for the iPhone and iPad). This isn't a surefire bet, but with the iTunes App Store bringing so much price competition to iOS it's pretty likely we'll see the same thing happen on the Mac.
