Mac OS X App Store to open doors in early January

Apple's upcoming Mac App Store will open its virtual doors on 6 January, according to an announcement from the company on Thursday.

The repository will deliver Mac apps directly to OS X devices in much the same way as the iTunes App Store does for its iOS counterparts.

"The App Store revolutionised mobile apps," said Steve Jobs, Apple’s chief executive. "We hope to do the same for PC apps with the Mac App Store."

At launch the store will be available in 90 countries and will feature both free and paid apps in a range of categories.

The store will be delivered to Mac OS X Snow Leopard machines on 6 January, 2011 via the software updater.

On 5 November Apple began accepting submissions for the Mac App Store, which will operate on the same principle as the mobile app store, with Apple taking a 30 percent slice of each app sale and the developer keeping 70 percent.