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Targeting Apple, Amazon unveils Mac Download Store

Summary: Not long after Apple launched its Mac App Store, Amazon is launching its own, offering applications not available on Apple's service.

Ricardo Bilton

By for The ToyBox |

While Amazon's rumored answer to the iPad still months away, the company is already stepping on Apple's turf in a very direct way - by launching its own Mac applications store.

Via the Mac Download Store, MacBook, iMac and Mac Pro users can download 250 of Mac OS's biggest applications, some of which  aren't available in Apple's own App Store.

Microsoft Office is one such offering. Selling for $115, you won't find the Home and Student version of the Office suite on the Mac Store. But you will find it on Amazon.

Amazon says that its download process is simple and install-less. Even better, once users purchase applications, the downloads are backed up on Amazon's servers, allowing for unlimited future downloads. This, however, does not mean that users can use, say, a single product key for multiple installs. Understandably, Amazon is leaving the specific licensing agreement arrangements to the software manufacturers themselves.

Similar to its Android App Store, Amazon's foray into the Mac OS software world serves as a clear indication that the company is a force to be reckoned with outside of its bread-and-butter physical sales. While the Mac Download Store isn't exactly pretty, competition for Apple can never be a bad thing.

Topics: Amazon, Apple, Hardware

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30 comments
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  • RE: Targeting Apple, Amazon unveils Mac Download Store

    Next week we'll see a story about Apple sending Amazon a cease and desist letter.
    LoverockDavidson
    Reply Vote

    • Like

      @LoverockDavidson There should be a like button here.

      Choice....brought to you by Amazon app store.
      Your Non Advocate
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Targeting Apple, Amazon unveils Mac Download Store

        @facebook@... What, you could never buy software for a Mac from anyplace other than Apple before this? Get a clue.
        non-biased
        Reply Vote

    • No reason for that; Apple always said that Mac users can get their software

      @LoverockDavidson: ... from whatever places they like.
      DDERSSS
      Reply Vote

      • but through a Mac Download store?

        @denisrs
        Sounds just like what Apple planned on doing.

        And Apple don't like sharin'
        Will Pharaoh
        Reply Vote

      • RE: Targeting Apple, Amazon unveils Mac Download Store

        @Will Pharaoh

        If you knew what you are talking about, which you don't, you would know that several application repositories already exist for the mac, and have for years.
        DeusXMachina
        Reply Vote

    • RE: Targeting Apple, Amazon unveils Mac Download Store

      @LoverockDavidson You're probably right. The world must be coming to an end, I've been agreeing with you for almost a week now...
      snoop0x7b
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Targeting Apple, Amazon unveils Mac Download Store

        @snoop0x7b

        And when you both turn out to be wrong, will you finally shove off?
        DeusXMachina
        Reply Vote

      • RE: Targeting Apple, Amazon unveils Mac Download Store

        @snoop0x7b I don't think I would have admitted that, says way to much about your character and judgment.
        non-biased
        Reply Vote

  • RE: Targeting Apple, Amazon unveils Mac Download Store

    Amazon helps Apple sell software, that's a minus for Apple? Also i don't see people wanting to use this web based interface over Apple's superior appstore.
    m3kw9
    Reply Vote

    • Yes it's a minus for Apple

      @m3kw9
      because they don't get any money from software purchased to run on a Mac.

      Apple wants to make money off of the initial sale of the Mac, and for everything loaded onto it after that.
      Will Pharaoh
      Reply Vote

      • Yep. Because we all know that Apple is desperate

        for revenues, what with their hardware sales being so lackluster and all.
        fr_gough
        Reply Vote

      • RE: Targeting Apple, Amazon unveils Mac Download Store

        @Will Pharaoh No I think you'll find Apple's primary purpose is to sell you the computers, sure selling software and parts afterward is a plus, but Apple won't stop anything that makes you more likely to replace your Mac with another Mac. They know not to kill the goose that's laying the golden eggs.

        This is really the secret of their success; they don't just want to sell you a computer, they want to sell you a succession of computers and everything else is secondary to that. They build their own OS to "add value", there is nothing stopping them building Windows systems, except they feel there would be no reason for you to replace their machine with another Apple machine. They build applications to add value, it is applications that make a platform worth owning - they will even buy leading applications, if that helps. But the charge of wanting to "nickel and dime" just doesn't stick, Apple have very simple product lines, they make just two mice (one with a wire and one without), they make just two keyboards (one small wireless and one more conventional wired one), with a new Mac either are "no cost options". Apple are more than happy for other options to be handled by other manufactures, and even stock a limited number of these options in their stores.
        jeremychappell
        Reply Vote

    • RE: Targeting Apple, Amazon unveils Mac Download Store

      @m3kw9
      They will if Amazon has offerings that are not available on Apples store. Add to that pricing and yes, you have a winning option.
      Amazon has a great way of pulling you in so that you almost always consider them as an option. From a shopping perspective that's a good thing.
      :)
      rhonin
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Targeting Apple, Amazon unveils Mac Download Store

        @rhonin Exactly... 90% of the time I'll check amazon when I'm buying something. I looked up the laptop I was going to buy on newegg on amazon... Same laptop, 100$ less. Amazon is great, plus since I have a prime account I get 2 day shipping for free (which always turns out to be overnight... 100% of the time).
        snoop0x7b
        Reply Vote

    • apple's business model

      @m3kw9 <br>agreed. for years and years pundits and analysts (and most of the clueless poster here in the forum) don't seem to be able to wrap their head around apple's business model: apple sells hardware. that's how they make money. it is so simple, beautiful and transparent. hardware. that's it.<br><br>all of their services and software offerings are means to an end: to make the hardware more attractive. apple stated again and again that all of their media and software stores (itunes, ibook store, appstore for ios and now the mac app store) are running merely at break even. no money to be made here even at apple's scale (something that amazon is about to discover the hard way soon). amazon offering another mac software store? makes apple's hardware more attractive. this announcement should make apple's share price go up (a little at least), instead it is going down. clueless pundits and analysts.
      bannedfromzdnet
      Reply Vote

      • This is because tech pundits are locked in Microsoft

        mode and think the real money is in software. So all of Apple's fantastic revenue and profits must be because of software.
        fr_gough
        Reply Vote

      • RE: Targeting Apple, Amazon unveils Mac Download Store

        @bannedfromzdnet 30% transaction fee is breaking even? Bull. For a company that does as many transactions as amazon, it's 2.3% at max (2.2% is basically the minimum a card processor will charge) + $.20/transaction. <br><br>The app store is definitely a money maker. They're paying out much less to developers than their transaction fees. How do I know this? My company does a lot of ecommerce projects.<br><br>If you believe that I have a bridge in brooklyn to sell you.
        snoop0x7b
        Reply Vote

      • RE: Targeting Apple, Amazon unveils Mac Download Store

        @snoop0x7b<br><br>With residential facilities. Do you collect a toll?
        DeusXMachina
        Reply Vote

      • RE: Targeting Apple, Amazon unveils Mac Download Store

        @bannedfromzdnet <br>I agree. Up until OSX, Apple had no problem shafting their user and developer base every time a new machine and OS version was released, forcing their entire user base to buy all new hardware if they wanted new features. Now that they have settled on a real (multitasking) OS that's based on standards, they're going to have to come up with a new angle on how to push new hardware that makes it worth the cost to upgrade.<br><br>In contrast, you can still run DOS and Windows 3.1 applications on a Windows 7 x64 laptop (without running a virtual machine emulator) with very few compatibility issues. Since Microsoft isn't pushing PC hardware, their goal was always to preserve backward compatibility (mostly due to enterprise deployments) to ensure that software investments weren't lost.<br><br>Apple is the only technology player not in the "cloud" space (with the exception of services that THEY run), simply because they won't allow virtualization of their OS. You can spin up just about any OS you can think of on most cloud hosts, with the execption of any Apple products. I'm sure that this is why their server line failed to take off -- when many businesses were just starting to invest in server consolidation and virtualization projects.
        Bit-Smacker
        Reply Vote
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