Five Years of Mac App Store →

Graham Spencer at MacStories, in his nice look back at the Mac App Store:

Just how often do you open the Mac App Store?

The Mac App Store had such promise. The App Store is a huge deal, and there was excitement that it could breathe new life into the Mac ecosystem, but it hasn’t turned out that way. Many major developers have pulled out, and Apple’s had some pretty major issues on their end as well.

There’s still promise in the Mac App Store, but Apple has a long way to go to prove that it can be worthwhile for developers again. I’d like to see them address this, since an all-in-one place to download and update apps can really simplify things for everyday users.

Personally, I only ever use it if I have to. If a developer offers their app for sale directly, I’d rather go that route. I don’t think I’m alone there.