OK, it’s here.

Apple – App Store – Buy, download, and install apps made for Mac.

I’m on the record as saying that this is a massive day for Apple. Today is the day that it becomes easier to buy software for a Mac than for any other platform.

The next few weeks will contain grumbles about developer contracts and prices but the result is that today Apple has the only platform that works from end-to-end. Life gets difficult for the competition starting today.

Here are my first impressions:

• The prices are all over the place. Obviously if you’ve charged 50€ for a packaged software for years it’s now difficult to go for volume and sell for 5€. However, I can’t see Pixelmator being 24€ for long. They probably need to be under 10€ although it’s worth more.
• Where are Google, Real, Microsoft, Adobe and the others? I can only imagine that marketing or legal stopped them being there on day one. They’ll regret it.
• It’s a shame that it doesn’t detect the third party software that I’ve installed.  That would have been really good.
• Why does Software Update still exist? System Updates only?
• Does this kill MacHeist?

Overall, there are tactical issues to solve but when the strategy is so clearly right I think that they can afford to spend to the time getting this right.

Here’s why…

AppleInsider | Apple confirms New Year’s alarm bug, says to wait until Jan 3.

Unacceptable!

“Graham’s piece reminds me of what I consider the central hook to a great app for these tablets: that it should seem, when you’re using it, that the entire device was meant for it. E.g., a good chess game for the iPhone should make the iPhone itself feel like a chess playing device. When you’re in Mobile Safari, it feels like you’re holding a dedicated web browsing device. Only when you’re in the Phone app does the iPhone feel like a phone.”

Daring Fireball Linked List: Tablets

This hits it on the nail. Although I’d never thought about it like this before. It explains why something as simple as the calendar app on the iPad is so satisfying and why I love Taska.

Think of the UI design like this and you’ll never want a keyboard or even a silly Playstation keypad on your phone. It also explains why those Swiss army knife utility apps are so unsatisfying.

“So my best guess is that Apple really wanted to ship iOS 4.2 in November — especially for the sake of the iPad — and some features didn’t make the cut. Widespread AirPlay video support, I suspect is one of those things — and that we’ll see a lot more places where AirPlay works for video in future iOS updates.”

Daring Fireball: Video Support for AirPlay Is Limited in iOS 4.2

So this maybe true, programmers often run out of time but I think that this is missing the elephant in the room.

I love AirTunes (the old name for AirPlay) and have used it for years. I’ve two AirPort Expresses at home and they’re in use almost every day. However…

I’ve stopped recommending it to friends because it’s so flaky. Too often I’ve sold it on a friend for it to not work. And this is just music, not video.

My guess is that they assumed that they could build on the existing stack of software and have found that it’s not up to the job. I’m expecting that 4.3 will come with a new version of iTunes, new Express fireware, new router firmware etc. This probably won’t work properly till well into next year.