IPhone software sustainability and the death of Mac software

Couldn't it work in reverse? There must be people who learned Cocoa/Objective-C only to get on the iPhone bandwagon, and are therefore closer to Mac software development than they would ever have been without the iPhone.<p>The article doesn't seem to think that a Mac app store would work, but I know I'd like one (speaking both as a maker and user of Mac software). I know I'd buy more, too; it would be easier to know what's actually available, and I'd discover apps for unexpected things.

This is an incredibly one-sided view. Clearly if you're a Mac developer, you switch to iPhone development and you start receiving truckloads of cash, you're going to think Mac developers would be stupid not to do the same. However:<p>1. Most iPhone apps are <i>not</i> incredibly successful.<p>2. Taptaptap has the full weight of the MacHeist marketing machine behind it.<p>Even if a swathe of Mac developers did move to iPhone, it wouldn't be long before the majority moved back to the Mac when the <i>iPhone Dream</i> didn't materialise. Indeed, if Mac development was going to die, it would have done already.

App Bodega (<a href="http://www.appbodega.com" rel="nofollow">http://www.appbodega.com</a>) is a somewhat successful Mac app store that I find useful for finding new apps and keeping track of app updates. It's also really well done in terms of UI / usability. It's a shame they failed to even mention it - they're not helping the situation.<p>Oh, and from what I understand Apple <i>is</i> working on a Mac app store. As someone getting ready to launch a Mac shareware app I found this quote especially hilarious:<p>"Mac software sales since the current distribution and sales methods are in place and well established."

Apple <i>would</i> have complete control over the software they wanted to offer on a theoretical Mac App Store. Not so different from the retail boxed software they sell at Apple Stores. I don't think it's on the top of their priority list but I bet it happens eventually. If you look at Steam on Windows you see there is a proven model for success with desktop app stores.

This reminds of the "Desktops are dead" articles that have been written for years. With the growth of people in the world using more and more computers everyday, there is plenty of room for new distribution channels, stores (Slate Store?), platforms and such. Even this developer who authored an article about the death of Mac software said they would continue writing and supporting it.<p>And it may also just be semantics, but since when is writing for the App store not Mac software?

I'd be interested to know how the shareware market is doing on Windows ... no really, selling shareware is still viable? If it is, I've got a cool idea I'd like to implement.

Why am I being presented with raw fish?