It’s been a few months since Apple launched the Mac App Store as a central repository for applications on OSX. I’ve been playing with it a bit, trying to figure out just why we needed an App Store on the Mac when installing software is so easy (99% of the time you just drag it to your applications folder).

First things first, let’s be clear; The REAL motivation here is Apple wants a cut of the profits. If a developer creates an app and sells it on their website, they get 100% of the profit. If they sell it in the App Store, Apple gets a nice cut, and the developer only gets a portion. Apple is clearly positioning themselves as a distributer of applications, and trying to make a healthy profit from it.

But aside from that, one very important thing stood out to me as more apps populated the store: Games are prominently featured. For years, Apple has tried to woo game developers to the Apple platform. Having a lot of games on the Mac would make the Mac more mainstream, and silence the “I need a PC for games” crowd. By creating the app store for the iPhone and iPad, they have lured many game developers to the platform, and they are trying to do it again with the Mac app store. It’s all about the “image” and perception of the platform. I think as the games start pouring in, we will start seeing more advertising from Apple touting the gaming features of the Mac.

Now that the motives are put to rest, what does the Mac App Store mean for consumers? Is this a clever way of reducing piracy? Perhaps, but consider this: The average person downloads pirated software because they claim it’s too expensive. Developers claim they charge so much because they need to make up for piracy. It’s a vicious circle; A catch 22. But now Apple has come along with clear guidelines for apps, baseline pricing that works for consumers, and a fairly robust anti-piracy solution. Now, in order to compete, apps need to be priced fairly, and in return they are promoted for free by Apple. In the end, the consumer wins.

The only flaw with the current app store implementation is that there are no “trial” apps. If there was a way to install a trial version of all the apps that run fully featured for 30 days, Apple would have a true winner. People would have a chance to try and become dependant on apps, then be prompted to purchase after 30 days, and it would all be a seamless experience.

As it stands now, I’ve installed exactly one app from the App Store, Twitter, and I really don’t have a use for the App Store. Once more quality content is added and the experience is refined, I might change my mind. But Apple better do it quick… if there are too many people like me who try it and abandon it, it will never take off. And if that happens, developers won’t want to get their apps listed. We’ll ba back to our catch 22.

The next couple of years will be interesting, and we could see a huge shift in computing. We are at the cusp of a revolutionary new computing model. I’m curious to see how this will play out over time.