Why Pogoplug?

There are no storage limits or long upload times, explains the company, differentiating its offering from similar cloud services, like Google Music or Amazon's Cloud Player. Both of those services require you to move your MP3s from your computer's drive to the companies' servers and they're only for music.

With Pogoplug, your computer is the server and more file types are supported.

Pogoplug Now Offering Freemium Software - And Free Invites for You!

There are two levels of service with the new software. For free, you can download the client and stream your media to any other device, including iOS devices (iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch), on your same local network. To make your files available online, however, there's a $29 fee. This allows you to install the software on all your machines, too, which means you can make every single file you own available "in the cloud," whether they're stored on a Windows PC or on your Mac.

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The Web interface offers three new apps for accessing your files: an online jukebox for streaming music, a cinema app for videos or movies and a gallery app for viewing photos, already organized using their own metadata.

While the idea of "cloud drive" isn't all that unique, the company is offering a unique spin on the concept - a cloud drive you own and control, instead of one run by a major corporation like Amazon, Google, Microsoft or Apple.

Of course, another big company had the same idea not too long ago - Opera Software, makers of the Web browser of the same name. With Opera Unite, the organization proclaimed it would "reinvent the Web" by turning any computer into both a client and server. The concept itself, as a standalone entity, didn't take off with users, and the technology is now baked into the Web browser instead. Opera may have just been a bit ahead of the time with the cloud streaming concept, or it could be that people don't want the hassle of managing their own cloud. (Did I leave my computer on? Is my home Wi-Fi down?) Still, for only $29, users with larger collections of media might find the small hassle worth price, as it's far cheaper than using a third-party cloud storage service.

In the meantime, I spent a little time playing around with the desktop software side of the Windows Phone experience, which is notably different depending on whether you're a Mac or PC person. Different, however, doesn't necessarily mean better or worse, I've found.

As a Mac user myself, I initially found Microsoft's Windows Phone Connector for Mac surprisingly good. This desktop software allows a Mac end user to sync their phone with the music, videos, photos and podcasts from iTunes and iPhoto. In regular use (I sync several times per week, for podcast updates), I've had zero trouble with the software, in terms of crashes or bugs. The only exception was the first time I attempted to install the WP7 update called "NoDo" - it didn't take and I had to start over. Other than that, the experience has been on par (or, in terms of podcast sync, even better than) using DoubleTwist, a similar tool which lets me sync my Android to iTunes. Windows Phone Connector is very easy, capable and fast.

But unlike DoubleTwist, it lacks wireless sync, sadly.

For Windows users, there isn't a Microsoft Connector for iTunes, even though many PC users have iTunes installed and use the software with their iPods and iPads. PC users are expected to use Microsoft's own Zune software instead. This is an interesting strategy on Microsoft's part because it assumes that no Mac users would want the full Zune experience and no PC users would prefer syncing with iTunes. I think that's misguided, to be kind. In truth, I think this narrow-minded viewpoint about Mac vs. PC users is outdated - not everyone is a zealot for one platform or the other, you know. We like to have options. I wouldn't mind a Zune for Mac program, personally, especially since Zune offers a Wi-Fi sync feature.

But since this house is equipped with Windows PCs, too, I fired one up to see how the other half lives.

Zune Software for PC Users

The Zune PC software was a hefty download and long install, but not much worse than I've seen with the first installation of iTunes, to be fair.

The interface, inspired by the "Metro UI" (user interface) of Windows Phone itself, delivers the same stylings as on the phone, but on a wider screen. I feel it works less well here than on the phone, at least on the main screen of the Zune software - the feature called "Quickplay." This feature is designed to provide quick access to recent and favorite content.

But the screen, especially for new users, seems too busy - why are those pictures displaying? How did it determine these were my favorite bands? Quickplay is an interesting experiment in user interface design, but should probably not be the first thing users see upon the first installation and launch of the software. The "summary" page for the phone would be a more traditional, and in my opinion, better option.

Outside of Quickplay, the organization of the various menus and options is less confusing. It's pretty obvious that "collection" means my stuff, and "phone" is what's on my device, for example.

The software is busy providing tips, however, like "did you know that pictures from your phone can be uploaded automatically to photos.live.com?" I find tips annoying, personally. Just do it already! Of course, not everyone wants their photos online (even if the privacy settings were set in advance for you so you were the only one who could view the photos). But a better use of this space, if necessary at all, would be an action item that reads: "Check this box to automatically upload photos to Live.com. You can change this later in the Settings," or something of that nature. You should be able to switch the setting on immediately, from the tip itself, without being directed to the settings. Otherwise, the software should leave you alone.

Ah, but this is Microsoft after all, home of Clippy. Helpfully guiding users through their software has not typically been their forté.

For example, in the Marketplace, the tip here warned me that these apps below were for Windows Phone 7 only, which was entirely unnecessary, considering that my phone was plugged in and syncing at the time. Did it not know what device I had? Another waste of space.

One major issue I experienced while on Windows was that the syncing seemed to take much longer than the same sync on the Mac, or an iPhone-to-iTunes sync of the same content on either Mac or PC. I'm not quite sure what the holdup was.

It's important to get syncing right, too. If you've ever been rushing out the door, only to realize you forgot to sync your iPhone, you know how painful it is to watch a sync in progress in iTunes. It was so much worse in Zune on Windows, at least in my experience.

That said, there is at least a Wi-Fi sync option available, but it only activates when your phone is plugged into a wall outlet and not in use. You cannot trigger it to start from your phone itself. This feature assumes that everyone syncs their phone at night, before bed. I sync mine during the day, before I leave the house, so I have new podcasts to listen to while traveling. Again, it's a case of Microsoft thinking for me, and not getting it quite right. It's a shame, because a Wi-Fi sync feature is an outstanding differentiator for the Zune software.

Another unique feature for Zune is the "Channels" feature, which lets you subscribe to automatically refreshing lists of songs within a given genre (e.g. "Pop"). It's not a bad feature at all, if you're not particular about your music or just like to stay on top of what's popular. However, given that I was a Zune Pass subscriber at the time, I don't understand why these Channels were not available as streams, but only as downloads. Why on earth would I want to have to constantly wait for songs to download if I've already bought the streaming music subscription?

Besides, I don't want to lose space on my device to songs I'm only sampling. Great idea, but poor execution.

Speaking of Zune's subscription feature, it's just not well-developed in comparison with competing services like those from MOG, Rdio and Spotify. Thankfully, Rdio is available for Windows Phone 7 now and Spotify is on its way. MOGgers, like myself, are out of luck. (Another reason why I can't fully leave Android at present. MOG, get it on it, please!)

You can't do much with Zune Pass while mobile, either, besides playing and pausing music. You can't favorite tunes, build playlists, subscribe to others' playlists, or anything else. On the desktop and the Web, you can do much more. Zune even has an online "social" platform where you can friend and follow others who have similar tastes. It's odd this was not extended to mobile.

Conclusion

While the few items I've mentioned are critical, on the whole, the Zune PC software is not bad. The main issue for me is that the sync needs to run faster, but I have not yet ruled out a problem with my PC on this (it is older, has USB 1.0 ports, for what it's worth). Plus, I'm sure you could make a list of iTunes annoyances which was just as long as this. In addition, although I didn't care for Quickplay, you may feel otherwise - you may even enjoy the serendipitous discovery it provides.

But in the end, I don't like that Microsoft is intent on providing different experiences for Mac and PC users. That's not to say it should discontinue its iTunes Connector for Mac, but that should be an alternative to the Zune software, not the only option.

Microsoft should also spend more time with Zune Pass, and make it more of a competitive option. If anything, Microsoft was ahead of the game here, offering subscription music before it was popular. But now that services like Rdio and Spotify are making headlines, Microsoft has stalled on its development of Zune Pass, allowing third-parties to outdo the experience Microsoft has actually baked into its mobile operating system itself. How very Microsoft!

Although nothing about Zune Pass was mentioned as coming in the Mango update, I would love to be surprised with a wholly revamped service later this fall. In the meantime, I want my MOG back. I want my Wi-Fi hotspot. I want my speedy Wi-Fi sync for Mac. In short, I want my Android.

Sorry, Windows Phone. You're pretty, but I need you to be powerful, too. I'll check back in with the platform after Mango to see how it's improved. But for now, Windows Phone is being relegated back to secondary status.

Of course, Evernote for Mac has already had the abilitiy to share notebooks with others. Now those sharing capabilities have been expanded to include Facebook, Twitter, and email, all through a new Share button on the menu bar.

You can click on the Audio Note microphone icon, and a new window will open with an audio recorder pinned to the top. The recording will continue even in the background, with a red dot on the Evernote menu bar's elephant indicating that you're currently recording.

The length of the recording depends on the file size of the note and whether or not you're a premium subscriber. Free users are allowed to have notes up to 25 MB. That's about 2 hours of recording. It's double that for premium users.

There are some other features here too, including faster searching, something that is important once you start accumulating thousands of notes.

You can download the update directly via the Evernote website, or you can update it via the Mac App store (Note: the Mac App store doesn't have the latest version quite yet, but it should be there soon).

All the time on the Web, things are happening. Comments are being left, blogs updated, messages sent, tweets tweeted, and so on. If you're an information junkie, then you don't want to know later, you want to know now.

One way of knowing now is setting up a mobile notification app, like Boxcar, to let you know the moment everything happens when you're out and about. But what about if you're sitting at your desk? For that, the company has just released a desktop version of Boxcar for the Mac and the app is soon on its way to a number of other devices and platforms.

The company announced that Boxcar for Mac, a desktop version of the popular mobile iOS app that brings push notifications for a variety of services to your desktop, is available. (Think Twitter, Google Buzz, email, Twitter lists, Reddit, GitHub and several more.) But why would you want a desktop version? Boxcar CEO Jonathan George had a simple explanation.

"We built it because we were tired of picking up our phones all the time to see what messages we'd gotten," said George.

George admitted that, for now, users running both aps will get notifications on both their mobile phone as well as their Mac.

"We'll  get smarter about where we deliver messages as we build out the product," said George. "Since we have a native app on the desktop, we can detect presence. With the users permission, we can discover whether the screensaver is running, how long ago the user last typed, whether or not the mouse has moved. All can be used to create a presence detection system that will allow us to discover where to send the messages to at the right time."

The Mac desktop app is available to download from the Boxcar website and will be available at a later point in the Mac App Store.

Even more exciting, for you non-Apple types, is that Boxcar is spreading its wings and moving on to other lands - Windows, Android and even Honeycomb, to be precise. George says that a Windows version, as well as an Android version, is coming in the next couple of weeks. For you TV fiends, a Google TV just might be in production a little bit on down the line too.

Freak out, Android information addicts - Boxcar will soon come for you too. See?

Is it greedy or is it genius for Apple to sell FaceTime for Mac instead of give it away as a free download? And what does this mean for Apple's iChat?

During FaceTime for Mac's beta period the app was free, which is why so many users were surprised this morning when the new, final version launched with a small price tag attached.

It's not that $0.99 is a ton of money - most iPhone users think nothing of dropping a dollar for an app these days - but it is a limiting factor as to how many users will download the application. Free "sells" better than paid, at least when the goal is increasing the install base of end users.

This begs the question: is there some reason why Apple wouldn't want its FaceTime app spread more widely among its Mac users? One has to wonder - especially since Apple has decided to make FaceTime a standalone paid application instead of integrating it into its already widely known and popular Mac app called iChat. It's odd that Apple would now offer two different video chat programs - one for desktop-to-desktop connections and one for desktop-to-mobile.

FaceTime vs. the Competition

It's also surprising to see the $0.99 fee considering that Apple's main competition, Skype, began giving away free video chat with its iPhone application back in December 2010. And Skype's version works over both Wi-Fi and 3G connections, while FaceTime on mobile is a Wi-Fi-only application.

Other startups in the video chat space are growing quickly, too. Tango, for example, does iPhone and Android video chat sessions with desktop support in the works, and up-and-comer ooVoo does video chat with up to six participants on Mac, PC, Android and soon iOS devices. How does Apple expect to compete with cross-platform competitors whose apps are free?

Maybe Apple doesn't need to compete with them. Back when FaceTime launched, Apple CEO Steve Jobs did note that Apple intends to make FaceTime's technology an open platform for video chat applications. He probably didn't mean "open" as in "open source," but "open" as in - feel free to integrate our technology into your company's video chat product. Assuming that's still the course Apple is following, Tango, Skype, ooVoo and others aren't necessarily the competition - they're just another potential customer for FaceTime integration in the future.

Apple has always been known for its clean, elegant user interfaces and designs. iOS is no exception, expect for one problem area - notifications. Its notifications are terrible. If you're in the middle of doing something and you get a push notification, you have no choice but to deal with it or dismiss it and possibly forget about it.

According to Mac-centric blog Cult Of Mac, "Apple is working on a new notification system for iOS and will be buying a small company to build its technology into the operating system."

Apple's pop-up notification system for new text messages, voicemails and the like has often been criticized as one of the weakest parts of the iOS. Notifications are intrusive, modal and often cryptic. It's a mess.

HP/Palm's webOS banner notification system, on the other hand, has been widely praised for its utility and ease of use. And from this week's preview, it looks to be getting better.

The report quotes an anonymous source, who told Cult of Mac that Apple is "now trying to buy a small app developer to fix [notifications]" and that this developer "already has an iPhone app in the App Store." It goes on to speculate that Boxcar, a known player in the iOS notifications space, is one candidate.

Boxcar CEO Jonathan George didn't have any comment when we asked about any potential acquisition, but he offered some insight on the state of iOS notifications today.

"iOS notifications are broken and Boxcar fills that space.  Notifications should be aggregated for the user and optionally interruptive.  No one enjoys having their Cat Piano time interrupted!" said George. "It's more than just aggregation though, it's also about allowing any website on the internet to deliver messages to mobile devices, without needing an app. We give users and developers what they need to make push notifications useful."

This idea of "optionally interruptive" is the key flaw with Apple's current notification system. Imagine if, anytime something happened on your computer, that program stole focus and wouldn't give it back until you dealt with it. Even worse, when notifications get backed up you end up having to tap through them one at a time. It's a mess. That's the state of iOS notifications and, indeed, it is broken. As Cult Of Mac notes, HP showed off its updated notifications at its launch event the other day. It showed an asynchronous, non-obtrusive system that waits for your attention rather than demanding it. We hope to see Apple follow suit.

This new version also introduces group video calling as part of its Premium package. There is a 7 day free trial for new users, but then you'll need to purchase either a day pass ($4.99) or buy a monthly subscription ($8.99 per month) for the feature.

Still missing from this version is deep integration with Facebook, something we've been looking forward to since the two companies announced a partnership last year. But as Mike Melanson reported yesterday, it does seem as though Facebook is testing some VOIP calling. It's just obviously not in this new version of the Skype client for Mac.

As it turns out, many Mac App Store developers are sharing details about their Mac App Store sales figures, both on their own websites and in traditional forums. Below is a selection of those results. Spoiler alert: the news is good.

Evernote:

One of the most impressive examples of how the Mac App Store's launch impacted sales came from popular note-taking app Evernote. One day after the store's launch, the company talked about the massive influx of new users it saw.

In the first few days of 2011, 166,789 new users downloaded Evernote, and since the launch of the Mac App Store, more than half of them came from the Mac. About 40,000 users signed up from the Mac so far, wrote Evernote's Phil Libin on a company blog post dated Jan. 7. This is new users only, he stressed. The actual total number of downloads from the Mac App Store was 90,000 (from store launch until midnight on opening night).

Chopper 2:

Next, there's game developer David Frampton of Majic Jungle Software, makers of a top paid app, Chopper 2. He told MacRumors that Chopper 2 saw nearly 30,000 copies sold from the Mac App Store during opening day, which equated to a revenue stream of over $20,000. 

LittleFin:

LittleFin Software, makers of a home inventory app called Compartments, was seeing an average of six to 10 sales per day prior to the Mac App Store's launch. In preparation for the launch, the development shop lowered the price from $24.95 to $9.95, in the hopes of attracting a larger audience.

As it turned out, Apple liked the app, selected it as a Staff Pick and listed it on the Great Mac Apps page. On launch day, LittleFin sold 1,500 copies of the inventory app, and over the next two days, it continued to sell around 1,000 copies each.

A second app, Chronicle, was not featured by Apple, but began selling 80 to 100 copies per day - 10 times its usual sales volume. The conclusion, wrote LittleFin's founder Mike Dattolo on the company blog: "lower prices can be sustainable."

"We have always wanted to price our apps lower. But when we tried that in the past, we simply couldn't get enough volume to justify it. So like other developers, we were a little nervous about the potential for a race to the bottom in the Mac App Store, even though we came in with reduced prices ourselves," he said. "The removal of purchase barriers (everyone has an Apple ID) and the huge potential audience of the Mac App Store is providing enough volume that we can offer lower prices. Of course, our apps are simple, and belong at low price points."

RealMacSoftware:

RealMacSoftware, makers of web design software RapidWeaver, plus utilities like Courier and LittleSnapper, reported it sold 5,000 apps on the first day of launch. But, "as with with every product launch, unit sales will tail off," noted a recent company blog post. "The Mac App Store is no different." However, the development firm is now watching to see if the average daily run-rate for apps increases gradually over time.

For now, Courier is the only app exclusive to the Mac App Store, but the company plans to release LittleSnapper 2 and RapidWeaver 6 as App Store exclusives. Despite the tapered-off sales, the firm still considers the Mac App Store worthwhile, apparently.

DaisyDisk:

According to a post on Appstorm, the utility DaisyDisk, despite not being featured, saw a big surge in interest: in first three days, the company sold a tenfold increase in sales from its own site.

iBank:

Financial management application iBank also saw great sales after its Mac App Store debut, but wasn't sure if it could contribute them to the store itself. Said Scott Marc Becker, the managing director of IGG Software, "After just these first few days, I can't say whether sales at our site are up as a result of our visibility in the Mac App Store - they've been running really high, as they typically do this time of year," he said.

Markcircle:

Another development firm, Marketcircle, maker of apps for small business told Appstorm that it saw a three-fold increase in regular daily sales of its Billings app. But because some of its products require the use of background processes and headless servers, forbidden by the Mac App Store's rules, it cannot sell exclusively through the store at this time.

Real Figures from Those Further Down in the Charts

Of course, not everyone is a multi-app development firm, staffed with employees, or with a user base of tens of thousands. What about the smaller developers?

MacRumors tracked some opening day results, culled from this forum thread on Unity3d.com. These included:

• 4x4 Offroad Racing ($3.99): 93 units sold for a total of $371, ranked #76
• Bubble Bang ($2.99): 17 units sold for a total of $51, ranked #150
• Light Quest ($9.99): 3 units sold for a total of $30, ranked #173
• Bubblez ($2.99): 7 units sold for a total of $21, unranked (not in top 180)

That forum post has been updated since the original blog post, however. Additional opening day figures now include:

• Blush ($2.99): 452 units sold
• Off-Road Velociraptor Safari ($2.99): 128 units
• Crane Wars ($2.99): 101 units sold
• Time Donkey ($2.99): 13 units sold
• StuntMANIA ($4.99): 622 units sold opening day, 709 on the 2nd day
• Guns of Icarus: 449 units sold
• Galactic Gunner ($0.99): 194 units sold
• Age of Tribes ($1.99): 220 opening day, 258 the following day; now lowered price to $0.99

Even more interesting are the updated reports from these developers, some of whom say their sales increased on days after opening day.

"Stuntman Bob is selling well...and yup, better on day 2 than on day 1," wrote one developer, who said he sees the game as a "public beta" since it's his spare time project.

The developer of Offroad, Bubble Bang and Bubblez, saw sales increase when he lowered them for a weekend sale at $0.99 each. By day 3, they were at:

• 4x4 Offroad: 364
• Bubble Bang: 55
• Bubblez: 29

StuntMANIA, which got a Staff Favorites pick, quickly jumped to #21 overall in the Mac App Store in the U.S. The developer reported that on Jan. 14, it had its biggest sales day since launch: 1121 units.

And when 4x4 received a similar promotion (New & Noteworthy pick), its sales went up too.

What this all means, is that, for the most part, the trend with the Mac App Store seems to be a surge of new users upon launch, followed by steady or tapered-off sales afterwards. However, being promoted by Apple in some way on the store, as always, will send a second rush of new users. Many developers are even choosing to sell their apps exclusively through the store, like image editor Pixelmator, for example, which detailed its Mac App Store transition on its blog.

It will be interesting to revisit these results after a longer period of time, like a quarter, or half a year, to see if these trends continue. In the meantime, it appears that the outlook is good. Very good.

The store, which launched yesterday morning to bring a centralized repository of OS X compatible applications to Mac users, now includes over 1,000 free and paid software programs. And as with iTunes, the apps are organized by category, are ranked by top paid, free and top grossing, and are rated and reviewed by customers.

Top Paid Apps

As of this morning, the top paid charts featured a collection of Apple software programs like iPhoto, iMovie and Pages as well as games, including the ever-ubiquitious Angry Birds, which soared in to the number one spot. It's unclear if Angry Birds' rise was at all affected by the recent reports of Mac App Store piracy.

To catch you up: apparently, Rovio, the creators of Angry Birds, in addition to many other Mac App Store developers, neglected to follow Apple's guidelines on validating App Store receipts for purchases.

What this means is that, for some applications, you could copy the receipt from any other Mac App Store download (even free apps) into a copy of the paid app you want to use and it will run.

The procedure for doing so is a bit more hacker-y than some news reports have implied, though. You have to delve into the Package Contents of the app's dmg file, navigate to a particular folder and delete specific files. You then copy and paste those same files from the free app's folder to the paid one. In other words, you would need to know these specific instructions before doing this - it's not a matter of simply copying-and-pasting a receipt number, like you would have on some brick-and-mortar retail store's receipt, into a field or pop-up notification within the paid app.

For average to fairly technical users, the hack is a piece of cake. But for the millions who chose Mac because "it just works" and who were stymied by the complexities of Windows systems, even a simple hack like this is likely over their heads.

That being said, it will be interesting to watch the ratings to see if anything changes with regards to Angry Birds' standings after Rovio closes - as they surely will - this security hole.

The full top 12, as of this morning, is as follows:

1. Angry Birds
2. Chopper 2
3. iPhoto (Apple)
4. iRingtones
5. Aperture
6. Pinball HD
7. Flight Control HD
8. iMovie (Apple)
9. iHomework
10. The Incident
11. Pixelmator
12. Pages

Free Apps

In the Mac App Store's free chart, the newly launched official Twitter application now stands at number one. The app, which notably ditches some of Apple's recommended design considerations (its close, minimize and zoom buttons, for example, are black not red, yellow and green), has led to a love it or hate it experience among Apple fans. (John Gruber has a good essay on the pros and cons).

Clearly, the majority of the end users love it - well, they love it enough to install it and give it a shot, that is. Again, watching the charts over the coming weeks will tell us more about the app's long-term position.

The top 12 free apps, as of this morning, are:

1. Twitter
2. Solitaire Greatest Hits
3. Evernote
4. SketchBook Express
5. Caffeine
6. swackett
7. MindNode for Mac
8. SoundCloud
9. TextWrangler
10. Stuffit Expander
11. Alfred
12. VirusBarrier Express

We would imagine that many of the downloads from the Mac App Store come from new Mac users who have moved from the Windows world to OS X and are unfamiliar with the offerings available to them in the Mac universe of applications. For those folks, having a curated collections of organized apps will help them get up to speed and be productive on the new platform.

Does this Prove the App Store Model for Desktops?

Whether or not this same App Store model will work back in the Windows world, is still unknown. Intel launched its AppUp Center, an app store mostly designed with netbook users in mind, but a startup called AllMyApps, wants to more broadly address the app needs of the Windows market.

Silicon Valley tech pundit Roberrt Scoble recently admitted that he was not excited about the initiative and "was a jerk" to the founder at the LeWeb conference in December, but AllMyApps CEO Thibauld Favre, stood up for himself and his vision, even thanking Scoble for being challenged. Favre countered Scoble's claim that Windows users don't "load new apps" by saying the reason for that is "not because they are Windows users but because without a real application store, they just cannot do it."

An app store, he said, "provides...a great integrated user experience, which makes discovering and managing apps fun," and for developers, "makes distribution more effective." That may be true, but Apple users are an entirely different beast than Windows users. Will they want or need a collection of browsable apps? Or will they think, hmm, I need some apps - I'll just search the Web...?

Disclosure: Intel AppUp is a ReadWriteWeb sponsor, on ReadWriteHack.

The Mac App Store will offer an iTunes-like experience for finding apps that run on Apple computers running Mac OS X Snow Leopard, the latest version of Apple's desktop operating system.

In addition, the Mac App Store will offer sections highlighting "new and noteworthy" apps, "hot" apps, staff favorites and will offer search, customer ratings and reviews, again, very much like iTunes does now. It will also offer the same integrated checkout experience, where you can click once to download the app and then begin using it immediately, says Apple.

Unlike apps sold on the Web by individual developers, those who host their apps in the Mac App Store won't receive 100% of the revenue for apps they sell. Instead, the standard 70/30 split (developer/Apple) will apply. However, for many developers, that split is actually a bargain - not only will getting into the Mac App Store offer increased visibility, they will no longer have to worry with website hosting, bandwidth, billing and all the other sorts of issues that come with traditional DIY solutions... unless, of course, they plan to sell their apps both in the store and on the Web. (It will be interesting to watch how many developers actually shutter their websites entirely in favor of the store - if you're a developer, let us know what your plans are!)

Developers can learn more at http://developer.apple.com/programs/mac.

Meanwhile, Jay Freeman, creator of the Cydia App Store for jailbroken iOS devices, recently announced plans for a jailbreak Mac App Store. There are few details about the store, reportedly available within weeks, but it's likely to be a place where developers won't be required to follow Apple's list of restrictions (see examples here). Like Cydia for iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad, it will offer a chance for developers to have a place where unapproved apps can reside.

Could the pre-holiday launch have anything to do with Google's Chrome-related announcement being revealed tomorrow? We wouldn't be surprised.

Another blog site, MacRumors, can confirm that developers were asked to begin submitting apps to the store back on Nov. 3. Apple also recently released a new version of Mac OS X (10.6.6) to developers, the version that includes support for end-user access of the Mac App Store.

Expected Tomorrow: Chrome Web App Store

Could Apple's sped up plans have anything to do with Google's Chrome announcement tomorrow?

Multiple sources are reporting that the search giant will either launch or provide an update on the status of its operating system, Google Chrome OS. And a major part of that OS is the Chrome Web App Store, whose launch is expected at Tuesday's event.

Image Credit: Download Squad

Both Engadget and All Things D have heard that the Web App Store will arrive tomorrow for end users who have installed the beta version of the Google Chrome Web browser. The beta version arrived last week, introducing support for Web apps as well as an update for syncing apps between computers where Chrome is installed.

These two "desktop" app stores - one from Apple, the other from Google, are even more different than the companies' mobile app store offering. Like iTunes, Apple will apply similar restrictions to its Mac Store, allowing for a "curated" selection of apps. But these are desktop apps - meaning, actual software installed on the computer. Google's Web App Store, however, involves only applications that run in a browser. But Google's philosophy for its Web App Store is different too - it's an "open" marketplace for apps, where the only requirement is a standards-compliant browser. It doesn't even have to be Google Chrome. All Web apps are welcome in the Chrome store - a small, one-time fee of $5.00 is the only obstacle, and is only there to keep the spammers out.

Before today, sharing Notebooks meant using the Web version of Evernote. But with this update, it all can be done within the desktop client.

Shared notes can be edited by those you've invited only if you have a Premium account. Premium Evernote subscribers also have access to note history for these shared notebooks, so you can view all the changes that have been made.

If you're an avid Evernote user (like me), have a lot of notebooks (like me), and are methodical about your filing system (that's me too), then the second feature in this update will make you happy. You can finally "stack" your notebooks in Evernote, so you can group together and better organize certain notebooks - a good feature for those who use some of the apps in Evernote's Trunk such as Awesome Note.

In order to get this version, click on the "Update to Beta" checkbox in the Software Update Tab in Evernote for Mac preferences. But remember: it is Beta, a "work-in-progress."

In fact, Beltzner accused Apple as attempting to "bypass the Web" altogether.

The Mac App Store news comes only a day after Mozilla itself announced its own "open Web app store" - a move we recently called promising.

In Mozilla's vision, the open Web "is a great platform for rich applications." More importantly, perhaps, open Web apps are built using standards, and "can be distributed by developers directly to users without any gatekeeper..."

While obviously Mozilla is talking "Web" and Apple is talking "desktop," the two visions are diametrically opposed.

In Apple's case, the company plans to reject the buggy, the betas, apps built with Java, apps with Easter eggs, apps that aggregate content, apps that duplicate Apple's own apps, apps that contain pornography, violence, promote drinking and drugs, and so on. Yes, Apple plans to reject a lot of apps in its vision of curation.

Says Beltzner, pointing to the somewhat onerous guidelines: "these Mac OS X App Store requirements are not going to work well with Mozilla's 'open beta' development process."

More Complaints

Beltzner is not alone with his misgivings. John Battelle, journalist and founder of Federated Media (disclosure: FM is a ReadWriteWeb partner), is none too pleased with the new guidelines either, saying, "I'm not holding out much hope for the Mac continuing to be a computer in any real sense of the word. You know, where a computer means you have choices as to what apps you run on it, what apps get developed for it, and how you express yourself using it."

He even says that Apple's rules could have him leaving the Mac platform for good: "If anything, ever, will make me leave Mac for good...it will be the integration of the Mac OS into Steve Jobs' vision of where mobile is going."

Overreacting?

But Apple supporters will tell you all this bellyaching is just an overreaction: Apple isn't going to stop shipping a Web browser or preventing the installation of alternative browsers like Firefox and Chrome. The Mac App Store will just offer a curated selection of apps, making it easier for Mac users to find great apps to try.

Apps will still exist on the Web for download and Apple won't prevent you from using the apps you want on your own computer... At least, that's what we're hoping.

What do you think?

As with the iTunes App Store, developers receive the standard 70/30 (developer/Apple) revenue split on app sales. Also like the iTunes App Store, Apple has created a long list of apps it plans to reject.

The list of apps Apple won't allow in its Mac App Store is long. Some of the reasons are relatively standard - for example, apps that cause damage to the device, utilize Apple trademarks, apps that don't work, etc. won't be allowed.

However, some of the Mac Store guidelines are less about consumer protection, and more about Apple's own version what it wants, as a company, to promote. Some call this "censorship," some call it "curation." Regardless of your position on the matter, it's clear the Mac App Store will abide by similar rules as the iTunes store. In fact, in reviewing the document, it looks like Apple cut-and-pasted quite a bit of the iTunes App Store Guidelines into the the new document.

Here are some standout, and perhaps questionable, examples of what Apple will reject from its Mac App Store:

1. Apps with "Easter Eggs:" Apps that include undocumented or hidden features inconsistent with the description of the app will be rejected.
2. No beta apps: Apps in "beta," "trial" or "test" versions will be rejected.
3. No duplicate apps: Apps that duplicate apps already in the App Store may be rejected, particularly if there are many of them.
4. No drinking/drugs: Apps that encourage excessive consumption of alcohol or illegal substances will be rejected.
5. No License Keys: Apps that require the entry of a license key will be rejected.
6. No Java?: Apps that use deprecated or optionally installed technologies (e.g. Java, Rosetta) will be rejected.
7. No auto-run: Apps that are set to auto-launch or have other code automatically run at startup or login without user consent will be rejected. Similarly, apps can't automatically add their icons to the dock or desktop.
8. No copying Apple!: Apps that look similar to Apple Products or apps bundled on the Mac, including the Finder, iChat, iTunes and Dashboard, will be rejected.
9. OS X may not be changed: Apps that change the native user interface elements or behaviors of Mac OS X will be rejected.
10. No rentals: Apps containing "rental" content and services that expire after a limited time will be rejected.
11. No RSS Readers?: Apps that are simply Web clippings, content aggregators, or a collection of links may be rejected.
12. No data collection: Apps cannot transmit data about a user without obtaining the user's prior permission and providing the user with access to information about how and where the data will be used.
13. No Chatroulette clones?: Apps that include games of Russian roulette will be rejected.
14. Define "objectionable:" Apps that present excessively objectionable or crude content will be rejected.
15. No porn: Of any kind. (Porn as it's defined by "Webster's Dictionary," that is).
16. No gambling: Of any kind.
17. No file-sharing: No P2P apps - apps that enable illegal file sharing will be rejected.
18. Religious apps must be for educational purposes only: Apps may contain or quote religious text provided the quotes or translations are accurate and not misleading. Commentary should be educational or informative rather than inflammatory.

You can read the entire list of guidelines here on pastie.org or by clicking through to the next page. 

App Store Review Guidelines
Introduction

The App Store has revolutionized the way mobile apps are developed and distributed. With over 300,000 apps and 7 billion downloads, it has been a huge hit with developers and users around the world. Now we are thrilled to be opening our new Mac App Store to the hundreds of thousands of Mac developers and tens of millions of Mac users around the world.

We hope the new Mac App Store is the most exciting place for users to discover and purchase their apps. To ensure that apps are reliable, perform as advertised, and free of offensive material, we will review every app on the Mac App Store based on a set of Mac App Store Review Guidelines that we are ready to share with you. These guidelines are designed to help you create and prepare your apps so they will sail through our approval process.

We want to help you reach tens of millions of Mac customers with your apps. As with the mobile App Store, developers will earn 70% of the revenues. Please join us as we launch our Mac App Store within the next 90 days, and together we can surprise and delight our joint customers.

Table of Contents

   Terms and conditions
   Functionality
    Metadata, ratings and rankings
    Location
    Trademarks and trade dress
    User interface
    Purchasing and currencies
    Scraping and aggregation
    Damage to device
    Personal attacks
    Violence
    Objectionable content
    Privacy
    Pornography
    Religion, culture, and ethnicity
    Contests, sweepstakes, lotteries, and raffles
    Charities and contributions
    Legal requirements

1. Terms and conditions

    1.1

    As a developer of applications for the Mac App Store you are bound by the terms of the Program License Agreement (PLA), Human Interface Guidelines (HIG), and any other licenses or contracts between you and Apple. The following rules and examples are intended to assist you in gaining acceptance for your app in the App Store, not to amend or remove provisions from any other agreement.

2. Functionality

    2.1

    Apps that crash will be rejected
    2.2

    Apps that exhibit bugs will be rejected
    2.3

    Apps that do not perform as advertised by the developer will be rejected
    2.4

    Apps that include undocumented or hidden features inconsistent with the description of the app will be rejected
    2.5

    Apps that use non-public APIs will be rejected
    2.6

    Apps that are "beta", "demo", "trial", or "test" versions will be rejected
    2.7

    Apps that duplicate apps already in the App Store may be rejected, particularly if there are many of them
    2.8

    Apps that are not very useful or do not provide any lasting entertainment value may be rejected
    2.9

    Apps that are primarily marketing materials or advertisements will be rejected
    2.10

    Apps that are intended to provide trick or fake functionality that are not clearly marked as such will be rejected
    2.11

    Apps that encourage excessive consumption of alcohol or illegal substances, or encourage minors to consume alcohol or smoke cigarettes, will be rejected
    2.12

    Apps that provide incorrect diagnostic or other inaccurate device data will be rejected
    2.13

    Developers "spamming" the App Store with many versions of similar apps will be removed from the Mac Developer Program
    2.14

    Apps must be packaged and submitted using Apple's packaging technologies included in Xcode - no third party installers allowed
    2.15

    Apps must be self-contained, single application installation bundles, and cannot install code or resources in shared locations
    2.16

    Apps that download or install additional code or resources to add functionality or change their primary purpose will be rejected
    2.17

    Apps that download other standalone apps will be rejected
    2.18

    Apps that install kexts will be rejected
    2.19

    Apps that require license keys or implement their own copy protection will be rejected
    2.20

    Apps that present a license screen at launch will be rejected
    2.21

    Apps may not use update mechanisms outside of the App Store
    2.22

    Apps must contain all language support in a single app bundle (single binary multiple language)
    2.23

    Apps that spawn processes that continue to run after a user has quit the app without user consent will be rejected
    2.24

    Apps that use deprecated or optionally installed technologies (e.g., Java, Rosetta) will be rejected
    2.25

    Apps that do not run on the currently shipping OS will be rejected
    2.26

    Apps that are set to auto-launch or to have other code automatically run at startup or login without user consent will be rejected
    2.27

    Apps that request escalation to root privileges or use setuid attributes will be rejected
    2.28

    Apps that add their icons to the Dock or leave short cuts on the user desktop will be rejected
    2.29

    Apps that do not use the appropriate Mac OS X APIs for modifying user data stored by other apps (e.g bookmarks, Address Book or Calendar entries) will be rejected
    2.30

    Apps that do not comply with the Mac OS X File System documentation will be rejected

3. Metadata (name, descriptions, ratings, rankings, etc)

    3.1

    Apps with metadata that mentions the name of any other computer platform will be rejected
    3.2

    Apps with placeholder text will be rejected
    3.3

    Apps with descriptions not relevant to the application content and functionality will be rejected
    3.4

    App names in iTunes Connect and as displayed on Mac OS X should be the same, so as not to cause confusion
    3.5

    All app icons should be similar, so as to not to cause confusion
    3.6

    Apps with app icons and screenshots that do not adhere to the 4+ age rating will be rejected
    3.7

    Apps with Category and Genre selections that are not appropriate for the app content will be rejected
    3.8

    Developers are responsible for assigning appropriate ratings to their apps. Inappropriate ratings may be changed by Apple
    3.9

    Developers are responsible for assigning appropriate keywords for their apps. Inappropriate keywords may be changed/deleted by Apple.
    3.10

    Developers who attempt to manipulate or cheat the user reviews or chart ranking in the App Store with fake or paid reviews, or any other inappropriate methods will be removed from the Mac Developer Program

4. Location

    4.1

    Apps that do not notify and obtain user consent before collecting, transmitting, or using location data will be rejected
    4.2

    Apps that use location-based APIs for automatic or autonomous control of vehicles, aircraft, or other devices will be rejected
    4.3

    Apps that use location-based APIs for dispatch, fleet management, or emergency services will be rejected

5. Trademarks and trade dress

    5.1

    Apps must comply with all terms and conditions explained in the Guidelines for using Apple Trademark and Copyrights and the Apple Trademark List
    5.2

    Apps that suggest or infer that Apple is a source or supplier of the app, or that Apple endorses any particular representation regarding quality or functionality will be rejected
    5.3

    Apps which appear confusingly similar to an existing Apple product or advertising theme will be rejected
    5.4

    Apps that misspell Apple product names in their app name (i.e., GPS for Imac, iTunz) will be rejected
    5.5

    Use of protected 3rd party material (trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, otherwise proprietary content) requires a documented rights check which must be provided upon request

6. User interface

    6.1

    Apps must comply with all terms and conditions explained in the Apple Macintosh Human Interface Guidelines
    6.2

    Apps that look similar to Apple Products or apps bundled on the Mac, including the Finder, iChat, iTunes, and Dashboard, will be rejected
    6.3

    Apps that do not use system provided items, such as buttons and icons, correctly and as described in the Apple Macintosh Human Interface Guidelines will be rejected
    6.4

    Apple and our customers place a high value on simple, refined, creative, well thought through interfaces. They take more work but are worth it. Apple sets a high bar. If your user interface is complex or less than very good it may be rejected
    6.5

    Apps that change the native user interface elements or behaviors of Mac OS X will be rejected

7. Purchasing and currencies

    7.1

    Apps that unlock or enable additional features or functionality with mechanisms other than the App Store will be rejected, except in cases where the application hosts plug-ins or extensions
    7.2

    Apps that create a store inside themselves for selling or distributing other software (i.e., an audio plug-in store in an audio app) will be rejected.
    7.3

    Apps that allow the user to purchase access to built-in capabilities provided by Mac OS X, such as an iSight camera, will be rejected
    7.4

    Apps containing "rental" content or services that expire after a limited time will be rejected
    7.5

    Insurance applications must be free and in legal-compliance in the regions distributed
    7.6

    In general, the more expensive your app, the more thoroughly we will review it

8. Scraping and aggregation

    8.1

    Applications that scrape any information from Apple sites (for example from apple.com, iTunes Store, App Store, iTunes Connect, Apple Developer Programs, etc) or create rankings using content from Apple sites and services will be rejected
    8.2

    Applications may use approved Apple RSS feeds such as the iTunes Store RSS feed
    8.3

    Apps that are simply web clippings, content aggregators, or a collection of links, may be rejected

9. Damage to Products

    9.1

    Apps that encourage users to use an Apple product in a way that may cause damage to the device will be rejected
    9.2

    Apps that rapidly drain a products battery or generate excessive heat will be rejected

10. Personal attacks

    10.1

    Any app that is defamatory, offensive, mean-spirited, or likely to place the targeted individual or group in harms way will be rejected
    10.2

    Professional political satirists and humorists are exempt from the ban on offensive or mean-spirited commentary

11. Violence

    11.1

    Apps portraying realistic images of people or animals being killed or maimed, shot, stabbed, tortured or injured will be rejected
    11.2

    Apps that depict violence or abuse of children will be rejected
    11.3

    "Enemies" within the context of a game cannot solely target a specific race, culture, a real government or corporation, or any other real entity
    11.4

    Apps involving realistic depictions of weapons in such a way as to encourage illegal or reckless use of such weapons will be rejected
    11.5

    Apps that include games of Russian roulette will be rejected

12. Objectionable content

    12.1

    Apps that present excessively objectionable or crude content will be rejected
    12.2

    Apps that are primarily designed to upset or disgust users will be rejected

13. Privacy

    13.1

    Apps cannot transmit data about a user without obtaining the user's prior permission and providing the user with access to information about how and where the data will be used
    13.2

    Apps that require users to share personal information, such as email address and date of birth, in order to function will be rejected
    13.3

    Apps that target minors for data collection will be rejected

14. Pornography

    14.1

    Apps containing pornographic material, defined by Webster's Dictionary as "explicit descriptions or displays of sexual organs or activities intended to stimulate erotic rather than aesthetic or emotional feelings", will be rejected
    14.2

    Apps that contain user generated content that is frequently pornographic (ex "Chat Roulette" apps) will be rejected

15. Religion, culture, and ethnicity

    15.1

    Apps containing references or commentary about a religious, cultural or ethnic group that are defamatory, offensive, mean-spirited or likely to expose the targeted group to harm or violence will be rejected
    15.2

    Apps may contain or quote religious text provided the quotes or translations are accurate and not misleading. Commentary should be educational or informative rather than inflammatory

16. Contests, sweepstakes, lotteries, and raffles

    16.1

    Sweepstakes and contests must be sponsored by the developer/company of the app
    16.2

    Official rules for sweepstakes and contests must be presented in the app and make it clear that Apple is not a sponsor or involved in the activity in any manner
    16.3

    It must be permissible by law for the developer to run a lottery app, and a lottery app must have all of the following characteristics: consideration, chance, and a prize
    16.4

    Apps that allow a user to directly purchase a lottery or raffle ticket in the app will be rejected

17. Charities and contributions

    17.1

    Apps that include the ability to make donations to recognized charitable organizations must be free
    17.2

    The collection of donations must be done via a web site in a web browser

18. Legal requirements

    18.1

    Apps must comply with all legal requirements in any location where they are made available to users. It is the developer's obligation to understand and conform to all local laws
    18.2

    Apps that contain false, fraudulent or misleading representations will be rejected
    18.3

    Apps that solicit, promote, or encourage criminal or clearly reckless behavior will be rejected
    18.4

    Apps that enable illegal file sharing will be rejected
    18.5

    Apps that are designed for use as illegal gambling aids will be rejected
    18.6

    Apps that enable anonymous or prank phone calls or SMS/MMS messaging will be rejected
    18.7

    Developers who create apps that surreptitiously attempt to discover user passwords or other private user data will be removed from the Mac Developer Program

Living document

This document represents our best efforts to share how we review apps submitted to the Mac App Store, and we hope it is a helpful guide as you develop and submit your apps. It is a living document that will evolve as we are presented with new apps and situations, and we'll update it periodically to reflect these changes.

Thank you for developing for Mac OS X. Even though this document is a formidable list of what not to do, please also keep in mind the much shorter list of what you must do. Above all else, join us in trying to surprise and delight users. Show them their world in innovative ways, and let them interact with it like never before. In our experience, users really respond to polish, both in functionality and user interface. Go the extra mile. Give them more than they expect. And take them places where they have never been before. We are ready to help.

The announcement is part of a larger upgrade for Parallels which now supports enhanced speed, performance and graphics, including Direct X 9. Mac users - as well as iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch users - can now access Windows applications, file formats and even games from their various devices.

"With the popularity of mobile devices skyrocketing, our customers overwhelmingly desire the ability to do more from anywhere without the restrictions that usually come from working remotely," said Parallels CEO Serguei Beloussov.

As long as an instance of Parallels is open on your Mac, just fire up the app on your mobile device and your windows environment is instantly synced in real-time to your iPad, iPod or iPhone. This could be great for the iPad owner who wants to use the device to show a PowerPoint presentation without having to first convert it to an iPad-friendly format.

Part of making the mobile experience smooth for Parallels included boosting speed of the app to make it launch and run apps faster. Parallels says it can now boot up into a Windows application 41% faster than the previous version.

The application can now fully virtualize and leverage 64-bit apps and can reproduce 5.1 digital surround sound. Enhanced 3D capabilities mean gamers can better enjoy PC games on their Mac, though virtualizing games on the iPad probably won't work too well with the touch-screen interface (unless Monkey Island is your kind of game!)

So if you've always wanted to run Internet Explorer (or Firefox, for that matter) on your iOS device, Parallels Desktop 6 is probably the app for you. Check out a free trial at the Parallels homepage and give the free iOS app a whirl.