 the real christine 

Mac App Store will be included in Mac OS X Lion. But it is opening its door for Snow Leopard users in 90 days. But what does this mean?

Face it - it’s great that you can develop a great app, but what does it all mean if you can’t get the people to use it? That’s the problem with some Mac apps currently out there - they’re great, but they are underexposed, and therefore, don’t garner as many users as they’d like.

Look at the current iOS App Store. Everyone with an iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad go to it, and search, and find the next blockbuster hit (Angry Birds) or find some hidden gems. It’s a collection of great apps and crap in one convenient place.

This is what the Mac development scene is coming to. The App Store was a huge success - even bigger than Apple had originally thought it would be. All other mobile platforms are developing their own app stores now (albeit not as good maybe). Apps are all the rage.

Let’s bring the success of the App Store to the desktop with the Mac App Store. This means that small developers can gain more and more users, which will be great for them in the long run. More users = more exposure = more money. It can also leave some loyal users that become a fan of all your other apps.

The problem though, is that like the current iOS App Store, there is a 70/30 cut. The developer gets 70 percent of the profits, while giving up 30 percent to Apple for the exposure in the App Store. While you may gain more sales, keep in mind that you will also be losing 30 percent profit of each sale. 

But in the end, the exposure is the most important part, right?

Here’s another thing to think about: promo codes for Mac apps.

Isn’t that enticing? I know as an app reviewer, I love that.

But will it be as big of a gold rush as the iOS App Store when it first opened? I guess we’ll have to wait and see for that.

Apple just announced that they will be holding a special event next week.

But get this!

It’s not iOS related!

What’s that? Oh boy! It’s about Macs!

That’s right folks - the Mac is not dead. Though it may seem that way with the iOS talk about iPhones and iPads, and even the Apple TV.

This means some inevitable refresh of the Mac lineup - iMac, Mac Pro, MacBooks, MacBook Pros, and the MacBook Air. I’m pretty eager to see the new refresh, I am thinking about upgrading my old 2008 MacBook soon (though there’s still the money issue for now).

Judging from the logo, there is something about the next version of Mac OS X. It looks like a lion this time, and it wouldn’t be surprising, since all of the Mac OS X codenames have involved members of the feline family.

Mac OS X Lion.

I’m not sure if that actually flows well though, but that’s just me. No, 10.7 may not be released right away - afterall, they had tested the previous OS versions about a year before actual release. Hopefully the next iteration will be good.

Maybe something will be announced with that big ol’ data farm they have in North Carolina? That would be sweet. Like, a music streaming service? *wink wink nudge nudge Apple*

Eagerly awaiting next week’s event. How about you?

Glassgate.

Sound familiar?

You may be thinking of that fiasco called “Antennagate,” where it was a small, minor problem that was blown out of proportion by every single media outlet possible. It was the problem of degrading cellular signal whenever contact with the bottom left-corner was made on a bare and naked iPhone 4.

Some people had the problem, but there were also those that didn’t. But of course, no one cares about the people that don’t have these problems, because the only thing everyone could talk about for weeks was ‘I wanted an iPhone 4 but I’m hearing about this antenna problem - I don’t want to try it out myself, despite return policies, so I’ll just take everyone else’s word for it!’

Believe it or not, there were actually people that did not have this problem. But who cares about them, right? They must be wrong. WRONG AND BLASPHEMOUS! Of course there’s a problem with every device because the media says so!

Apple responded to Antennagate by giving everyone free bumpers or cases (whichever the people preferred). The best way to shut someone up is to give them free stuff. Hey, it worked, because the tides of Antennagate died down after the Free Case Program.

But there was a catch to that - it ended September 30 (though I hear if you contact AppleCare you can still get a free bumper or something).

Apple did a half-assed job of solving the antenna problem and wanted to move on. We let them. They probably redid the manufacturing process of the iPhone 4 anyway, since there hasn’t really been much talk about antenna issues anymore.

We can let Apple and the iPhone 4 go, right?

Nope.

It seems that Ryan Block, the leader of the ever popular Engadget, is trying to make it seem as if there is another ‘design problem’ with the iPhone 4.

This time, it’s about the back panel made of glass and how it will crack when used with sliding cases because of any particles that may get between the case and the glass when applied.

Ok.

Let me get this straight - because of one’s own carelessness to check if there are tiny debris particles when inserting your phone into a hard, sliding case, it some how becomes Apple’s fault if the glass cracks because of a so-called ‘design flaw’?

What bullshit are you trying to pull?

Apple designed the iPhone 4 to be used either without a case or with the bumper. The sliding cases are made by third party manufacturers.

Did you read that? Third party manufacturers.

In other words, Apple should not be responsible for the damage (if any) caused by third party cases because they are not the ones that made the cases, right? Yes.

If you want anyone to blame, blame the crappy quality of the sliding case that you’re using.

Wait, no.

Blame yourself for not cleaning and checking for loose particles before you slid your phone into a hard shell, you moron.

Tech pundits are always trying to find a way to make Apple look bad, ever since Jason Chen of Gizmodo got his greedy little hands on the iPhone 4 prototype and Apple sent police to raid his home. Well you shouldn’t have obtained a stolen prototype and think it was right to publish the specs of it before the official announcement, dum dums.

I guess if you can’t beat them, you just gotta be desperate enough to make them look bad, even though they’re far from it.