Apple seems to be ignoring its Mac App Store and this is a problem

If you opened your Mac lately, you may have clearly come across a bunch of notifications popping up like “Sketch is damaged and can’t be opened. Delete Sketch and download it again from the App Store.” And in some cases, this could lead to restarts as well. It’s been a week and this was caused due to a change in the cryptographic certificates, which Apple didn’t formally feel the need to announce, leading to inconvenience for those who use third-party software on their Mac systems. Clearly, this goes to show that the Mac App Store is not exactly the focus for the company right now. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg as Dan Moren from Mac World points out. Mac App store developers neither have access to statistics, nor access to the latest tools including TestFlight, which is essential for developers to test out their beta apps. Apple introduced the same to the iOS App Store, but third-party app developers for Mac cannot test out certain features such as iCloud integration until the final release, which is bad for the both developers and their app users. Just point your browser to the Apple Mac page and you will notice that nowhere is there the slightest mention of the Apple’s Mac App Store apps. In fact, Apple keeps boasting about how great its built-in apps are and how the Mac is a complete package that can get you working out of the box.  Head over to the iPhone and then on to the iOS 9 page and you’ll notice Apple talking about the millions of Apps it has in its iOS App Store. What this means is that third party software developers are barely getting any exposure and Apple is not even promoting those apps. At the end of the day, one might say that there is plenty that can be accomplished with a web browser and some storage space and online tools that can help you accomplish almost any task. However, unlike Windows, the Mac app store has been churning out quality apps (albeit in smaller numbers) that will not only help you work better on your Mac, but also continue doing the same on your iPhone. Unlike Windows 10 and its Universal App ecosystem (that it is pushing for) which works across all its devices, Apple needs desktop apps. This because the company wants to create demand for all of its device categories, iOS for iPhone and iPad, watchOS for Wearables and Mac OS X for Mac and Macbooks. And with separate apps and operating systems, come more responsibilities, an area that seems to be lacking when it comes to the Mac App Store. Like it or not, Apple will have to put some effort into improving its Mac App Store and for good reason. They started the App war and the last thing you want to see coming from Apple is a dwindling developer community for Mac, especially now at a time when Mac sales are at its highest ever. Apple sold a stunning 21 million Mac systems in comparison to its 55 million iPads and 231 million iPhones this quarter and these figures surely mean business.