{"id":213,"date":"2011-03-24T12:52:46","date_gmt":"2011-03-24T17:52:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/c-command.com\/blog\/?p=213"},"modified":"2013-01-24T14:28:29","modified_gmt":"2013-01-24T19:28:29","slug":"mac-app-store","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/c-command.com\/blog\/2011\/03\/24\/mac-app-store\/","title":{"rendered":"Mac App Store"},"content":{"rendered":"

DropDMG<\/a> and EagleFiler<\/a> are now available for purchase from the Mac App Store<\/a>. (SpamSieve<\/a> has not been submitted to the Mac App Store because Apple\u2019s guidelines prohibit installing plug-ins and AppleScript files, and SpamSieve needs to do this in order to integrate with the most popular Mac e-mail clients.) All three products will continue to be available direct from C-Command<\/a> for the foreseeable future. The licenses that you\u2019ve already purchased will continue to be valid, and you can get updates and upgrades exactly as before. The Mac App Store is simply an additional option that is now available.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s Your Choice<\/h3>\n

We\u2019re happy wherever you choose to purchase our software. The Mac App Store makes it very convenient to buy, download, and install, and you get updates via the store. The purchase is tied to your iTunes account. If you buy direct, you drag-and-drop to install and get updates via the application\u2019s auto-updater or the Web site. Either way, you can sign<\/a> up<\/a> for<\/a> a mailing list or RSS or Twitter feed to be notified about new versions and important product news.<\/p>\n

Prices<\/h4>\n

Pricing is substantially the same, although there will be slight differences due to Apple\u2019s pricing tiers and currency conversions. All Mac App Store purchases are for single-user licenses. Purchasing direct, you can also buy family packs and get volume and educational discounts. Although you pay the same price, Apple\u2019s higher fees mean that direct purchases send 25+% more of your money to C-Command.<\/p>\n

Trials<\/h4>\n

Each product has a fully-featured 30-day trial version that\u2019s available from the Web site<\/a>. If you purchase direct, you can click a link in your order confirmation to enter your serial number and take it out of trial mode. If you purchase from the Mac App Store, you should first delete your trial version so that the store doesn\u2019t see the application as already installed. Your preferences and user data will be seamlessly shared between both versions.<\/p>\n

Updates and Upgrades<\/h4>\n

Our standard policy<\/a> has been to provide customers lots of free minor updates and 50% discounts on major upgrades. The Mac App Store does not support upgrade pricing, so currently we can only guarantee the 50% discount if you originally purchased direct from C-Command. We\u2019ll do the best we can, however, and Apple may make more options available in the future.<\/p>\n

Initially getting into the Mac App Store took longer than we would have liked. Because DropDMG and EagleFiler use encryption, there was some additional paperwork that needed to be completed with the U.S. government and Apple before the apps could be submitted to the store. Then it took more months for Apple to review the apps and be convinced that they followed the guidelines. Now that the applications have been approved, we\u2019re optimistic that updates will be available from the Mac App Store more quickly. However, there will always be some delay. For example, having previously approved DropDMG 3.0.5, Apple took 17 days to approve the 3.0.6 update.<\/p>\n

Transfers<\/h4>\n

If you purchase via the Mac App Store, the direct version will recognize your receipt from Apple. So (barring changes in the way Apple handles receipts) you\u2019ll always have the option of downloading the software yourself to get the full features and the latest updates. (Thanks to Daniel Jalkut of Red Sweater Software for the clever idea<\/a> that makes this possible.) Apple, unfortunately, provides no way to transfer purchases in the other direction, for existing customers who would prefer to receive updates via the Mac App Store.<\/p>\n

Feature Differences<\/h3>\n

We intend the Mac App Store and direct versions of the products to be as similar as possible, however some differences are necessary in order to comply with the rules for Apple\u2019s store. Our first priority is to design the direct versions as best we know how; they should not be limited by Mac App Store considerations. Secondly, if a feature cannot be accepted in the Mac App Store, we will try to adapt it or make it available in another way. This may not always be possible or practical, however. Here are the current differences between the Mac App Store and direct versions:\n<\/p>\n

DropDMG<\/h4>\n