It was inevitable. Apple created the Mac App Store to sell downloads to its users, and what better way to drive traffic to its own store than with exclusives? Apps that you can ONLY get on the Mac App Store. Apple revealed that OS X Lion would only be available on the Mac App Store as a download during WWDC, and it’s a clear example of a company eating their own dog food, so to speak.
But what impact will the switch to online only distribution have on retailers? Stephen Baker of NPD Group thinks that although Apple itself won’t be hurt by the move, traditional retailers will certainly be impacted.
“[The release of an OS upgrade] is always a good opportunity for them to connect to customers, get them into the store and thinking about upgrading their devices,” Baker is quoted in Computerworld. “The software business is in the throes of significant changes, and [Apple’s move] is a part of that,” said Baker. “The whole business is clearly changing how operating system developers deliver upgrades.”
The move is not surprising, considering Apple has been aggressively chipping away at traditional retailers with its own highly successful retail stores. It’s just one more piece of the pie that Apple is carving out for itself.
Article Via Macworld
