The Mac App Store may still be more than two months away, but Apple’s already looking to stock the shelves. This week, the company has been dispatching e-mails to members of its Mac Developer Program, encouraging them to submit their apps.
The e-mail message itself is similar to the ones issued to iPhone developers when a new version of the company’s iOS Software Development Kit (SDK) becomes available. It invites developers to submit their apps for review now, as well as get further information on setting up an iTunes Connect account, creating a Mac Distribution Certificate, and prepping apps for review.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the Mac App Store last month, saying that it would open its doors in 90 days, which places its arrival somewhere in mid-January. As with the launch of the original App Store and the introduction of the iPad, Apple clearly wants to have a solid library of software available at launch.
While the e-mail offers scant new information, it does appear that the back-end of the service will be managed through iTunes Connect, the same service used for the iOS App Store. This despite the fact that the version of the Mac App Store Jobs showed off during his presentation was a standalone application, rather than part of iTunes.
Opinions of the Mac App Store have been divided, with some lauding it as a great opportunity for developers and consumers alike and others worrying that it portends a future where Macs are exclusively locked to App Store software. But with some seventy-odd days to go before the store appears, all we have is our hopes and our fears.