Ending The App Store Era

Over at MacWorld, Jason Snell wrote an article, declaring that the future of apps is outside of locked-down app stores; it’s the best way forward. I agree. He makes a good distinction between the classic app model of the Mac with the modern one of the iPhone. But of course, Apple isn’t the only example.

Microsoft, Google, and even Linux get credit for showing how distributing programs to computers outside of app stores is a good way to go.

Before our modern mobile computing age, a person would buy a program on a physical disk/disc in a box at a store. They’d take it home, install, and run it. Classic Computing life was good. I once bought the game, Final Fantasy VIII, this way. If I recall correctly, it was spread across three CD-ROM discs. I had hoped to replay and finish it since I hadn’t completed it on my Playstation at the time. I still didn’t. But it was cool to play on my PC anyways.

Yes, the iPhone changed how we buy apps. But then so did Cloud Computing. Though I learned to install programs through discs on Windows (ok, technically I ran them off floppy disks on Commodore 64 further back than that, though I can’t say I used punch cards), I then learned to install web apps thanks to Google and Chrome. I love how easy it is to make a Progressive Web App run in its own special browser window and get its own app icon, making it look and feel like a native app. This works especially well on Chromebooks.

Back to Snell’s piece, I think he’s right. I like the curation and convenience of modern mobile app stores, installing apps on-the-go. Yet despite that, I still often rely on installing apps not found in an app store. On Windows and the Mac, apps are downloaded from websites much of the time. Or they’re added via a specialized app store library, like games on Steam.

The bigger idea I like about Snell’s declaration of the future of apps and computing is breaking the lock-down aspect. As he points out in his MacWorld article, security is vital yet it’s fulfilled well enough without resorting to the overly-restrictive app store model, in which a Big Tech company overrules with overbearing impunity. At worst, a small slap-on-the-wrist fine is sometimes imposed. Apple is the prime example of this with its iOS app store.

More freedom and flexibility are needed in the computer-scape. And Apple itself, the worst offender when it comes to modern app stores, shows such less-restrictive virtues work just fine. So what’s the hold-up? It’s time to loosen the grip. Both developers and users will benefit – while big tech companies will still make plenty of money.