How To Install the App Store for Mac

Okay all you mac-users…the day that you’ve been waiting for is finally here: the App Store is now available for the Mac. Anyone who has used the App Store on an iPad, iPhone, or iPad can attest to the power of the App Store: never before have so many developers had such a playing field with such ease of delivery. And Apple made it so easy to use and discover new apps, that it’s actually fun to give them money…brilliant.

How to get the App Store on your mac

So how do you get the App Store onto your mac? Well…let me show you.

First, click the “Software Update” option in your Apple menu:

Check for updates

Your mac will check for updates:

Now, ensure that the App Store is going to be included in your Software Update. To do so, click “Show Details” on the Software Update window:

You should see (if you haven’t already done all this before) an option called “Mac OS X Update.” Version 10.6.6 is the version that the App Store is included in. Once you verify that the App Store is going to be installed, click the Install button:

Verify and install

The software will be download, the speed of which will depend on your internet connection:

The fun part...downloading

Much to your dismay, you’ll find that you need to restart your mac in order to properly install the updates:

Yes! I love restarting!

Once you’re booted back up, you’ll see the new App Store icon in your dock:

App Store magically appears

Using the new App Store

Using the App Store should be very familiar if you’ve used it for a different app driven device. If you haven’t, the process of downloading

Now that you have the new App Store installed on your mac, it’s time to go install something. The first thing that I did was install iPhoto ’11. I was still on ’09, and I was going to have to buy the Family Pack for $75 to get iPhoto and iMovie on my two macs. Going through the App Store, though, it only costs me $30. Saving money…I already love it! I’ll post more on that soon…

So, here it is, the new App Store:

App Store home page

I find the app that I want to buy in the “Top Paid” section (although I could have searched or found it through different categories). I click the link for iPhoto:

There's my app...

Now I’m on the iPhoto page. I read about it, read the reviews, and decide that I want to buy it. All I need to do is go up to the “Buy” button and click it:

Buying is as simple as it has always been

You’ll need to confirm your identity (or create an Apple account if you’ve never done so):

Tell them who is giving them money

Once my username and password are accepted, the icon (literally) jumps out of the App Store and lands down in my Dock to begin the install.

But wait…now there’s two versions of iPhoto:

Two versions? No problem.

Not to worry. Apple recognizes that it’s overwriting an application that you already have installed and simply drops the new version into the old. Conflict gone:

Apple fixes the conflict

And that’s it. Now it’s all up to you to seek out which App Store apps you’re going to find. Like I said, it’s a lot of fun.

Have you already found some apps that you just can’t live without? Let us know in the comments!