The Sad State of the Mac App Store
It’s no secret among the Mac cognoscenti that the Mac App Store hasn’t lived up to its promise, but developer Sam Soffes has revealed just how bad the problem is. On 6 May 2015, he launched a new app, Redacted for Mac, that quickly shot to the 8th spot on the U.S. Top Paid list. But the app wasn’t as successful as you might think: on the first day, it sold only 94 copies, for a total of $452.
That's too bad. I'm surprised that the Mac App Store hasn't been a big success. Personally, I much prefer buying software from the Mac App Store than not. No serial numbers are required, and there is a permanent record of all installed updates. But I understand that some might see the App Store as too much of a mish-mash— too much like a candy store where you might buy a sweet snack, but never dinner. The search function could be much, much better than it currently is, for example. I get much more pertinent results when browsing for software on Google than in the Mac App Store. Come to think of it, seach has always been one of Apple's weak spots.
The many problems with the MAS are what has caused it to be a flop. Updates to software sold there take an inordinate amount of time to be released, often several weeks after the update is released direct from the vendor. I try to patronize vendors directly so that I can receive prompt timely updates and bug fixes.
I only use the app store when there is no other way to get an app, or if I want to install something on my computer at work that would otherwise require an admin password. As has been said, slow updates, but also poor search, and no decent way for developers to offer upgrade paths.