Until december 2010 Mac users had access to what was called "Get Mac OS X software" under the apple menu.  Now we have the App store instead.  I am not sure if this is any better.  I cannot find a way to download free trials in the App store, like I could before the change. Please tell me if I am wrong.

This drove me nuts... I don't use credit cards or other forms of online money exchange, and iTunes Store (which drives the App Store) would not register me without a credit card.

There was an article in MacWorld a couple of months ago (ish) on how to get an app store account without having a CC. Unfortunately that requires creating a new Apple ID.

I actually called Apple and found what worked for me. You do need access to a CC#, but it's temporary.  You do your registration and enter the CC# (I used my sister's.. with her permission), and the registration goes through. Then you edit your profile and remove the CC data... changing the payment option to none.

Then you have your access to the free offerings in the App Store and the iTunes Store.   

Hope this helps, Brell.

Yes, that is the way it worked for me too.

mick wrote on 28.07.2011 at 10:35:09:

This drove me nuts... I don't use credit cards or other forms of online money exchange, and iTunes Store (which drives the App Store) would not register me without a credit card. There was an article in MacWorld a couple of months ago (ish) on how to get an app store account without having a CC. Unfortunately that requires creating a new Apple ID. I actually called Apple and found what worked for me. You do need access to a CC#, but it's temporary.  You do your registration and enter the CC# (I used my sister's.. with her permission), and the registration goes through. Then you edit your profile and remove the CC data... changing the payment option to none. Then you have your access to the free offerings in the App Store and the iTunes Store.    Hope this helps, Brell.

Thanks, but actually, this was not my question.  I asked whether it is now impossible to download free trials of shareware.  I cannot see any option but paying before downloading.  If I am right I will NOT use the App store.

Actually, it is the answer, Brell. If you go through the rigmarole  Mick described you will be able downloading free stuff from the AppStore.

Yes, I see it now.  Sorry.

Nothing yo be sorry about!

Can't you still use an iTunes gift card instead of a credit card? I've heard the iTunes store is not as secure as the "Apple Store" part of the website (they are completely different entities.)

I was told that iTunes gift cards do not work with the App Store (by Apple).

I sure hope Vern plans on offering MM HD from the Actionsoft site as well as from the App Store. Otherwise, we're beta-testing a game I (and it looks like others, too) will not be able to buy.

You still have to enter your CC data to the iTunes store and marry it to your Apple ID in order for the App Store to accept your login (at least that's so here in Canada).

Not the same entities, yet joined at the hip as far as Apple ID and payment data go. 

Hi brell- can you get "temporary" or prepaid credit cards in Iceland? This would solve the problem if you don't want to register a "real" credit card with Apple.

Thanks, Josephine, but I'll just register with my CC.

mick wrote on 28.07.2011 at 10:35:09:

This drove me nuts... I don't use credit cards or other forms of online money exchange, and iTunes Store (which drives the App Store) would not register me without a credit card. There was an article in MacWorld a couple of months ago (ish) on how to get an app store account without having a CC. Unfortunately that requires creating a new Apple ID. I actually called Apple and found what worked for me. You do need access to a CC#, but it's temporary.  You do your registration and enter the CC# (I used my sister's.. with her permission), and the registration goes through. Then you edit your profile and remove the CC data... changing the payment option to none. Then you have your access to the free offerings in the App Store and the iTunes Store.    Hope this helps, Brell.

Hmm.  I just signed in and I still cannot download any free trials.  There is only the link "Buy App".

brell wrote on 30.07.2011 at 19:48:50:

Hmm.  I just signed in and I still cannot download any free trials.  There is only the link "Buy App".

That's odd. There's a number of things that are free and are labeled as such. When you click on these one time, the Free text changes to "install app". On the right side of the page, there are four sub-sections. The third one is "Top Free" There should be plenty to experiment with in there.

I don't see anything with the name "Top Free".  Should it be in the "Quick links"?
Anyway, what I am talking about is the option of downloading a free trial of an app to evaluate it before one buys it.  This option was very clear before the App store.

If I scroll down from Quick links, I see the following sections on the right side: Top Paid, Top Free, and Top Grossing. Each of these sections, has a "see all" link.

As to your specific question about trial versions, it looks like that *isn't* possible through the app store. That's probably limited to individual developer web sites now. The App store appears to be intended for when people are ready to spend money or at least find games, not try them out. I suppose it could be possible for the game synopsis (which you click on an app name) to provide a link to a trial version, or at least to developer web sites where a trial version might be, but that's it. I did see a number of games that were available free as some sort of promotion for other games that weren't free. I saw other games, like Braid (a beautifully rendered and fascinating game) offered at a reduced price also for promotional purposes.

At first, I was thinking that perhaps a developer could upload a free (trial) version and pay version, but I don't know about the app store rules or if that would even be possible. I did see a number of games labeled as "Lite" under the free area.

This may go a ways into explaining why Vern opted to go the way he did in packaging the game. By splitting the game up, he could drastically reduce the price where someone might be willing to try it out for the lower price point, and then if they liked it, they could get more by purchasing Part 2. I believe the ability to load custom mansions is only enabled if someone gets both parts.

The app store is still new and probably evolving. I think folks are still figuring out how to make best use of it for both marketing and selling their games. It's no longer a simple directory of links.

Rob Seegel wrote on 31.07.2011 at 02:37:45:

If I scroll down from Quick links, I see the following sections on the right side: Top Paid, Top Free, and Top Grossing. Each of these sections, has a "see all" link.

Thanks.  I'll check it out.


Rob Seegel wrote on 31.07.2011 at 02:37:45:

As to your specific question about trial versions, it looks like that *isn't* possible through the app store. That's probably limited to individual developer web sites now. The App store appears to be intended for when people are ready to spend money or at least find games, not try them out. I suppose it could be possible for the game synopsis (which you click on an app name) to provide a link to a trial version, or at least to developer web sites where a trial version might be, but that's it. I did see a number of games that were available free as some sort of promotion for other games that weren't free. I saw other games, like Braid (a beautifully rendered and fascinating game) offered at a reduced price also for promotional purposes.

Thanks again.  Then I am not mistaken that the free trial download is missing from the App store as I had presumed.  Which means that Apple customer service has degraded a lot since we had "Get Mac OS X software" under the Apple menu.

brell wrote on 31.07.2011 at 05:10:22:

Thanks again.  Then I am not mistaken that the free trial download is missing from the App store as I had presumed.  Which means that Apple customer service has degraded a lot since we had "Get Mac OS X software" under the Apple menu.

You're welcome, and I just know you're not going to want to read this, but I think that's a little harsh. It *is* different, but that's not always a bad thing. In the upper right hand corner, there is a search field. Type "lite" in there and return and wait for the results. Those should be the trial versions of various apps. If you find a lite app and search on it's name, in every case I'm tried so far, there's a version you have to pay for. Just browsing through these apps, I see lite (and free) versions of games I've really enjoyed over the years.

Ultimately, I think it's up to the developer and not Apple whether or not a trial version exists in the App store.

Hmm.  We have different opinions on this but granted, you have more experience of the App store than I do.  I think it was better to be able to download the trial and then pay the developer if I wanted to keep the app.

brell wrote on 31.07.2011 at 20:32:04:

Hmm.  We have different opinions on this but granted, you have more experience of the App store than I do.  I think it was better to be able to download the trial and then pay the developer if I wanted to keep the app.

Well, no matter how I hard I try to look for positives, there's no getting around one undeniable fact: it's a way for Apple to insert themselves between software developers and end users, in order to profit from those sales where they couldn't before - at least not directly. I hope that those who sell their hard work through the App store feel that the exposure and the e-commerce capabilities Apple provides are worth the costs.

This is something that I'm highly interested in as a possibility for the future. At the moment, and probably for the foreseeable future, my livelihood as a software developer doesn't depend on internet app stores, but who knows? Maybe it can provide a decent supplemental income at the very least, and possibly more. So perhaps this perspective influences my comments somewhat.

Seeing your comments, and others gives me more to think about. You might consider submitting feedback to Apple to see if there was an easier way to associate trials with full-blown versions. I'm not sure how much financial sense it makes for them to host free software and not host the full versions and for the actually unlocking/payment to happen outside of the App store.

I do know as an App store consumer, there are some pain points: software packages that are very large (xcode and lion, I'm looking at you!) with crappy patch mechanisms (again, xcode...). Still, there are some things I like. I'm hoping the App store user experience improves with time. I appreciate the dialogue even (especially) if we don't agree on everything.