Apple finally announced its AppStore for the Mac, long in coming and clearly on strategy for a company looking to create device network effects in its own ecosystem. While folks are right to worry about the closing of the Mac, the real story is not about that, nor even the question of whether there will be enough ISVs willing to give Apple its 30% cut for distributing applications. This move is about the device ecosystem which Apple has built and the importance of giving developers the ability to make money off each of the nodes thus ensuring they get as committed to the platform as possible.

Look at some the most valuable apps in the iPhone AppStore: OmniFocus, Things, Evernote, and Dropbox. Each of these apps exists across all three legs of the ecosystem: iPhone, iPad, and Mac. And yet, for developers distribution is currently only solved for 2 of the 3. In the case of the Mac, the user has to go and download the app, install it, and manage its lifecycle with the pesky Login Items preferences (to get it to boot on start), etc. This is way harder than the current iOS onramp, and at the very least forces developers to maintain a whole different process for getting 1/3 of the bag of bits that makes up their offer on to Apple hardware.

I do agree that the Mac AppStore is about a new class of "micro-apps" but not because Apple really cares about closing the independent install path on the desktop for third parties. Rather, they are simply looking to provide one consistent set of services around distribution and monetization for the folks who have added the most value to their platform.

If I were betting, I'd say that cross node syncing services are not far behind as is anything that makes it easier for developers to stick to the device network effect Apple is currently riding.