If you are a brand new owner of a Mac, you probably want to find out more about the compatible software for your shiny new computer. First and foremost, your Mac already comes bundled with a nice selection of software, such as Safari, Mail, iLife, Address Book, iCal and other as well. However, most people want more than just the standard apps and for this they visit Apple’s very own Mac App Store.
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What you can find here? An extensive selection of software with thousands of programs that suit different tastes and needs. Here you can find just about anything that you could ever imagine, ranging from audio software, artistic effect filters, food recipes to system utilities and games. If you haven’t used the Mac App Store already, keep on reading to find out what you have to do in order to buy software.
It is quite simple to access the Mac App Store if your computer is running at least OS X 10.6.6, but if you have an older version of the operating system (OS X 10.5.x), you must get an upgrade to OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard or optionally you can acquire OS X 10.7 Lion if you want the latest version of the OS. After you have finished upgrading, you must utilize the Software Update in order to update the aforementioned OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard which comes bundled with the Mac App Store application. From the Mac App Store you’ll be able later on to upgrade to OS X 10.7 Lion that is if you wish to do this. You can find the app in the Applications folder, LaunchPad (Lion-only) or in your Dock. The icon looks like a blue circle that has an A in it. After clicking on that icon you will have access to the Mac App Store where lots of apps are waiting for you. If you have shopped from this store before, most likely you will be automatically signed in. If this doesn’t happen, it is necessary that you log in by using your Apple ID. If you have used this before in iTunes, you’re able to use the same Apple ID for logging into the Mac App Store. Look at the Quick Links section and use the Sign In link which is located at the right-hand side. We should mention that if you only want to browse through the available software, you can do this without having to sign in but you will have to log in if you want to buy something from the store. After clickin on the link you’ll notice a pop-up box which prompts you to sign in with the Apple ID. If you do not have an Apple ID yet, you will have to click on Create Apple ID where you will be asked to enter credit card info or you can provide a PayPal account.
In the second part of this article we’ll explain who to buy software from the Mac App Store and also how to update the purchased apps.