Five questions about the Mac App Store

There are some lingering questions from Steve Jobs' State of the Mac presentation, specifically the announcement of the Mac App Store coming in the next 90 days. A few things to ponder with the new store:

1. Is the future of mac software going to be all through the app store? In the short term, there's no indication that the Mac App Store will become the sole means to purchase software. Still, it's possible to imagine a world five years down the road, where that's the case. 

2. How many computers can legally share activated software in a home? Steve Jobs mentioned the apps from the store would be licensed for use on all of your personal Macs. In practice, what does this mean? Does it mean businesses can't legally buy software from the store? Does it mean if I am buying Final Cut Studio, I can then install it on five machines in my office, if the first purchase is for my office? Will there be a maximum number enforced, or a limitation on apps running on multiple computers simultaneously?

3. What about people who image machines? Many IT people spend their days "imaging" machines: creating carbon copy deployments of apps/hard drives for an entire organization. What if one of the apps the business uses is purchased from the App Store? Can that app be shared throughout the organization? (see #2) Will there be a way to image apps without going through an activation process? If so, it seems piracy would be a very real concern. If not, this could become a headache in specific IT situations.

4. Can you buy things like plug-ins for software not bought in the app store? There are thriving markets for PhotoShop and Final Cut plug-ins. One of the annoying things right now is the fragmented and confusing nature of buying plug-ins. The App Store holds the promise of making it simple to buy plug-ins, but will the infrastructure be there to seamlessly install a plug-in into an app that wasn't purchased through the App Store?

5. Will Apple rule with the same iron fist as they do with the iOS app store? For better, and sometimes for worse, Apple has the last word on what can and cannot be sold in today's iOS App Store. Will the same watchful policies apply to a Mac App Store? Could Apple decide on a whim to deny something like say, Oh I don't know... Adobe Flash? If anything, for now (see #1) Apple could more easily reject apps since unlike an iPhone/iPod/iPad, there are plenty of other ways to buy software. They could treat it more like the physical Apple Store, allowing only best-of-class software into the store, or it could become more like the large, unruly world of the existing App Store: Would any of us benefit from 400 fart apps for the Mac?

Some of these questions will be answered in the next 90 days, others may take much longer to iron out, but from home users to IT professionals, these are questions that will need to be answered.