Apple Releases OS X 10.6.6 and Mac App Store

This is the day we’ve all been waiting for right? Possible another day “we’ll never forget?” Apple has just released OS X 10.6.6 and along with it the Mac App Store via the Software Update.

The Mac App Store was previewed during Apple’s Back to Mac event and later announced that January 6th would be the launch date.

OS X 10.6.6 is 114.8 MB and be sure to back up your Mac before installing. Here’s what’s included in 10.6.6:

The Mac App Store, a new application you’ll find in the Dock, includes the following features:

Discover Mac apps: Browse featured apps, top charts, and categories, or search for something specific.
Buy and install: Easily purchase apps with your iTunes account. Apps install in one step and are quickly available from the Dock.
App updates: The Mac App Store keeps track of all your purchased apps and notifies you when free updates are available.
Additional improvements

For information about the security content of this update, please visit: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222.
Includes all the improvements in the previous 10.6.1, 10.6.2, 10.6.3, 10.6.4 and 10.6.5 updates.
Addresses a cropping issue with some postscript printing in landscape page orientation.
Resolves an issue with some Macs (that have in ATI graphics card) in which the mouse pointer movement could become erratic if an external DVI display is connected.

Here’s the Apple Mac Store press release:

CUPERTINO, California—January 6, 2011—Apple® today announced that the Mac® App Store℠ is now open for business with more than 1,000 free and paid apps. The Mac App Store brings the revolutionary App Store experience to the Mac, so you can find great new apps, buy them using your iTunes® account, download and install them in just one step. The Mac App Store is available for Snow Leopard® users through Software Update as part of Mac OS® X v10.6.6.

“With more than 1,000 apps, the Mac App Store is off to a great start,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We think users are going to love this innovative new way to discover and buy their favorite apps.”

The Mac App Store offers apps in Education, Games, Graphics & Design, Lifestyle, Productivity, Utilities and other categories. Users can browse new and noteworthy apps, find out what’s hot, see staff favorites, search categories and look up top charts for paid and free apps, as well as user ratings and reviews.

Entirely new apps, as well as current Mac favorites, are available from developers such as Autodesk, Ancestry.com and Boinx. iPhoto®, iMovie® and GarageBand® apps from Apple’s popular iLife® ‘11 suite are available individually in the Mac App Store for $14.99 each, and Pages®, Keynote® and Numbers® apps from iWork® are available for $19.99 each. Aperture® 3, Apple’s powerful photo editing and management software, is available for $79.99.

“We’re delighted to bring our professional-grade paint and drawing app, Autodesk SketchBook Pro, to the Mac App Store on its first day of launch,” said Carl Bass, Autodesk’s CEO. “We’ve seen tremendous success on the Mac, iPhone and iPad with multiple apps. We’re excited to offer SketchBook Pro on the Mac App Store so artists can easily create everything from quick sketches to high-quality artwork right on their Macs.”

“By offering the Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker app on the Mac App Store, we’re making it even easier for people to discover and access their family history,” said Tim Sullivan, Ancestry.com’s CEO. “The Mac App Store will drive a new generation of innovation on the Mac platform.”

“We’re thrilled to have our award-winning animation, video production and photography software available on the new Mac App Store,” said Oliver Breidenbach, Boinx Software’s CEO. “The Mac App Store makes it easier than ever for consumers to access all the innovative software designed for the Mac.”

Apple’s Mac App Store page has been updated to included a list of Mac Apps ready to download, such as Number, Pages, and Keynote for $19.99. Other featured apps include: Angry Birds, Flight Control HD, Diner Dash 3, and more. There are over 1000 apps to start. Not bad.

Let us know how the OS X 10.6.6 update works for you and the Mac App Store!

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