Summary
- Apple launched a centralized, browsable App Store web interface mirroring the native app.
- New web hub adds Today tab, category browsing, and platform switcher for Apple devices.
- Still no web purchases or downloads; it’s a glorified catalog and lags behind Play Store.
For years, the “web App Store” really only provided a way to view individual listings for apps on iOS, macOS, or other Apple operating systems. It just got a lot more useful, though in my opinion, it still falls short.
Apple now has a brand-new interface for exploring the App Store on the web, whether that’s the iOS App Store, the macOS App Store, or any other app store. For years, the apps.apple.com domain served merely as a promotional front for the App Store as a product, outlining its features and security, rather than granting users functional access to the millions of applications within it.
While Apple did host individual, stand-alone webpages for every app, these pages existed in effective isolation. They were unsearchable through any official, centralized interface and were generally only found if a user possessed a direct link—often shared from an Apple device or located via a third-party search engine. There was no official way for a user on a non-Apple device, such as a Windows PC or Android phone, to browse categories, view curated lists, or search the catalog directly. A big limitation compared to competing app stores from other platforms
Credit: Arol Wright / How-To Geek
Now, there’s a centralized App Store website that works more akin to the actual App Store mobile/desktop interface. Those visiting the site are now greeted with a fully browsable, searchable catalog that mirrors the experience on the native app. The portal lets you switch between app listings for every major Apple platform: iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Watch, and the Apple Vision Pro.
This web version works pretty similarly to the app version. The new web hub incorporates a “Today” tab, presenting you with curated recommendations and editorial content. Furthermore, the entire catalog is now sortable by familiar categories, including productivity, entertainment, adventure, and utilities.
There’s still, however, one huge problem with it: Apps cannot be downloaded or purchased directly from the web. In my opinion, this new web version, while more functional, is still useless because it’s really just a glorified online catalog—you can just go into the App Store and look at the same exact suggestions yourself while being able to download them to your device. It’s at a huge disadvantage compared to the Play Store, where you can initiate remote app downloads right from your browser.
I hope Apple eventually makes this better.
Source: The Verge
