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Weren't the olden days a hassle? Say you needed the newest Call of Duty game for your Mac. You'd have to journey to a brick-and-mortar retail store and look through packages on store shelves to find it. Not in stock? Then you'd have to buy it from an online storefront and either sit through a lengthy download and manual installation process or wait for a disk to be delivered -- in seven to 10 business days.
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Create an account or log in to Instagram - A simple, fun & creative way to capture, edit & share photos, videos & messages with friends & family. The Mac App Store makes it easy to find and download Mac apps as well as widgets and extensions — like editing extensions for the new Photos app. You can browse Mac apps by category, such as games, productivity, music and more.
Enter the Mac App Store. Launched in January 2011, it allows Mac users to research and download free or paid apps, right from their computer, with just a few clicks. As of August 2011, the Mac App Store was available in 90 countries and contained 21 different categories with hundreds of applications ranging from language flashcards to yoga routines.
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The Mac App Store is preinstalled on Macs sold with OS X Lion (version 10.7) operating systems. Simply look for the Mac App Store icon, which is a blue circle with a white outline and an 'A' in the middle.
If your Mac is running an older operating system, you may still be able to download the Mac App Store. The Mac App Store is compatible with OS X Snow Leopard (version 10.6) and available for free download when you upgrade to OS X Lion. To get the Mac App Store, click the Apple icon at the top left of the screen, then choose 'software update.' After a dialog box appears, click the 'install' button. When the installation is complete, you will need to restart your Mac and launch the Mac App Store from the icon in your computer's dock.
The Mac App Store is similar in appearance and function to the already-existing App Store on iPhones and iPads. To open the store on a computer, click the Mac App Store icon on the computer's desktop dock. After the Mac App Store opens, users can search for apps by name or keyword, browse for apps by category, view 'new and noteworthy' apps or check out staff favorites.
The Mac App Store is modeled after other Mac apps with built-in purchase utilities, like iTunes and iBooks, through which more than 15 billion songs and 130 million books had been purchased as of June 2011 [source: Porten].
Read on to learn about a few key improvements that OS X Lion made to the Mac App Store.
Apple's Lion (v10.7) operating system, which was released in July 2011, brought some notable improvements to Mac App Store, allowing users to make in-application purchases and receive push notifications and adding an incremental update system that identifies, downloads and installs only the files that need updating, making the process faster [source: Porten]. However, the Mac App Store doesn't recognize updates for a computer's existing software apps; you'll need to re-purchase the apps from the Mac App Store to receive automatic free updates for the apps [source: Gordon].
Now that downloading and updating apps is an exclusively electronic process that doesn't require disks, packaging materials and shipping, there's less of an environmental impact. Additionally, many Mac apps sold via disk or download had limited permissions that allowed them only to be operated on a single computer. The chief way around this restriction was to buy a pricey group license. Because the Mac App Store keeps track of past purchases, users can now install apps on every Mac they own and download them again as necessary. This is especially helpful for people who buy a new Mac and want to add software that they've already purchased [source: Apple].
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Ever tried to open a file and discovered you don't have the application it requires? On Macs with access to the Mac App Store, a dialog box will open and offer to search the Mac App Store for a program that will open it. If found, you can buy the app instantly [source: Luoma].
The Mac App Store offers free apps, as well as paid. On average, you can expect to pay between $15 and $80 for an app [source: Macworld]. However, there's at least one app -- the iRa Pro mobile video surveillance app -- that costs as much as $899.99.
What's the process for buying this -- or any -- app? On the next page, we offer a step-by-step guide.
Apple's hardware and software is part of a closed system that makes it difficult -- and sometimes impossible -- to migrate Mac-native components and programs to PCs. However, this closed system means that Apple hardware and software are built to work together across Apple's product lines. The Mac App Store offers a chance for third-party developers to create and sell apps to all Mac users.
Developers can register for free with Apple to download a developer kit, peruse guidelines, read articles and connect with other developers. When an app is complete, it can be submitted for approval along with an icon and keyword description [source: Lewis].
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Third party developers pay an annual $99 subscription fee to Apple, but being part of an audience-rich marketplace means they can avoid spending money on marketing and hosting. Developers set their own prices for apps and don't need to pay credit card fees for purchases because Apple processes the cards and pays the 2-percent to 4-percent fee. Of the retail price, Apple keeps 30 percent and the developer receives 70 percent [source: Evans].
The purchase process is a relatively simple one on the users' end. Launch the Mac App Store, select an app and click the price icon (it will either say 'free' or show the purchase price). Then you will be prompted again with an icon that says 'buy app,' followed by a dialog box that requires your Apple ID and password to complete your purchase. You can pay using a credit or debit card, an iTunes card or a Paypal account. The app will begin downloading immediately and will be installed in your computer's Applications folder [source: Macworld].
If you'd like to know more about an app before you buy it, you can scroll through multiple screen shots. However, trial or demonstration versions aren't available, so you may have to rely on the app's user reviews to find out how the app performs. Or you can conduct research on other sites to find more objective opinions. The Apple Mac Store doesn't vet its reviews, so the opinions offer varying levels of helpfulness.
The Mac App Store offers genre categories, as well a 'new and noteworthy' section that features 12 apps on the Mac App Store's launch page and a total of 40 apps under the category's own tab. These apps are chosen by Apple; there aren't any published guidelines for selection, although developers speculate it has to do with having an appealing icon and price point [source: Touch Arcade].
While the Mac App Store continues to grow, both in number of apps and users, it seems Apple is turning its attention to some of its other devices. A major iPhone hardware and software revamp is in the works, scheduled for a 2012 release [source: Luk]. It's expected to include a new way to charge the phone. If it does switch to a cable-free charging method, that may in turn influence a few positive changes in future Mac computers, just as the iPhone's App Store influenced the Mac App Store.
Related Articles
Sources
- Apple.com. 'The Mac App Store.' January 2011. (Aug. 14, 2011) http://www.apple.com/mac/app-store/
- Evans, Jonny. 'Collected: What We Know about the Mac App Store.' Jan. 6, 2011. (Aug. 14, 2011) Computerworld.com. http://blogs.computerworld.com/17618/collected_what_we_know_about_the_mac_app_store
- Gordon, Whitson. 'Why the Mac App Store Sucks.' Lifehacker.com. Jan. 6, 2011. (Aug. 14, 2011) http://lifehacker.com/5726764/why-the-mac-app-store-sucks
- Lewis, Jim. 'How to Become a Mac App Store Developer.' R-tt.com. Jan. 5, 2011. (Aug. 14, 2011) http://macappstore-developer.articles.r-tt.com/
- Luoma, T.J. 'Finder Now Offers to Search App Store for Unknown File Types.' Tuaw.com. Jan. 7, 2011. (Aug. 14, 2011) http://www.tuaw.com/2011/01/07/finder-now-offers-to-search-app-store-for-unknown-file-types/
- Macworld.com. 'The Mac App Store: What You Need to Know.' Jan. 6, 2011. (Aug. 14, 2011) http://www.macworld.com/article/156962/2011/01/mac_app_store_faq.html
- O'Dell, Jolie. 'Windows Gets an App Store of its Own: Avenue.' Mashable.com. June 28, 2011. (Aug. 14, 2011) http://mashable.com/2011/06/28/netvolution-avenue/
- Porten, Jeff. 'WWDC: Apple Touts App Store Successes.' Mac World. June 6, 2011. (Aug. 14, 2011) http://www.macworld.com/article/160331/2011/06/wwdc_mac_app_store.html
- TouchArcade.com. 'How to Get on 'New and Noteworthy' May 27, 2009. (Aug. 14, 2011) http://forums.toucharcade.com/showthread.php?t=14134
Multiplatform support is a very good kind of contagious, a trend that’s shaking up app accessibility and eventually allowing users to access their favorite social media platforms and games no matter what device they’re logging in from. Much to the chagrin of Instagram users, there’s still no official, native app available to download for Windows PCs or Macs. However, Instagram has already solved this problem in an exceptionally efficient way, and on top of that, a little pinch off the third-party software block can actually get the popular social media app downloaded to your computer. Our guide will show you how!
“Where there’s a will, there’s a way,” is a commonly apt expression for anything having to do with computer software coding. Anything goes if you put enough work into it, and thankfully, someone’s already put all of the necessary work into the tasks we’re going to jet through today.
There’s no denying Instagram’s popularity or its relevance, any longer. What was once a startup media-sharing app that allowed people to catalog their lives and thoughts in a minimalistic, feed-based social setting has now turned into a digital powerhouse that’s used just as often by businesses of all sizes as it is by casual individuals. Instagram promotion is a type of expertise all its own, and so there is a multitude of reasons that you might want to be able to access the popular platform from the comfort of your computer’s larger screen, rather than constantly being required to check in on your phone.
There are two ways that we can go about it, and each is going to offer its own advantages and disadvantages. Unbeknownst to many users, you can actually access Instagram easily from within the very same web browser that you’re likely reading this article. Since that comes with a few limitations, however, we’ll also be talking about the process of emulation–tricking your PC into using its own memory to simulate a pitch-perfect Android environment, so that you can install the native, mobile Instagram app on your machine. Thankfully, neither of these methods is going to cost you a cent, so if you’re wary of spending any money on making your Instagram experience more accessible, there’s no reason for caution.
Before we proceed, let’s get a few things out of the way. I’m going to assume that you already have an active Instagram account and that you found your way here because you’re looking for new ways to access it. If you’re an Instagram newbie, then pop over to the app on your mobile device and set up your profile, there. Since Instagram is meant to be a primarily mobile experience–in spite of that fancy web access–I’m always going to recommend that new users begin where they’re most likely to use the app. Even with Windows PC and Mac access, I can bet that Instagram will see the most action on your smartphone.
Once you have your account up and running (or, if you already did), then it’s time to get started!
Instagram on the Web
This is such a remarkably easy process that we can actually move through it rather quickly. Simply pop over to the Instagram website and sign in. You’ll be using the exact same information that you use to sign in through your phone, and since this is an officially supported method of accessing Instagram, you should have no trouble whatsoever. From within the Instagram web browser portal you can:
- View your Instagram feed.
- Leave comments and likes on images and videos in your feed.
- Embed items from your feed elsewhere on the web (so much better on Windows and Mac!)
- Search users and hashtags within Instagram.
- Change and upload your profile pictures.
- Edit your profile settings, including your name, username, bio, and website.)
It’s a pretty hefty list of potential ways to access your Instagram feed, and some of these benefits are far easier to take advantage of on an actual computer than they are on your mobile device. Editing your bio allows you to accomplish cool formatting tricks that would be an utter pain in the butt on a smartphone keyboard, and embedding images and videos from your feed to share elsewhere can be done in a fraction of the time from within your browser.
However, there are certain tasks that won’t be available to you. They are few, but they are somewhat significant:
- Share images and videos on your Instagram feed.
- Delete images and videos from your Instagram feed.
The reason that we’re not able to do either of these things is somewhat obscure, but the truth of the matter is that Instagram is meant to be a primarily mobile experience. Even though the Instagram website gives us a whole lot of extra accessibility, the actual sharing of meaningful content is still meant to happen from your mobile device.
Bummer? Maybe. But it’s a valid reason to take a peek at the other method by which you can access Instagram from your Windows PC or Mac.
Instagram Emulation!
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First things first: Android emulation is 100% legal. You will be running an actual version of the Android OS with real access to the Google Play app store. We won’t be using any exploits or workarounds to do this, and the actual process is remarkably simple. So, don’t worry if emulation is a new process to you. We’ll have it figured out in the length of time it takes to read this article.
Emulation works by sequestering part of your computer’s memory and resources and tricking them into behaving like an entirely different operating system. People have been doing it from all sorts of platforms, from Apple iOS (almost all of which does not work) to popular video game systems. All of these forms of emulation are entirely legal, in case you were wondering. The only time that legality enters that question is the means by which you acquired the programs and software that you’re running in the emulator.
Since we’ll be getting ours straight from the Google Play app store…
‘Don’t you worry ’bout a thing’ – Stevie Wonder
Android Emulation
Even though this process is very simple, we won’t be getting our emulator from Google. This is where the third-party software element enters the picture, so we’re going to have to find an emulator that’s appropriate to your needs, and is also entirely free to use. Thankfully, I have two recommendations right off the bat that will work on Windows PC and Mac. Both are free, and I’ve prepared download links for both to save you a few extra clicks.
Instagram Mac App Store
Bluestacks
This has become far and away the most talked-about emulator on the market, and for good reason! Bluestacks’ presentation is vibrant, professional, and reliable, so much so that they recently signed a partnership with popular streaming service Twitch. You can download Bluestacks here, and get started with the simple installation process that will put the popular emulator on your desktop.
Though the initial version that you download is free, there is a paid option for Bluestacks that will remove the third-party software advertising. If you’re averse to advertising culture, then you may want to consider paying this very meager licensing fee. Or, read below to hear about my favorite Android emulator.
Andyroid
This has been my go-to emulator for more than a year, and while it’s on par with Bluestacks in terms of power, I find it to be more appealing aesthetically. That’s a subjective distinction, I know, but Andyroid’s minimalistic, no-nonsense software approach from the moment that you install it and through its ever use has endeared me to it.
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You can download Andy here, and it will give you all of the emulation muscle that you need for Instagram and more.
The installation process for both of these emulators is simple. Download the .exe, run it, install it on your computer’s hard drive, and then boot it up! Once you get through the startup process, you’ll be presented with an interface that looks remarkably like a roomy Android tablet, complete with its own set of preinstalled Android OS apps. This includes the Google Play store, which is the target for our next step.
Instagram Download On Mac
Simply give it a double-click, and then search for “Instagram.” You’ll be able to download and install the actual, Android-native Instagram app within your emulator of choice. From there, simply log in, and enjoy all of the features that you normally would on your mobile device! Both Andyroid and Bluestacks possess local file, microphone, and camera integration, meaning that you can use your computer’s hardware to take photos and videos for Instagram. That local file access will mean that you can upload your saved images, too, which can be handy if you find uploads from your smartphone to be cumbersome.
There are definite benefits to both methods, but between the two, you should have plenty of ways to get Instagram access on your computer. As a final word of caution, I strongly advise against using any third-party application that isn’t an emulator to access Instagram. Many of the offerings that you’ll find online–be they apps, software, or extensions–are riddled with flaws, privacy loopholes, and glitchy errors that will result in a less-than-enjoyable time for you.
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I recommend sticking to what works, and the two processes described above will give you steady access to your Instagram feed. Whether you’re up for the browser-based Instagram portal or you’d rather opt for an emulator download, these tried-and-true practices will keep you going on your Windows PC or Mac. If you have questions or comments, leave them for us below!
Free Instagram App For Mac
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