From expensive boxed copies to free digital downloads of everything that matters

Apr 13, 2014 13:14 GMT  ·  By

A lot has changed for Apple’s software business since I started my job as a news editor covering the company co-founded by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. I can remember a time when the company’s Server software cost hundreds of dollars. Now it’s just $19.99 / €17.99.

Sarcasm doesn’t always convey into writing, but you’ve probably made the right guess when you read the headline. Some of the most downloaded pieces of software in the Mac App Store are Apple’s.

At the very top lies OS X Mavericks, the latest version of the Mac operating system that used to cost $30 (€21.60) and even more, if we look back far enough.

Xcode, the Mac maker’s digital coding toolset, is also a free commodity. Developers young and old, amateurs or experienced coders can grab the SDK package free of charge and develop the next revolutionary app for iOS or OS X.

GarageBand, Apple’s music sequencer, is available to anyone with an ear for music and nothing more.

So, in case you’re stuck in the old days where you had to think twice before buying an app, now you can waltz over to the Mac App Store and download as much of Apple’s software as you want without fear that you’ll hardly ever use it. In fact, you have more incentive to do it now more than ever.