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Mac App Store Coming January 6

Apple has just announced that its Mac App Store will open its virtual doors on Thursday, January 6, 2011 — right in the middle of CES.

The Mac App Store was unveiled as one of the new features of Mac OS X Lion, which will be available to users later in 2011.

The idea behind the Mac App Store is to bring the same experience of finding, installing and updating apps on iOS devices to Mac OS X. For consumers, the Mac App Store promises a way to streamline the installation and app discovery process, as well as keep apps synced across various machines.

We’ve discussed the potential upsides and downsides of the Mac App Store with a number of Mac developers. The hurdles of app submission guidelines and more stringent policies on upgrades, trials and volume licenses aside, the consensus seems to be that not participating in the Mac App Store would be a mistake.

Furthermore, unlike the iOS App Store, the Mac App Store won’t preclude developers from offering upgrades or variable pricing via their own storefronts.

Credit: mashable.com