Apple will launch the Mac App Store on 6 January and will it available in 90 countries straight away.
The App Store experience will be brought to Mac OS X users and will feature free and paid-for apps covering a range of categories, including education, games and productivity.
The store, which had been announced by Apple earlier in the year, works in the same way as on the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad.
Developers get 70 per cent of sales revenue from their apps and are not charged for free apps.
"The App Store revolutionised mobile apps," said Apple chief executive (CEO) Steve Jobs.
"We hope to do the same for PC apps with the Mac App Store by making finding and buying PC apps easy and fun. We can't wait to get started on 6 January."
Developers were able to start posting apps for the store in November.
Apple is due to have another big year of launches in 2011, with the latest operating system, nicknamed Lion, expected to be made available in the summer.
The next iteration of the iPad is also rumoured to be ready for February, just in time to go head-to-head against the RIM Playbook.
-
RSAC Conference 2025: The front line of cyber innovationITPro Podcast Ransomware, quantum computing, and an unsurprising focus on AI were highlights of this year's event
-
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei thinks we're burying our heads in the sand on AI job lossesNews With AI set to hit entry-level jobs especially, some industry execs say clear warning signs are being ignored
-
Apple’s ‘carbon neutral’ Mac Mini is small and compact, but packs a mighty punch with the new M4 chipsNews With a pint-sized footprint only half the size of its M2 predecessor, the M4 and M4 Pro edition of the Mac Mini promises to bring an unprecedented size-to-performance ratio
-
Apple iPad Air (2020) review: The executive’s choiceReviews With the iPad Air’s most recent redesign, Apple has delivered the best bang-for-buck tablet money can buy
-
Apple 24in iMac (Apple M1, 2021) review: Apple’s iconic desktop all-in-one, rebornReviews The smaller iMac switches to Apple silicon and gains a completely new appearance
-
In praise of the early adoptersOpinion The IT industry needs early adopters like you – and tech that fell by the wayside should still be celebrated
-
Apple is experimenting with attention sensors to save battery lifeNews Your next Apple device may shut down if you are not paying attention to it
-
Apple unveils M1-powered iPad Pro and iMac at April 2021 eventNews The new Apple Silicon hardware will be available to order from April 30
-
iPad Air 2020 debuts with A14 Bionic chip and USB-CNews Apple touts its latest flagship tablet as the “most powerful” iPad Air ever
-
Fortnite creator sues Google and Apple over app store cutNews Epic Games' battle over app stores' revenue slices continues
