Apple bans trial and demo content on the Mac App Store

Demonstrating a shift in philosophy when it comes to the forthcoming Mac App Store for its desktop and laptop hardware, Apple has told developers that demo, trial, and beta versions of software will not be permitted.

This contrasts with iOS App Store policy that enables trials in the form of free Lite versions, although the trend for these seems to have declined during 2010, thanks to the rise of freemium games and limited window free promotions.

Retail quality

In the case of developers wanting to host such content, Apple tells them to stick it on their own websites.

"Your website is the best place to provide demos, trial versions, or betas of your software for customers to explore. The apps you submit to be reviewed for the Mac App Store should be fully functional, retail versions of your apps," it says.

[source: 9to5Mac]