> I remember when the App Store didn't exist, and devs were begging for one. They weren't begging for an app store. They were begging for third-party native ap

> I remember when the App Store didn't exist, and devs were begging for one. They weren't begging for an app store. They were begging for third-party native apps. The exact method of distribution of third-party apps is a different matter. From 1977 to 2007, all third-party apps on Apple platforms were independently distributed. (Some boxed software was sold in retail Apple Stores from 2001, but the software was not exclusive to Apple Stores.)