Last week Realmac Software released RapidWeaver 6, the long-awaited upgrade to its flagship web design software. RapidWeaver has long been a staple app for those Mac users who want the simplicity of a drag and drop WYSIWYG website builder combined with more advanced tools for those that dont mind digging into code.

RapidWeaver's popularity has only increased in the years since Apple discontinued its popular iWeb web design software, and Apple has spotlighted the software in its Mac App Store from time to time. Thats why it was something of a shock when, after the announcement of the immediate availability of RapidWeaver 6 last week, Realmac also announced the new software would not be available via the Mac App Store.

Eliminating a popular distribution channel seems like an odd move for any developer, but Realmac is just the latest Mac dev to hold off releasing their apps on the Mac App Store. Bare Bones Software recently decided not to release BBEdit 11 on the MAS and Panic Software has opted not to sell its popular Coda app on the MAS any longer.

Just what is going on? Many major Mac developers say the Mac App Store is in need of changes to make it truly worthwhile for developers to sell their apps there. Heres what three of them told me what Apple needs to do to fix things.

All apps have bugs. Thats just the nature of software. When you are talking about bugs in an iOS app, its rare that any bug requires an immediate fix. After all, most mobile apps today are still not true productivity tools that we solely rely on. The same cant be said for desktop apps, which oftentimes are the tools we cannot do our jobs without. Even a moderate bug often needs to be fixed right away or it can seriously hinder a users ability to get work done.

Through traditional distribution channels its always been quick and easy to issue bug fixes. Once a bug is discovered and fixed, the developer could quickly upload the new build of the app to their website (or push it out through in-app software update mechanisms). This way a user could oftentimes get the fix for their problem within hours of a major bug being discovered. This isnt the case for apps distributed through the Mac App Store, however. Any app changes--including small bug fixes--must be approved by Apple, which can take a week or more. According to Dan Counsell, founder of Realmac Software, this was the primary reason the company decided not to release RapidWeaver 6 on the Mac App Store.

RapidWeaver 6 is a huge update with a large number of third parties updating their add-ons to work with this new version, Counsell says. We obviously wanted the update to go as smoothly as possible for our customers and should a critical bug appear during the launch we wanted to be able to fix it with hours, not days or weeks. If RapidWeaver was on the Mac App Store and we had to submit an update it could take at five days or more to go through the review process--I felt that wasnt fair for all our loyal customers.

Needless to say, Counsells primary suggestion for how Apple can improve the Mac App Store is to speed up review times--something virtually every developer I spoke to agreed with. As one developer who wished to remain anonymous said, Mission critical apps require mission critical bug fix times. You cant get that with apps through the Mac App Store.

But there was an additional reason Realmac chose to hold off RapidWeaver 6s launch on the Mac App Store: a lack of upgrade pricing for owners of older versions of the app. This too has long been a chief complaint among Mac developers. Apple understandably wants to make the software purchasing experience as simple as possible for users, but developers are tied down by the economic realities of what it costs to develop new versions of their apps and also the need to make past users feel like they are getting a good deal.

Id love to see upgrade pricing, however Apple seem very reluctant and at this point Im not sure itll ever happen, says Counsell. Its something customers and developers repeatedly ask for, but Apple seem fixed on driving down the price of apps.

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4 Ways Developers Say Apple Can Improve The Mac App Store