Eagle-eyed tech bloggers have started to notice that Retina ready Mac apps are appearing on Apple’s Mac App Store, which has begun sparking off reports (15 in my RSS reader this morning) that Retina resolution MacBooks, iMacs, and Cinema Display’s could be ready for release at WWDC. Many rumors have popped up regarding Retina displays for the Mac lineup in the past, but until this last bit of rumor-goodness, many have balked at the idea in its entirety. Frankly, we still think these rumors are a stretch. So what if FolderWatch has Retina graphics in the Mac App Store?
Here’s the thing: leading up to Retina iPhone and iPads, Apple hand-picked A-list applications to incorporate the technology so that there were apps available before the products launched. The apps that have been approved on the Mac App Store are a completely different breed entirely. FolderWatch, an app that allows users to keep folders synced and mirrored on the Mac, has managed to get an app approved with Retina graphics. Before today, how many of you have heard of FolderWatch? No slight to FolderWatch, we’re sure it’s a great application, but this is a very different beast.
Why would Apple care that a third party developer is shipping high-resolution graphics with their application, and why would they not approve an app that does include Retina graphics? It’s possible — and it’s not that big of a stretch — that Apple managed to miss the Retina references and approved the app for inclusion in the App Store. Hell, the review team at Apple misses a lot of things during their vetting process. The team managed to approve an obviously fake Pokemon app on the iPhone. Things slip through the cracks. All of this, however, hinges on the fact that Apple even cares if developers attach high-resolution graphics to their Mac apps. Something tells us they don’t in the least.
These apps popping up on the Mac App Store only prove one thing, and that thing is that a lot of developers are gambling that Retina Displays are coming to the Mac lineup. That’s it. That’s all. The rumor mill, once again, is reaching significantly before a WWDC. Developers can rush out and Retina-ify their Mac apps, but it shouldn’t be taken as an indication from Apple that Retina apps are coming to the Mac.
