Let's face it-- while the Apple Store is certainly no slouch, it's also not what we'd call a screaming sales success, either. There's one big reason to buy from the Apple Store-- build-to-order-- and a bunch of reasons why online shoppers might rather e-shop at MacMall or OutPost.com instead. For one thing, there's the issue of price. The Apple Store's prices are typically quite a bit higher than those of the other resellers, especially when you consider special deals and bundles. On top of that, the Apple Store charges sales tax for all orders, not just in-state ones, and then there are shipping charges on top of that. Finally, let's not forget about selection; while you'd have to be a dunce to expect lots of non-Apple merchandise from a site called the "Apple Store," the reality is that when people order a Mac, they may want to order lots of third-party peripherals and software at the same time-- and when it comes to such add-ons at the Apple Store, the pickings can be pretty slim.

At least, they used to be pretty slim. Things are improving pretty rapidly in the selection department these days; Apple's latest eNews mailing touts the Apple Store's newly-expanded software selection, so we figured we'd poke around and see what we could find. And we've got to admit, Apple's accumulated a fairly impressive array of software for shoppers to toss in their virtual carts. For instance, there are fourteen titles listed under the "Utilities" category, including the classic Norton Utilities, IBM's hit ViaVoice, and even Retrospect Express, so you can back up your new iMac to the built-in... uh... well, you can buy a USB Zip drive or SuperDisk in the "Accessories" section.

The "Creative" category lists ten titles, all of which come from Corel, Macromedia, or Apple itself. Notice a big name missing there? Here's a hint: it rhymes with "Schmadobe." So while you can buy DreamWeaver and FreeHand at the Apple Store, you'll have to get Photoshop somewhere else. Weird, huh? And strangely enough, no Microsoft titles grace the "Productivity" section, either. But at least the list of available games is fairly hefty-- fifteen titles, including the predictable heavy-hitters like Tomb Raider III, Quake 3: Arena, and Unreal Tournament. Overall, we give this expanded software selection a thumbs-up; it's not what we'd describe as a "veritable cornucopia of Mac software bliss," but it's a solid step forward, and one fewer reason not to buy a new Mac from the Apple Store.