Mac App Store opens its virtual doors on January 6, 2011

The much touted Mac App Store that was unveiled with Lion and mimics the iOS app store on the desktop, now has a concrete date of opening.

Apple has announced that on January 6, 2011, users will be able to download the Mac App Store application and access the new store that, similarly to it's iOS brethren, will allow browsing, searching, purchasing and updates all through a single unified environment.

“The App Store revolutionized mobile apps,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We hope to do the same for PC apps with the Mac App Store by making finding and buying PC apps easy and fun. We can’t wait to get started on January 6.”

Developers that contribute to the Mac App Store will keep 70 percent of their revenue, while 30 percent will go to Apple. This also benefits developers as they are not responsible for hosting, marketing or transaction fees. Developer information is available here.

According to the press release, only users of Snow Leopard will be able to download the App Store starting on the 6th, and this also bodes well for a H1 2011 Lion release.