One year ago today, on January 6th, 2011, Apple release version an update to their then-current Snow Leopard Mac operating system. The update was in many ways unremarkable, except that users who upgraded got access to Apple’s newest marketplace: the Mac App Store. Built on the iOS App Store model, the Mac App Store provided a centralized marketplace for Mac users to find and download software for their computers.

The Mac App Store was one of the main features unveiled at the October 2010 “Back to the Mac” event. The event showcased a number of innovations that Apple had developed for its iOS operating system that were now on their way to Apple’s computers via the newest version of OS X. Version 10.7 Lion launched in the summer of 2011. So committed was Apple to the Mac App Store that the Lion upgrade was initially only available there. Apple eventually made other methods available to users, including a USB data stick that could be purchased from Apple.

It didn’t take long for the App Store to become as big a hit as its iOS cousin. Just last month Apple announced that the Mac App Store had topped 100 million downloads. It has become the preferred delivery system for developers of a number of popular Mac software developers, including the makers of Alfred and Scrivener. Mac versions of a number of popular iOS games appeared in the App Store shortly after its launch – including Angry Birds and Plants vs. Zombies. Though not without its critics, the Mac App Store has become the easiest way to find and download a wide variety of quality software for your Mac.

What do you think of the Mac App Store? Let us know in the comments.