Rumours are circulating that Apple is all set to unleash the Mac App Store as early as next week.

Sources have been quoted as saying that Jobs wants the store live before Christmas and that it could open its doors on 13 December.

However, it's not all good news regarding the platform. Fanboys have got used to filling up their iPhones and iPads with free apps, but this won't be the case with the new Mac App Store.

In a message to developers, Apple stated:

"Your website is the best place to provide demos, trial versions, or betas of your software for customers to explore. The apps you submit to be reviewed for the Mac App Store should be fully functional, retail versions of your apps".

So that means no lite versions, and no free versions (and no trainers or light denim either).

The initial guidelines for the Mac App Store were drawn up in October, shortly after the Back to the Mac event, but there was no indication then that freebies wouldn't be welcome.

If the Mac App Store does go live next week, it will be well within the 90 day target that Cupertino Computers set for itself.

Excited by another Apple App Store, is it all just a novelty on a desktop? Let us know what you think using the comments below.