Mac360

Apple • Mac • iPhone • iPad • News

  • Home
  • News
  • App Reviews
    • iOS App Reviews
    • Cheap Mac Apps
    • Mac App Reviews
    • Mac Tips & Tricks
  • Archive
    • iOS App Reviews
    • Cheap Mac Apps
    • Mac App Reviews
    • Mac Tips and Tricks
    • News and Comment
  • About
    • Contact Mac360
    • About Mac360
    • Mac360′s FAQs
    • Got Apps For Us?
    • Privacy Policy
    • Service Terms Agreement
    • Copyright Notice
  • Follow
    • RSS Atom Feed
    • Comments Feed
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
  • Writers
    • Alexis Kayhill
    • Bambi Brannan
    • Carol Miller
    • Jack Miller
    • Jeffrey Mincey
    • Kate MacKenzie
    • Natalia Nowak
    • Ron McElfresh
    • Tera Patricks
    • Wil Gomez
  • Blogs
    • Bohemian Boomer
    • McSolo
    • NoodleMac
    • PixoBebo
    • TeraTalks
  • Sitemap
  • Saturday, May 25, 2013

When Is A Free Mac App Launcher Not Really As Free As You Think Free Is?

Wednesday, January 2, 2013 | Alexis Kayhill Posted In Cheap Mac Apps

LauncherWe live in a mostly capitalist society, so am I a traitor if I complain about something that’s free?

I don’t mean to grouse, but I’m a die hard gadget-loving fan girl so I don’t mind paying a price for Apple’s well known quality and value. Every now and then I come across a good app that’s free. More often, there are paid apps that are better. But I don’t like the current free-with-advertising trend in app land.

No Free Lunch Launcher

Once there was a wonderful Mac app launcher called, well, Launcher. It launches apps, lets you browse files, look up words, calculate, search the web, and gives quick access to common commands.

What once had a price tag is now free. No, the price wasn’t much. And free is better, right?

Not so fast. Free just doesn’t mean what it used to mean back in the day (before the Mac App Store introduced in-app purchases).

To be fair, there’s plenty to like about Launcher. Launch apps from the keyboard.

In fact, everything you can do in Launcher starts at the keyboard so it’s a very productive and efficient Mac app.

Quick Look. Copy Path. Reveal In Finder. Search search engines. Control your Mac or iTunes, or browser files and folders.

Launcher

Launcher is actually easier to use than bouncing around to find apps in the Finder or Dock, and all the additional functions are of power user quality.

So, why am I squawking about something good and useful that’s also free?

Like I said, free has a different meaning these days. Launcher isn’t free in the sense that it has no price tag but you can use it to your heart’s content.

Launcher

Launcher is ad supported. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Sometimes free is a good way to get someone to try an app.

Ad supported applications put advertisements in your face in lieu of payment. But let’s call it what it is. It’s not free. Launcher is ad supported.

You could try LaunchMagic, another Mac app launcher with more eye candy, more features, but remains essentially an app that launches other apps (but also costs almost $20). Or, you could use Launcher and sit through a few advertisements for the privilege of not paying.

Now, that brings up another issue, and why I don’t mind a price tag on a worthy app. If I’m devoting both money and learning curve effort into using an app on my Mac, I want the app developer to stay in business (so I can continue to use the app, receive upgrades, support, etc.).

Free is nice and all, but also means you get what you pay for. Is there enough money in advertising on an app to keep the developer’s fridge full of food? I don’t know. But I worry more about free than I used to.

Try A Related Article

  • How Alfred The Butler Can Do The Deeds On Your Mac
  • A Unique New Way To Launch Apps On Your Mac (think groups of apps)
  • A New And Different Way To Launch Apps, Find Files, Open Web Sites On Your Mac
  • 5 Reasons You Need And LoveThe Best Mac App Launcher And File Finder
  • 12 Ways To Use The 1,000 Features In The Mac’s Premium Launcher App

The Apple Villagers

Tera says, Yes, There’s A Better Way To Find, Use, And Manage Contacts On A Mac. It works. Ladies and gentlemen, it's Mashup Time: Add A Paint And Drawing App To A Screen Snapshot App And You Get The Paint + Snap App.

Here's a secret from Kate. Free: Perfect Popcorn From Your iPhone. But the popcorn isn't free. While browsing in his sleep, Jeffrey found This Cheap Utility Does Easier What OS X Doesn’t Do Easily To Zip Files On A Mac. And back by popular demand is Calculator Tab+ The Mac Calculator App That’s Easier To Use Than Apple’s Built-in Calculator.

Bills Are Due

Mac360's app reviews, news, and not-quite-award-winning commentary are supported by your kind attention to the nearby sponsoring overlords and their messages of desperation and doom. Visiting an aforementioned ad overlord today helps us pay for a daily supply of fries. When you help out by giving attention to any sponsor during today's visit we're able to avoid the dog catcher. Hence, we appreciate your brief visits to these necessary overlords.

About Alexis Kayhill

I'm a 20 year Mac user veteran, writer, photographer, wife, and mommy. I live in sunny San Diego with my husband, three children, two dogs, one mean old cat, and an SUV with a back seat full of beach sand.

« Next Article
Got New Photos From The Holidays? What They Need Is A Mac Frame Maker App
Previous Article »
Tired Of The Mac’s Boring Folder And File Icons? Customize Them For Free

Recently on Mac360

  • What’s The Latest Trend In iPhone Camera Apps? Fewer Features, Higher Quality
  • If Writing Is Dead Then Why Do Mac Users Have So Many Word Processors?
  • How To Send And Receive Faxes On Your Mac (all you need is a free app and money)
  • How I Spent Money For An App I Don’t Need, Didn’t Want, But It’s So Much Fun I Can’t Stop Using It
  • The Troubled World Of Apple’s Shameless Competitors (we need ‘I’m a PC, I’m a Mac’ back)
  • GIF Brewery: It’s Yet Another Easy Way To Capture A Movie Freeze Frame On Your Mac
  • PDF Reader Pro: PDF Reader Meet Note Taker. This PDF App Annotates And Speaks
  • On Apple, Samsung, Google, And Microsoft: How Big Money Makes For Strange Bedfellows

Follow Mac360

Follow Mac360 on FacebookFollow Mac360 via RSSFollow Mac360 on Twitter

Apple Villagers

  • Bohemian Boomer
  • McSolo
  • NoodleMac
  • PixoBebo
  • TeraTalks

Blasts from the Past

  • 3 Ways This Mac App Makes iCal Fun To Use » As Mac users everywhere already know, one gals productivity app is another guys eye candy app. My hu...
  • 6 Easy Ways To Create Beautiful Photo Effects » One of the more notable casualties of Apple’s iPhone App Store success is the shortage of crea...
  • An Easier Way To Find Files Using Time Machine » The only weak links in my Mac backup system are the condo where we live, and Apple’s Time Mach...
  • Yet Another Easy Way To Send Email To Everyone » Is it any wonder we get so much spam? It’s just too easy to find email addresses. And it’...

Follow Mac360 on Twitter

  • Flick Is The Easiest, Free, And Almost Free Way To Share Files And Photos Mac to iPhone to iPad to PCs - http://t.co/PZWEuDW8cx #Mac... about 2 hours ago
  • RadarScope Is The Mac Weather App For Mac Users Who Are Serious About Weather - http://t.co/DA8nsHRNq7 #Mac #Apple #OSX about 4 hours ago
  • How To Analyze Your Sleep And Sleep Better With The iPhone’s Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock - http://t.co/UsakJLM22S #Mac #Apple #OSX about 6 hours ago
  • How To Get More Information About Files On Your Mac Than You Really Need But Might Anyway - http://t.co/jEkGGKXU9U #Mac #Apple #OSX about 8 hours ago

Recent Comments

  • DAvid on How Apple Is Trying To Kill The Folder And Why We Should Be Upset About That
  • Igor Freiberger on Yet Another Wallet For Mac And iPhone (it stores everything securely, but buys nothing)
  • David on How Apple Is Trying To Kill The Folder And Why We Should Be Upset About That
  • iggy pence on How Apple Is Trying To Kill The Folder And Why We Should Be Upset About That
  • bitty on Yet Another Wallet For Mac And iPhone (it stores everything securely, but buys nothing)
  • Robert ANDERSON on How Apple Is Trying To Kill The Folder And Why We Should Be Upset About That

Return to top of page

Copyright © 2004 - 2013 Ron McElfresh, Honolulu, HI. All. Rights. Reserved.

Mac360 Sitemap | Mac360 on Twitter | Mac360 on Facebook.