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Can A Deal On Mac Software Ever Be Called Stealing?
Is it possible to get such a good deal on software that it could be considered stealing? How about if you pay almost nothing? Is it still stealing software? Such almost seems like the case with the latest MacHeist promotion. 11 very popular Mac software titles, valued at over $368, available online for only $49. There’s an old saying: if it sounds too good to be true, it’s probably not. How can Mac software publishers sell their applications or utilities at barely 10-cents on the dollar? Is it legitimate? From what we can tell after viewing last year’s MacHeist promotion, it is legitimate. If you spend the $49 you won’t go to jail. We haven’t read any reports of buyers going to jail from last year’s deal. The MacHeist bundle promotion was so popular last year that many Mac users and pundits expected another. No one is disappointed because the new selection of 11 Mac titles is even better. So, it’s a good deal for Mac users. Is it a good deal for Mac software publishers? That remains to be seen.
What does your $49 get you? A eclectic bundle, a range of Mac software from the highly acclaimed and much desired Pixelmator, the money minder application Cha-Ching, to Speed Download, AppZapper, iStopMotion and many others. Included in the list are a few of Mac360’s favorite applications, including the superb CSSEdit, 1password, and Snapz Pro X. The least expensive utility is HogBaySoftware’s Task Paper, which retails for $18.95, and the most expensive are Pixelmator and Snapz Pro X, which sell for $59 and $69 respectively. $49 gets you all the applications and utilities on the MacHeist list. You get a serial number for each so you’re a bona fide registered user. MacHeist also gives $100,000 to charity when a certain number of bundles were sold. You get to choose from a list of charities. Everybody wins, right? Almost. What about the Mac software publishers? After all, on average, the total revenue is barely a dime from each retail dollar. Subtract promotional expenses, subtract the donation to charity, and the software guys don’t make much money. So, why do Mac software publishers sign on for a steal of a deal like the MacHeist Bundle?
I’m not altogether sure, but it might have something to do with Big Numbers. Each software publisher will receive over 10,000 new customers by the time the promotion ends. There’s one week to go so the number could go higher. They’ll get money and customers. Many of those new customers may upgrade to future versions, which adds to their revenue. However, 10,000 or more new customers also means customer service and support issues. Fortunately, the selection of Mac software is so good in this bundle that it’s likely that Mac users will be highly satisfied. As of today, there’s barely a week left in the promotion. I can’t find much of a downside for Mac users. Ditto for various charities. The MacHeist people will make money, too. However, I see something of a downside for Mac software publishers. Why do they get involved? I’m not sure if it’s greed, good business sense, herd mentality, or some kind of new math that I’m not familiar with but need to know more about-- soon. Whatever it is, this is easily the best bargain we’ve seen online for Mac software. • Article by Wil Gomez • Published on Monday, January 14, 2008
• Category: Opinion • 4 Reader comment(s) • Email This • Digg This • Shop Now
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Talk Back to Kate, Ron & the Mac360 staff Jan_willis says:
John P, your information is wrong. The SnapzPro version is the latest for Leopard, TIger, and Panther. Nothing shady going on with that one. All the others are the latest shipping versions, including Cha-Ching 2.0 which began shipping today. The iStopMotion i also the latest shipping version, 2.0.2. Stop spreading lies. — Posted on Tue Jan 15 at 11:19 am by Jan_willis
John P. says:
Be careful: many of the versions offered are older versions of software you will need to upgrade to run with Leopard. E.g, iStopMotion comes as the 1.0 version, which is no longer the current version (2.0 is now shipping). Same with SnapZPro, read the forums for this promotion here: — Posted on Tue Jan 15 at 7:44 am by John P.
iggy pence says:
The MacHeist bundled promo back in later 2006 or so received a lot of criticism-- especially among those pundits and software developers who did NOT participate in the deal. John Gruber of DaringFireball was especially critical of the MacHeist promotion, but this time around gladly accepted their money as a sponsor on his sight. The folks at RogueAmoeba were also critical. However, this time the MacHeist promo doesn’t smooth talk developers and the value of the applications in the bundle simply cannot be denied. — Posted on Mon Jan 14 at 8:32 pm by iggy pence
Art says:
I bought this bundle in a nanosecond. Pixelmator is really a neat App and Snapz Pro X will come in handy for troubleshooting. Click the company link on the Pixelmator site. I was surprised to see it was a such a small firm. I emailed the developers with a wishlist for their App and received a tantalizing response regarding an upcoming version. How can you pass that up? This is great marketing for these developers. I’m not familiar with all the Apps in the bundle, but a few are going to see future revenues via upgrades. Ambrosia has useful utilities and some neat retro games. At $49, it leaves some $ for Apple’s new toys! — Posted on Mon Jan 14 at 8:26 pm by Art
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