
One of our new Mac360 Forums readers posed the question: What Mac software do you want that doesn’t exist yet?
Not just features. There’s always some feature we want in OS X or in the software we use. What applications or utilities do you want that just don’t exist on the Mac?
I’ve been grumbling recently about the total number of applications and utilities on my Macs. Including the major apps that come with OS X Leopard, Mail and Safari, iCal and Address Book, I still have over 100 software titles on my Macs.
There’s all the Apple suites—iWork, iLife, FinalCut Studio, Logic Studio, Aperture. Plus, I’ve just upgraded to Photoshop CS3 (I tend to skip a generation or two). I’ll consider upgrading to Microsoft Mac Office next year.
The major software titles and suits, from Apple and other notable publishers, constitute a wide spectrum of software requirements, yet I have dozens of other applications and utilities, some free, most not, that do this or that. Each function is important enough to shell out money and time.
The Mac has thousands and thousands of software titles—some superbly crafter, many are very good, and there’s a few clunkers here and there. But thousands nonetheless. Windows users may have more choices in software, but do they have software that is not available, in function or features, on the Mac?
The original question is easier asked than answered. What Mac software do you want that doesn’t exist yet?
The answer requires some serious thought. There’s always a list of features that I want to see added to or modified on a particular piece of Mac software, including Mac OS X. But is there software—an application or utility—that we truly want and need, and the functionality just doesn’t exist yet?
See if your Mac and requirements are similar to mine.
I have a utility which manages all my serial numbers, login ID’s, and passwords. Yet, I have another utility which takes those login ID’s and passwords, and lets me login automatically, beyond the capability of Safari and Keychain.
I have a notes taking application, yet a different one to handle all the little pieces of information I want to track each day—bookmarks, graphics, images, notes, and so on.
There’s an application on my Mac which handles project time and invoicing. There’s at least three text editors for programming. I have a couple of backup utilities, though SuperDuper! is used most.
My Mac has utilities to rip DVDs for inclusion into iTunes. A utility to measure pixels on my screen. A utility to find files on my Mac and sort them by size, or date, or whatever. There’s utilities that offer more printing options than iPhoto. Others track web site and another tracks domain names.
There’s a couple of RSS readers, though only one I use daily. I have two FTP utilities, and more browsers than I ever thought possible on a Mac (how many do we need?).
You see where this is going, right? I have plenty of Mac applications and utilities, probably more than I truly need, but each one provides some feature set or functions not available in OS X or elsewhere. What else do I need?
What do I want that just doesn’t exist yet for Mac users? It’s tough to narrow that thought down to a specific application or utility, partly because I already have so much software with so much functionality that it’s scary. What else do I need?
Of course, there are probably some specific business applications that are not the domain of normal Mac users, such as some kind of scientific research data modeling software, or software that tracks a company’s employees, and so on.
It’s easy for Windows users to say that Windows has more software than the Mac because it’s true. But what software is there that we truly want and need that does not exist on the Mac? And does it even matter? After all, the Mac runs Windows and Linux quite easily, so whatever software applications and utilities run elsewhere, will actually run on the Mac quite well.
Take a look at the software on your Mac. Then, ask the same question: “What Mac software do you want that doesn’t exist yet?”
Share your frustrations or insight with other Mac360 readers in the Comments section below.
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By Ron McElfresh | My first Mac was the 128k model (from 1984, so I'm old). I live and work in Honolulu, Hawaii. Read my daily commentary on McSolo, check for certified Mac software updates on NoodleMac, and follow me on Twitter.
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