For better or worse, a number of sites offering daily discounts on Mac (and Windows) software have popped up in the past year or so. These sites also began a somewhat symbiotic relationship with independent developers, since they offer smaller applications a chance to sell more licenses. Bundling several small applications together has become a common marketing strategy, with the MacHeist bundle and it's juicy sales-based "reward" applications being the most widely known. The MacHeist bundle strategy attracted some criticism last year, but ended up being quite successful, meaning it was only a matter of time before the next software offering emerged.
The MacUpdate Promo is the latest to tempt Mac owners. For $50, you get a collection of seven to 10 MacUpdate darlings, comprised of three applications related to audio (SRS iWOW for better sound from your speakers, audio editor Amadeus Pro, and podcast creator ProfCast). You also get eBay assistant GarageSale, a system utility called Cocktail, venerable FTP client Fetch, and the aptly-named GraphicConverter. The MacUpdate folks have also taken a page out of the MacHeist book, and are offering three extra applications based on the number of bundles sold. Network monitor Little Snitch is unlocked at 2,500 bundles, drawing program Intaglio comes at 4,000, and TechTool Pro is the final reward after 9,999 bundles have been sold.
MacHeist seems to have helped at least a bit with the bundle and the strategy, but they've also added a slight twist in that buyers receive extra applications when the bundle is bought through MacHeist (no MacHeist participation necessary, it seems). These additional applications are a visual web history app and a password protection app (BrowseBack and Exces), and there's one more secret app that will be revealed soon. You also get beta invitations to two nifty looking programs, but these invitations won't translate into licenses for the release versions.
Ultimately, it comes down to the question of whether or not this bundle is a worthwhile purchase. My personal answer is "no," for a whole bunch of reasons. First of all, this bundle simply isn't as sexy as previous ones, mostly due to the lack of widely-used applications. The heavy hitters seen in previous bundles are absent here (Fetch is no Delicious Library), and the rewards are pretty anemic as well. The bundle also seems to duplicate functionality a bit, with TechTool Pro resembling Cocktail on steroids and Pixelmator (a beta invitation) looking far better than Intaglio. Honestly, the applications (and thus the bundle) just aren't very compelling to me. The majority of the bundled applications have free alternatives with similar functionality (Cyberduck, Audacity, and GIMP come to mind), or have better counterparts for those willing to shell out the cash. Cocktail and Little Snitch provide front-ends to OS X commands that you can run for free, and offerings like iWOW, Exces, and BrowseBack strike me as things that seem cool but end up being infrequently used.
There are, of course, some good reasons to buy. The bundle contains some nice specialty applications (ProfCast and GarageSale), and many people will use some of the bundled apps or just enjoy being prepared for anything. The $50 bundle cost is far less than the sum of its parts, so if you've had your eye on a handful of these applications for a while, the math may come out in your favor. And whether you want to support the Mac community, love utilities, or just want TechTool Pro, I'd recommend grabbing the bundle through MacHeist for the extra goodies. The sale is on for almost a week. Happy shopping!
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