MacUpdate Bundle: 10 Apps for $49.99, Including FotoMagico, ScreenFlow, and More

[MacRumors]

A few times a year, MacRumors partners with MacUpdate to promote a Mac application bundle deal. MacUpdate's latest bundle includes ten apps for $49.99, with a value of $564 if they were to be purchased separately.

The bundle offer has just been extended by one week, giving interested users an additional opportunity to purchase the apps. The first 15,000 buyers will also receive two-time Apple Design Award winner FotoMagico 4, and all titles are compatible with OS X Mavericks.

The full bundle of apps includes (retail prices in parentheses):

- ScreenFlow 4 ($99.99): Screen recording and editing
- TechTool Pro 7 ($99.99): Mac troubleshooting tool with support for OS X Mavericks
- PDFpen 6 ($59.99): PDF editing tool with support for annotations, optical character recognition, and more
- Civilization V: Gold Edition ($49.99): Turn-based strategy game with Gods & Kings expansion pack included
- Snapheal Pro ($39.99): Fix imperfections and remove objects from photos
- DeltaWalker 1.9 with free upgrade to 2.0 ($39.95): Compare and synchronize files and folders
- Choco 2 ($29.99): Create photo collages from over 100 editable templates
- Vitamin-R 2.0 ($29.95): Monitor your work patterns for increased productivity
- Aurora 5 ($14.95): Sleep timer and alarm clock for Mac

Bonus for first 15,000 buyers:

- FotoMagico 4 ($99.99): Create professional-looking photo slideshows

Bundle customers also have the option of purchasing three individual add-ons at discounted prices:

- Civilization V: Brave New World Expansion Pack ($30 value for $19.99): Adds international trade with emphasis on culture and diplomacy
- PDFpen Pro 6 ($40 value for $19.99): Adds website to multi-page PDF conversion, PDF form creation, and PDF Table of Contents organization
- DeltaWalker Oro Edition ($35 value for $9.99): Adds three-way comparison and auto-merging, XML visualization, and access to all three platform versions (Mac, Windows, and Linux)

Finally, users can receive a free copy of train simulator application Rails by simply tweeting about the bundle. No purchase necessary.

All apps together are being sold for $49.99 through October 9. MacRumors is a promotional partner with MacUpdate. Bundle sales through links in this article benefit MacRumors financially, and provide a way for readers to directly support this site.

Article Link: MacUpdate Bundle: 10 Apps for $49.99, Including FotoMagico, ScreenFlow, and More

 

[dwhittington]

Cool!

 

[dleon84]

This looks like a great deal.

 

[9000]

Just for ScreenFlow, that's a good deal.

 

[Dambuster43]

Glass half spilt view is......it may be a bargain IF they can be used! As yet I cannot see I need anybof them.
If this is a regular thing...what about a poll from a suggested selection of apps.... Just my thoughts..

 

[roland.g]

I used to do the bundle thing. You typically get 1-3 apps you can use and the rest that you really never do. This doesn't look appealing. I tried DeltaWalker at some point and wasn't impressed. I've used Visual Differ instead. Really none of the comparison apps are that great. ScreenFlow. Is it better than SnapzProX? PDFPen - If you need Acrobat, get Acrobat.

 

[jan1024188]

Wow, no Parallels this time?

 

[CTYankee]

If you do any screen casting, Screenflow is great and makes this bundle worth it. However they tend to put it in bundles when a new version is coming.

I don't buy bundles anymore. I have GB of software I never use that came alongside many good programs I do use daily. I don't have any needs that are not met with what I have, and frankly the bundles no longer have the good stuff. Thats all on the App store or just never in bundles (Omni, Panic, et al).

 

[TrashCanBin]

Just same applications in random order. Big meh.

 

[mkrndll]

Screenflow is very useful and well done. Whenever I get tech question from anyone from my family or social circle, I just shoot a fast video with it.

Has anyone here used PDFpen? How is its OCR feature? If not use, maybe you can recommend a good alternative?

 

[japanime]

I use QuickTime to do screen recordings. Is ScreenFlow better than that?

 

[RedTomato]

I've seen Vitamin-R reccomended for people with ADHD / problems with focus. Thinking of getting it myself. Anyone here any experience with that kind of thing?

 

[alexmshore]

Quick question for anyone who has bought these bundles before:

Is it possible just to download and install just the apps you want after purchase?

 

[Igantius]

I've seen Vitamin-R reccomended for people with ADHD / problems with focus. Thinking of getting it myself. Anyone here any experience with that kind of thing?

I wouldn’t say I have major issues with focussing, but I did find Vitamin-R useful – this was the previous version and I bought it on special offer via the Mac App Store. Although I suppose most of it you could do without the software (e.g. breaking big tasks in small ones, user a generic timer), I found the app attractive, I liked using it and found it did help me from getting distracted.

When the new version came out, I had a quick look and thought it seemed a decent upgrade but I wasn’t sure that I wanted to shell out more money for it, as the first was fine. (That said, the developers do a lifetime upgrade option.) However, I’m going to get this bundle as more of the apps I can see myself using and I’m going to get my money’s worth and Vitamin-R is sweetening the deal.

BTW, in case you've seen, a demo is available and I reckon it doesn't take too long (e.g. a few sessions at the Mac) to work out if it's going to work out for you.

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Quick question for anyone who has bought these bundles before:

Is it possible just to download and install just the apps you want after purchase?

Yes - IIRC, you're sent the keys for each (and a download link).

 

[ValSalva]

ScreenFlow outside of the App Store is tough. Correct me if I'm wrong but I think it's only licensed for one computer whereas on the App Store you can install it on all the computers you own.

 

[alexmshore]

I wouldn’t say I have major issues with focussing, but I did find Vitamin-R useful – this was the previous version and I bought it on special offer via the Mac App Store. Although I suppose most of it you could do without the software (e.g. breaking big tasks in small ones, user a generic timer), I found the app attractive, I liked using it and found it did help me from getting distracted.

When the new version came out, I had a quick look and thought it seemed a decent upgrade but I wasn’t sure that I wanted to shell out more money for it, as the first was fine. (That said, the developers do a lifetime upgrade option.) However, I’m going to get this bundle as more of the apps I can see myself using and I’m going to get my money’s worth and Vitamin-R is sweetening the deal.

BTW, in case you've seen, a demo is available and I reckon it doesn't take too long (e.g. a few sessions at the Mac) to work out if it's going to work out for you.

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Yes - IIRC, you're sent the keys for each (and a download link).

Thanks for that.

 

[RedTomato]

I wouldn’t say I have major issues with focussing, but I did find Vitamin-R useful – this was the previous version and I bought it on special offer via the Mac App Store. Although I suppose most of it you could do without the software (e.g. breaking big tasks in small ones, user a generic timer), I found the app attractive, I liked using it and found it did help me from getting distracted.

When the new version came out, I had a quick look and thought it seemed a decent upgrade but I wasn’t sure that I wanted to shell out more money for it, as the first was fine. (That said, the developers do a lifetime upgrade option.) However, I’m going to get this bundle as more of the apps I can see myself using and I’m going to get my money’s worth and Vitamin-R is sweetening the deal.

BTW, in case you've seen, a demo is available and I reckon it doesn't take too long (e.g. a few sessions at the Mac) to work out if it's going to work out for you.

Thanks for that, I'll take a look at the demo. I might buy it on its own through the App Store for easier portability. I'm not really interested in the other bundle apps.

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

I have purchased many bundles with no regrets. This bundle has zero appeal to me... It neither has any app that's even slightly interesting to me, nor a good price.

Although I think I might know a person who'd be interested in getting Rails... But they're not on Twitter.

 

[fhall1]

Wow, no Parallels this time?

Not close enough to the release of Parallels 10 for them to start bundling 9.

 

[Stella]

Not close enough to the release of Parallels 10 for them to start bundling 9.

Last year ( and year before ) it was! May have been the Christmas rather than the Fall bundle but it was pretty close after P9 was released.


---
MR - why only post this now - the bundle has been out for weeks?

 

[RightMACatU]

This bundle has zero appeal to me... It neither has any app that's even slightly interesting to me, nor a good price.

Yeah... I'm out!

 

[rmwebs]

Bit mediocre again. Why's it always the same software?

Civ 5 is being overpriced in their RRP estimates there. You can regularly get it on Steam with a bunch of expansions for around the $9 mark (no, thats not a typo).

The video is a plain lie. "products that are rarely discounted at all" - give me a break. Civ 5 is pretty much ALWAYS on promotion.

A prime example, its 50% off at GamersGate: http://www.gamersgate.co.uk/DD-CIV5GEM/sid-meiers-civilization-v-gold-edition-mac

 

[notjustjay]

I may get it for FotoMagico, but that's the only one I'd be interested in.

 

[RMo]

PDFPen - If you need Acrobat, get Acrobat.

Have you used PDFpen? If so, do you have any actual facts to support your statement? I know Acrobat (despite being made by Adobe) works reasonably well, but PDFpen is a bit less expensive--until you get to PDFpen Pro, in which case it rivals the education discount on Acrobat, for which I am eligible. I'd really like OCR and basic PDF editing at home sometimes, so I'm contemplating buying one or the other, and since this bundle is about the price of PDFpen alone...

---

Has anyone here used PDFpen? How is its OCR feature? If not use, maybe you can recommend a good alternative?

I want to know the same thing. From reviews, I see that it uses the OmniPage OCR engine (made by Nuance, of Dragon fame, not by OmniGroup). I like that Acrobat is decently good, plus it's able to straighten pages that were scanned crooked. I wonder how PDFpen stacks up, because the price is certainly better.

On a related note, many App Store reviews of PDFpen and PDFpen Pro complain that it crashes on startup. Maybe that's unique to the MAS version, but it doesn't seem to give me a good impression either way.

Has anyone here used it?

 

[roland.g]

Have you used PDFpen? If so, do you have any actual facts to support your statement? I know Acrobat (despite being made by Adobe) works reasonably well, but PDFpen is a bit less expensive--until you get to PDFpen Pro, in which case it rivals the education discount on Acrobat, for which I am eligible. I'd really like OCR and basic PDF editing at home sometimes, so I'm contemplating buying one or the other, and since this bundle is about the price of PDFpen alone...

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I want to know the same thing. From reviews, I see that it uses the OmniPage OCR engine (made by Nuance, of Dragon fame, not by OmniGroup). I like that Acrobat is decently good, plus it's able to straighten pages that were scanned crooked. I wonder how PDFpen stacks up, because the price is certainly better.

On a related note, many App Store reviews of PDFpen and PDFpen Pro complain that it crashes on startup. Maybe that's unique to the MAS version, but it doesn't seem to give me a good impression either way.

Has anyone here used it?

I have a Fujitsu ScanSnap 1500M scanner that came with Acrobat and ABBYY Finereader which does my scanning and OCR and works great. It allowed me to ditch my all to expensive all-in-one inkjet printer and get a wireless HP1102 Laserjet that gets 1500 pages on a single cartridge. Now I'm saving tons of money on ink. And my scanning is fast, and works really well. I got DEVONthink Pro for my digital file database and my scanner dumps all scans directly into the database. I highly recommend a setup like that. I have used PDFPen as well as Acrobat. However, I honestly don't use Acrobat often and once I got it bundled with my scanner, I had no use for PDFPen. My setup puts everything into my database in searchable OCR pdfs. My goal is to be 98% paperless by year end with the exception of birth certificates, passports, and any other docs that truly require an "original". The great think about DEVONthink is that you can download any statement online as a PDF directly to the app through a browser plug-in it installs and can likewise print any sort of receipt from a webpage straight to it.