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MacHeist Software Bundle Ending This Weekend
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So... how much would the bundle have cost had I taken the time to participate in the heists?
$39, a $10 discount.
I used a site called WikiHeist, they basically posted the solutions so you could finish each Heist in less then 5 minutes.
Remind me how a developer can be exploited if they opt in to the program.
I was going to post the same thing. I have been reading Grubers take on the matter and I guess I see his point a little but no one forced these developers to include their apps. If they didnt like the deal they were getting they could just not sign the deal!
1. They're not evil, they're a business. And I don't think anyone has accused them of not being upfront in their dealings with devs. If the deal they were offering was SO bad, no one would've taken it.
2. Their marketing message may or may not be a little inappropriate- that whole "We really care!" thing. If there's a lot of negative fallout, then they'll take that into consideration next time if they're smart. The open discussion helps everyone.
3. At the end of the day it's not about exploitation, it's simply about devs making a business decison. There are definitely pro's and con's. I do think Jon Gruber at Daring Fireball probably summed it up best in this regard:
That being said, maybe for MacHeist 2 or whatever they'll come up with some new advertising methods to try to reach the greater mainstream population of Mac users.
2. Their marketing message may or may not be a little inappropriate- that whole "We really care!" thing. If there's a lot of negative fallout, then they'll take that into consideration next time if they're smart. The open discussion helps everyone.
3. At the end of the day it's not about exploitation, it's simply about devs making a business decison. There are definitely pro's and con's. I do think Jon Gruber at Daring Fireball probably summed it up best in this regard:
http://daringfireball.net/2006/11/pinprick
That being said, maybe for MacHeist 2 or whatever they'll come up with some new advertising methods to try to reach the greater mainstream population of Mac users.
Umm is everyone also missing one key fact about this bundle? That 25% is going to the charity of your choice. Or at least one of the charities in the list.
Delicious Library. Fun but not particularly useful. Value to me $5
FotoMagico. Great presentation maker. Value to me $0 (I don't make presentations)
ShapeShifter. Again fun but not useful. Value to me $0
DEVONthink. Document organizer, necessary for me. Value to me $39
Disco. Toast is toast.... Value to me $10
RapidWeaver. For the children. Value to me $20
iClip. Kind of useful, I guess. Value to me $5
Pangea Enigmo 2. Great puzzle game for my eldest. Value to me $10
Newsfire. YA BABY! Value to me $19
Textmate. Voonderbar! Value to me $10 (Crappy upgrade)
So I got $118 (worth to me) of software for $49.
Who lost out:
DEVONthink (I was going to get it anyway)
Newsfire
Perhaps Rapidweaver
Who broke even(ish)
Disco
Pangea
Textmate
iClip
Who won my business because of MacHeist
Delicious
FotoMagico
Shapeshifter
I wanted to buy Fotomagico but couldn't justify the $79 regular price.
So getting just Fotomagico for $49 was a great deal for me.
Everything else is just gravy. And if I find another couple of apps in there that work well, chances are I will be a bit more likely to buy stuff from small developers in the future.
I call it a win-win.
So getting just Fotomagico for $49 was a great deal for me.
Everything else is just gravy. And if I find another couple of apps in there that work well, chances are I will be a bit more likely to buy stuff from small developers in the future.
I call it a win-win.
Remind me how a developer can be exploited if they opt in to the program.
Exactly ... I think Gruber was off base on this particular issue. It's also very interesting to see him bash a Philip Ryu idea ... after just being made a guest blogger judge by Ryu in the MyDreamApp contest.
No. It's business. No developers were forced into this sale. No buyers were forced to make a purchase.
Perhaps, you should have read the information before you bought. Some of the serial numbers will be sent to you within 72 hours of your purchase and the TextMate and NewsFire serial numbers were to be sent within a week of their meeting the goals.
Even if the software vendors aren't making a good percentage of the income from these MacHeist sales, they are gaining customers (like me) they wouldn't otherwise have, and they will get the full income from any upgrades we/I buy later.
I, for one, would have bought 0 of these apps (though I would have drooled over some) but seeing them all together for $35 (I finished four heists and split with a friend) was too much for me.
As for being unfair the the developers, almost all the developers have either blogged or posted somewhere that they felt that they were getting a great deal, none of them has said that they regretted their descision.
Also, 25% is donated to charity (I gave mine to the wwf) which makes the deal even better as I consider myself as having given $8.75 to charity and having bought 10 great apps for $26.25.
As for being unfair the the developers, almost all the developers have either blogged or posted somewhere that they felt that they were getting a great deal, none of them has said that they regretted their descision.
Also, 25% is donated to charity (I gave mine to the wwf) which makes the deal even better as I consider myself as having given $8.75 to charity and having bought 10 great apps for $26.25.
Some of the people being so negative about this fail to realise that Mac indie developers need to get the word out more. This is a great way of doing it, plus the buyer is helping a great cause in the process. It's all about promotion of the apps people...
Depends on how you look at it.
If they sat on their asses, then, yes, they might not have made any money. But that's not the point.
Developers can create promotions, too. Their hands aren't tied. And if they did, you can bet that they'd be left with a lot more than 3% after the expenses were paid.
I'm not calling anyone out, really, I just don't like what I've heard regarding MacHeist's side of the deal. Put it this way, as software users, you won't be getting good deals like this forever if developers are only walking away with $0.03 on the dollar. It's that simple.
I've posted previously as to how I think developers could and should participate in promotions like these. There are things that can be done that makes it easier for developers to get exposure while protecting their product and at the same time giving something to the consumer at a price they wouldn't otherwise enjoy. I'll elaborate or provide the link if anyone's interested.
i don't know where to fall on this. it's up to each developer as a business decision, so i don't fault any on either side of things.
one of the developers, while writing in support of it, made a comment that caught my eye though... something about how "it's like piracy, a bunch of people that wouldn't have paid for my software anyway will be getting it to try."
in my view, big mistake to equate it and even sort of rationalize piracy... but that's my take
in addition, while i enjoyed the idea of the various 'heists' (though i'm not smart enough to figure them out myself), when they closed the heists quickly, and then started selling stuff, i realized that it was just a scam to sell stuff. it's one thing to cover costs or even make some profit off an idea, but it seemed like a bit of subversion to set it up as something fun, and then smack you with this selling scheme.
one of the developers, while writing in support of it, made a comment that caught my eye though... something about how "it's like piracy, a bunch of people that wouldn't have paid for my software anyway will be getting it to try."
in my view, big mistake to equate it and even sort of rationalize piracy... but that's my take
in addition, while i enjoyed the idea of the various 'heists' (though i'm not smart enough to figure them out myself), when they closed the heists quickly, and then started selling stuff, i realized that it was just a scam to sell stuff. it's one thing to cover costs or even make some profit off an idea, but it seemed like a bit of subversion to set it up as something fun, and then smack you with this selling scheme.
The point is surely that the developers got some 'no risk' cash for doing nothing (extra). They also get themselves known a bit more and will pick up some extra sales through word of mouth (if the products are any good). I don't see anything to complain about.
Heres thee take of the developer of shapeshifter (one of the apps in the bundle)
http://www.unsanity.org/archives/mac_os_x/professional_courtesy_whither_w.php
http://www.unsanity.org/archives/mac_os_x/professional_courtesy_whither_w.php
Gus didn't think the deal was in his interests. Good for him not taking it.
Jason thought the deal was in his interests. Good for him too.
The rest is nobody's business but the people who decided for themselves.
Those people some folks are calling "their community" are also in many cases their competitors. Particularly in Gus' case, DEVONthink Personal competes with VoodooPad for some purposes. Gus' blanket criticisms of the promotion as bad for "the community" have a slightly different flavor when you think about it that way.
If Gus is right, DEVON have bought themselves more trouble in support costs than they'll benefit from the promotion and he can sit back and enjoy the benefits of stable, sustainable growth while his competitor struggles under the burden of an ill-advised business decision. It could work out very well for Gus. On the off chance he's not right, his competitor has gained it looks like somewhere in the neighborhood of ten thousand new customers who may not consider VoodooPad now because they've already got DEVONthink meeting their document organization needs.
For context, I'm a happy, paying VoodooPad Pro user. I really don't want to pick on Gus particularly, but he's got a vested interest here where Gruber is just foaming at the mouth. I really don't see anyone complaining about Gus offering a "Lite" version of VoodooPad for flat nothing. Doesn't this "devalue the community" and make people expect software for less than it takes to produce it? Why not? For cherrypop, who noted that "developers can create promotions, too," well, yes. That's exactly what VoodooPad Lite is, and it's probably one of the reasons Gus didn't feel like he needed to participate in the promotion. He's technically taking a bath on every copy of his blood, sweat and tears given away to people who never end up buying a paid version. How would it sound if some rep from DEVON popped up and complained that Flying Meat should stop giving away software for free "for the good of the community?"
Bottom line, your business choices are your own business. If someone else's choices buy them trouble, then it's their trouble and they earned it. One man's mistake can be another man's fortune in business, and those who assume any particular decision is one or the other run the risk of looking fairly foolish when the numbers are in.
Jason thought the deal was in his interests. Good for him too.
The rest is nobody's business but the people who decided for themselves.
Those people some folks are calling "their community" are also in many cases their competitors. Particularly in Gus' case, DEVONthink Personal competes with VoodooPad for some purposes. Gus' blanket criticisms of the promotion as bad for "the community" have a slightly different flavor when you think about it that way.
If Gus is right, DEVON have bought themselves more trouble in support costs than they'll benefit from the promotion and he can sit back and enjoy the benefits of stable, sustainable growth while his competitor struggles under the burden of an ill-advised business decision. It could work out very well for Gus. On the off chance he's not right, his competitor has gained it looks like somewhere in the neighborhood of ten thousand new customers who may not consider VoodooPad now because they've already got DEVONthink meeting their document organization needs.
For context, I'm a happy, paying VoodooPad Pro user. I really don't want to pick on Gus particularly, but he's got a vested interest here where Gruber is just foaming at the mouth. I really don't see anyone complaining about Gus offering a "Lite" version of VoodooPad for flat nothing. Doesn't this "devalue the community" and make people expect software for less than it takes to produce it? Why not? For cherrypop, who noted that "developers can create promotions, too," well, yes. That's exactly what VoodooPad Lite is, and it's probably one of the reasons Gus didn't feel like he needed to participate in the promotion. He's technically taking a bath on every copy of his blood, sweat and tears given away to people who never end up buying a paid version. How would it sound if some rep from DEVON popped up and complained that Flying Meat should stop giving away software for free "for the good of the community?"
Bottom line, your business choices are your own business. If someone else's choices buy them trouble, then it's their trouble and they earned it. One man's mistake can be another man's fortune in business, and those who assume any particular decision is one or the other run the risk of looking fairly foolish when the numbers are in.
I admit many people win in this situation. But whether it is fair that MacHeist people get so much money is another issue.
And personally I feel it is pathetic to feel happy just because you made money. When people could have something better, they might be content already for a little bit sugar. And that's how capitalist got rich. And that's why marketing is somehow evil.
Finally, if I am any one of the developers who participated in this, I would have not joined. Instead, I will start my own "MacHeist" by contacting some other developers. In this way, although I "steal" the idea from MacHeist, but nobody could exploit developers. And other benefits could still exist.
And personally I feel it is pathetic to feel happy just because you made money. When people could have something better, they might be content already for a little bit sugar. And that's how capitalist got rich. And that's why marketing is somehow evil.
Finally, if I am any one of the developers who participated in this, I would have not joined. Instead, I will start my own "MacHeist" by contacting some other developers. In this way, although I "steal" the idea from MacHeist, but nobody could exploit developers. And other benefits could still exist.
Actually the figure is closer to the ballpark of 5K, with the exception of Delicious Library and Textmate which supposedly got 12K or so.
It's funny - I can see both sides, and when I read the four developers' takes on this I agreed with all of them. They do all have valid points.
I ended up buying the bundle. The only app there that I'd thought about buying before was FotoMagico, and I'd already decided I was going to hold off for a while. Very few other purchasers seem to have much interest in that app; and conversely I had little interest in ever buying the apps those guys said they wanted. But now I plan to try using Delicious Library, which I'd really never seriously considered before. Will I upgrade to version 2? Who knows? But there's a non-zero chance now. I don't need RapidWeaver, but my daughter may find it useful - and if she likes it there's a future upgrade purchaser right there. Shapeshifter isn't interesting at all to me, so they've got a buck or two of my money that they'd never see otherwise - and I can guarantee there won't be any associated support costs to them.
People have short memories, but I really hope someone will revisit this a year from now and see how all the developers feel about it once they've had the chance to look back.
They do all have valid points.I ended up buying the bundle. The only app there that I'd thought about buying before was FotoMagico, and I'd already decided I was going to hold off for a while. Very few other purchasers seem to have much interest in that app; and conversely I had little interest in ever buying the apps those guys said they wanted. But now I plan to try using Delicious Library, which I'd really never seriously considered before. Will I upgrade to version 2? Who knows? But there's a non-zero chance now. I don't need RapidWeaver, but my daughter may find it useful - and if she likes it there's a future upgrade purchaser right there. Shapeshifter isn't interesting at all to me, so they've got a buck or two of my money that they'd never see otherwise - and I can guarantee there won't be any associated support costs to them.
People have short memories, but I really hope someone will revisit this a year from now and see how all the developers feel about it once they've had the chance to look back.