Monday, June 01, 2009

The mac application bundles continue... what market still exists?

Application bundle fatigue? Not me. :)

Then again, I'm a confessed Mac application addict and consummate bargain hunter. The latest offering from MacUpdate via their mupromo.com got me thinking, who is left who needs these apps if they've been around for one or two previous bundles of software from various marketers?

I just had the pleasure of finding some people I'd not known about previously via folks I follow on Twitter. And the pleasure increased when I was able to be the first to welcome @baldheretic, a switcher, to the Mac.

And now, do we have the battle of the bundles? A new bundle has hit the net from themacbundles.com. Both have a selection of apps that could be useful to a new or established Mac user. Both had duplicates of apps I already own, some from previous bundles, or apps that are very similar to ones I already use.

Ultimately it comes down to whether you think you will make use of enough of the bundle to make the discounted cost worthwhile. In the process you might find an app or two you wouldn't have tried, but find useful because it was there to play with.

Keep in mind, not all bundle promotions are equal...

...even if the price nearly is.

There are some wonderful side benefits to participating in something that is "more than a bundle", which is how I view MacHeist. As I mention in a previous post, a vibrant and ongoing community has sprung up around this particular bundle event that remains unrivaled by any other that has come along.