'Fair to all' Mac software bundles promised

By Stephen Withers
Wednesday, 27 May 2009 06:44

Opinion and Analysis

A new software bundle marketer aims to do the right thing by Mac software developers and buyers alike.

There have been several marketing exercises where collections of Mac software have been sold at attractive prices.

The people I know that have purchased them have generally been satisfied with what they got for their money. Typically, they've seen it as a way of buying two or three programs at a discount, with the rest of the bundle being thrown in as a sweetener.

Examples include Mac Bundle Box and MacHeist.

Some (non-participating) developers have expressed concern at these promotions, suggesting they reduce the public perception of what constitutes a fair price for software.

Some participants see bundles as a way of getting their products in front of new customers - even if they don't get much out of the initial purchase, there's always the prospect of an easy sell of the next version to a satisfied user.

(From memory, at least some of the programs supplied in bundles haven't included upgrade rights, so if you want the next major version you'll be up for the full price.)

While nobody is forced to take part in bundling, there's been some disquiet about how the proceeds are divided between the promoters, the developers and any third parties (eg, charities or affiliate program participants).

So Steve Becker of MacEase is trying a new model.

The veteran shareware and freeware developer has set up TheMacBundles.com as a way of distributing bundles of quality software in a way that benefits both buyers and sellers.

Find out more about Becker's plan on page 2.