MacHeist
Posted at 10:43 am on Thursday, March 26, 2009, in Technology, and tagged amazon, apple, software, twitter.
I am battling temptation. I agree with the underlying context that the bundle is an overall rip-off for the individual developers of the applications included in the latest MacHeist bundle. However, I do not see it as a fair condemnation of the consumers that do purchase the bundle because the consumers are — in fact — purchasing the licenses through legal means.
(It is little different from purchasing a heavily-discounted mp3 offering from Amazon.com. In fact, the reason I purchase books from Amazon.com — and you do too — is not because the price I pay goes directly to the author, but because it is simply the cheapest option. And there is free shipping.)
I am leaning against MacHeist for ethical reasons; it is tempting. #
Do I think that the developers are getting ripped off? Yes.
Do I think that the bundle should cost a lot more? Yes.
Would it make more sense for the price advertised — $39 — the consumers picked three or four of the apps? Yes.
Am I rationalizing a purchase because I want two of the apps listed? Maybe.
If I can purchase Espresso through this bundle for $39 (assuming I never use the other software), why can’t I purchase Espresso directly from the developer for $39? Instead, it retails for $80. Why is there no discount option for indie software, even ten or twenty percent? Wouldn’t that increase sales and exposure? Isn’t there always the potential for upgrade fees later?
I wish I could make my own MacHeist bundle — WireTap Studio, Espresso and WriteRoom (not offered in the current bundle) — and I’d pay $50 (or more; $60, $70, etc.), directly to the developers. Isn’t there a market for this? Shouldn’t developers get together and offer bundled software for reasonable prices, and keep the proceeds — and upgrade fees — to themselves?
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July 27th, 2009 at 1:10 pm
[...] ExpanDrive ($29.95), Backblaze, and the latest iLife upgrade (something stupid like $100). I also fell victim to the latest MacHeist, which brought me three applications that I use (out of 18): Espresso, Delicious Library, and [...]