I got my invitation to MacHeist yesterday and I gotta say, I’m pretty stoked.
If you don’t know what MacHeist is, go here.
I’ve been using Macs since the early 90’s, when I was just a kid (I’m 25, for the record). I remember “The Dark Times;” that horrible stretch between 1995 and 1999 when it looked like Apple was going to die a pitiful death. During that time, you were probably pretty lucky that ANYONE was developing software for the MacOS. It certainly wasn’t like today, when you can go to Versiontracker or MacUpdate and find all kinds of great shareware and freeware apps. At no point that I can remember has there been such a vast catalog of Mac software. Marketing stunts like MacHeist and it’s predecessor, My Dream App, are proving that not only is there a very active and growing base of talented Mac developers, but those developers are willing to use creative methods to draw attention to their products.
Of course, not everyone is all about these elaborate publicity stunts. Paul of Rogue Amoeba posted a very well thought out article arguing that “The Delicious Generation” as he calls this new wave of Mac developers, is mostly style with very little substance.
To a certain extent, he’s right. Some of the apps out there look really cool, but do basically nothing. The thing is, I don’t see where slick marketing and a focus on aesthetics is a bad thing. Of course, functionality isn’t something that should be sacrificed, but why can’t an application be functional AND beautiful?
The current poster child for hype and glitz totally overpowering actual usefulness is the new disc burning app, Disco. Is it nice to look at? Yes. Does it do everything a disc burning app that claims to “Have Toast for breakfast” should do? Uhh … No, not really. The thing to keep in mind here is that this application is still in beta. It might still turn into a killer app that’s fun and easy to use. It might become a cautionary tale. Time will tell.
The point is, the new generation of Mac developers is coming up with some pretty innovative ideas in interface design and guerrilla marketing. Some of what they’re doing might be half baked, but that doesn’t change the fact that they’re generating excitement where, not too very long ago, there was none.
Paul makes the point near the end of his article that the new ideas the “Delicious Generation” is bringing to the table shouldn’t be ignored by the members of the “old school” of Mac developers. Sounds sensible to me.
Image where the Mac platform could go with developers picking up the best that the new school has to offer and combining that with old school functionality and ease of use. The Mac already seems to be entering into what I’d call a “Sliver Age.” Market share is on the rise; Mac OS X is currently the best commercial operating system out there; and there’s a growing crowd of young, ambitious developers out to change the game. For a Mac geek like myself, it’s all pretty exciting to think about.
