Apparently there are some people out there who think the latest MacHeist bundle is more or less an insult to the developers who allowed their software to be included in the bundle. Their argument is that we (those deciding to participate in the MacHeist bundler) are greatly devaluing the hard work that was put into creating/coding the software.
Initially his does makes sense… I mean come on. Kinemac costs $299 alone! I’m getting it AND 11+ other apps for only $39?! BoinxTV (may be) included, too? That costs $199! Gees, way to show appreciation to programmers… and to think I might be one…
This is hardly the case. First of all, it’s likely that people wouldn’t even PAY for this kind of software. Let’s face it. Pirating Downloading software (and music… and videos… and…) is seemingly part of the Internet culture. The majority of mankind will not pay for something when it’s readily available for free unless, however, convenience (and/or maybe some sort of moral revelation) comes into play. I’m convinced that convenience is currently one of the only ways to combat piracy. Look at iTunes for example. It’s still quite simple to find music for free via bittorrents, Limewire (I may be a little outdated on that one), and straight ripping music from the local library… so why is iTunes thriving? Convenience. You can download songs with complete meta information (song title, album name, genre, album art) in a single click (along with no hisses/pops) directly into your library. So back to MacHeist… at least the developers are getting some money for their work, right?
Second (and maybe more importantly), most of the MacHeist bundle buyers would never even consider buying the software at those outrageous prices. With the incredibly low price of only $39, developers are giving those with a lower demand a chance to truly test-drive some high quality software. Who knows how many “converts” will arise from this little MacHeist deal, right? I, for one, can testify to being much more aware of the release of new software that I otherwise wouldn’t have cared about in the slightest bit. I’ve definitely found that there is a reason for paid software, thanks in part to MacHeist.
Some of the reasons I’ve listed stemmed from some of the arguments read over at Macworld – Rethinking MacHeist. Click that link to read other arguments (and the full story regarding the criticisms of MacHeist).
I swear… people will disagree just to disagree. I never thought I’d hear anyone complaining about software being too cheap (let alone software that’s raising money for charities…). That’s just crazy. Like the Macworld article says, these developers have brains, too. I highly doubt there was any unfair persuasion that went into convincing the developers to join the MacHeist bundle. You never know I suppose…
