The Week of the Independent Mac Developer, and in an effort to spread the word about these hidden gems, we’ve put together a collection of some of the best darn software available on the Mac for a steeply discounted $49.
Retail value on this package is just over $350. I bought into it really early on, before NewsFire and TextMate were “unlocked”. I thought it was a great deal then, but I think it’s an awesome deal now. TextMate alone is $50.
What’s also really interesting is the approach that Macheist has been taking to software lately. You may remember them from the “MyDreamApp” competition. This week, they’ve been selling this deeply discounted software bundle and they’re giving 25% of all sales to charity. If nothing else, they’re shaking up the way people think about the products that small developers put out.
Even though (or perhaps because of) they bundled in TextMate early, MacHeist has raised over $100,000 for charity. $50,000 or so in just 36 hours.
In another followup, there’s been quita a bit of discussion about the money being generated for MacHeist versus what is being paid to the developers of the various programs.
With over 16,000 bundles sold at $50 each, even with the payout to the developers and charities, estimates of how much money is being made by MacHeist for this promotion are close to half a million dollars.
The Impact of MacHeist
Good analysis of a lot of the discussion. I agree with much of what is said. Regardless of how you feel about the money situation, this event raised a lot of awareness of the Shareware market.