MacUpdate Promo Spring Bundle revealed
The MacUpdate Promo Spring Bundle has been revealed, and it is, as the kids say, wicked (or sick, or whatever the kids say). This thing is packed with truly useful applications. If you were considering buying any one of these apps, the $49.99US pricetag makes the rest of them a high-value proposition.
There's been some controversy surrounding bundles of this type, but I believe that it's great exposure for developers, and I'm hoping that everyone's getting a fair cut. MacUpdate is my current favorite source for great software deals and they've been doing a great job of providing really useful, intrinsically valuable apps. This bundle is no exception.
I don't know much about the inner workings of bundle assembly, but I assume the bundle sponsor contacts developers and has some kind of engineered plan, even if it's just an inward bias toward certain genres of applications. Whereas the last MacHeist bundle had a somewhat "creative" bent, this MUpromo bundle has a definite technical angle, with a heavy dose of DVD ripping/remastering/viewing tools.
Read on for the list of included apps...
- More information on all of these apps and download links are available on the bundle's page.
TechTool Pro 5 -
TechTool Pro, a full suite of tools for disk repair, testing and file recovery, has saved my assets several times. In a few situations, it's succeeded in areas DiskWarrior hasn't been able to.
- Parallels Desktop 4
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You know what this is, I would think. If you don't have VMWare Fusion, you'll want this to run your Windows (and other OS's) on your Mac.
- Circus Ponies Notebook 3
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Circus Ponies Notebook is a grand note-taking application. While I prefer Curio, I don't deny that Notebook is among the best tools in the field.
- NetBarrier X5
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I haven't tried this, but I'm definitely going to give it a run on my Mac mini server. It provides firewall and intrusion detection for any Mac.
- Ripit, DVDRemaster Pro 5, Multiplex
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The combination of RipIt, DVDRemaster and Multiplex makes a killer home theater starter kit. This covers everything from ripping a DVD, converting it to various platforms, and watching the movies in your collection from a digital server.
- MoneyWell
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MoneyWell is strong enough and stable enough that it is, for now, replacing Cha-Ching as my money management app. I've been toying with the switch for a while, and now it's sealed. I love Cha-Ching, and am a long-time user, but the new version and iPhone integration have been unstable enough that I need a switch. If only MoneyWell had an iPhone counterpart ...
- Paperless
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Paperless is an awesome, scaled down version of apps like DEVONthink Pro Office, designed to help you get all of your paper documents into a well-organized and easily-searchable database. It's pretty new, but I've been impressed with it so far.
- Posterino
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Posterino makes quick work of creating postcards and posters from your digital images. It can make those huge tiled posters out of hundreds of images, which is pretty neat, I guess. I don't plan on doing one any time soon, but it's nice to have the option.
- BetterZip
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I'm also a long-time user of BetterZip, a great compression utility handling a ton of formats. Its only drawback has been that it doesn't always handle multi-part RAR archives perfectly, but UnRarX has always filled the gap.
The bundle is selling for $49.99US through June 12th, and you can grab trials of the apps, more information and purchase info at MacUpdate Promo. The retail value of the bundle is stated to be $521.71US, and the first 15,000 bundles get Jets'n'Guns Gold and CuteClips thrown in for free (which brings the total value to a spooky $666.66US). If you have a use for any or all of these apps, or just have an insatiable addiction to Mac software, the MacUpdate Promo Spring Bundle is a wicked good deal.
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Cameron Williams said 1:31PM on 5-28-2009
Doesn't anyone check posts for obvious mistakes before they go up? $521.71US + $49.95US = $566.66. I could understand the math error, except that you actually commented on the number. Didn't it seem a bit off that a game and a small utility increased the value of the bundle by $150?
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Poltras said 1:35PM on 5-28-2009
Yeah I might buy it for the trio of media apps. I'm happy with Fusion 2 (after switching from Parallels 3) and I have LittleSnitch, DriveGenius and DevonThink...
I already have clips, so I don't need to be in first 15k people. I'll probably wait and check later...
BetterZip? what's it doing in there... seriously. Who ever had to manage zip files differently than regular files anyway.
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Poltras said 1:38PM on 5-28-2009
BTW, I understand NetBarrier is just an ipf frontend GUI. I prefer LittleSnitch approach of annoying me everytime something unexpected happens... If I had a router or a server, that'd be another story.
Anyone cares to comment on this software?
Poltras said 1:39PM on 5-28-2009
BTW, I understand NetBarrier is just an ipf frontend GUI. I prefer LittleSnitch approach of annoying me everytime something unexpected happens... If I had a router or a server, that'd be another story.
Anyone cares to comment on this software?
Rob said 3:42PM on 5-28-2009
I believe that Netbarrier also pops up messages if something unexpected happens (like a program calling home for the first time). See their website.
Schell said 1:43PM on 5-28-2009
Sometimes I get the feeling that if these apps were actually worth anything, performed an invaluable service, or filled a giant need, they wouldn't be bunched up and sold like blue light specials at Megalomart.
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tevetorbes said 2:18PM on 5-28-2009
Agreed- it usually seems like there is one app that I'd maybe sorta marginally use and a bunch of other junk that was thrown in as filler.
Sometimes they're great: I'll prolly pass on this one.
PSM said 2:37PM on 5-28-2009
Parallels is an immensely useful app, and IMO better than Fusion in their current versions. I actually am quite in shock that it's being given away in a bundle like some cheap shareware app!
And also a little bitter cause if I hadn't already bought it, I would definitely buy the bundle.
hmurchison said 8:07PM on 5-28-2009
Worth is relative. Parallels may not mean squat to a PPC owner but it may be a great deal for the Intel Mac owner. The reason for the bundles is to expose Mac users to new software. The easy part is creating the application, registering and putting info up on a webpage. Those are relatively fixed costs. However the one thing that rules the commerce landscape is the need to advertise and gain new paying clients. There's a reason why printers today are so cheap (the money is in the toner/ink) or why razors are always on sale in the Sunday paper (the money is in the blades) software developers have to build up a mass of paying customers and if it costs them sending out their software for next to free then that's the way it is.
Think about it..a finished software product is a sunk cost so giving it way is far less financially damaging than paying beaucoup dollars on fancy advertising at least up front.
It's also a way for some newbie developers to gain marketshare against the established incumbent program.
Richard said 3:45PM on 5-28-2009
I picked my bundle up. Averages less than $5 per application so I'm happy with the price. RipIt and Parallels makes it worth while for me. Currently using Handbrake and Virtual Box so it will be nice to see what is what. I'm sure I'll play with most and either delete or forget about them but they are a nice assortment for a generally low price.
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hmurchison said 8:00PM on 5-28-2009
You'll probably like DVD Remaster Pro then if you're a Handbrake fan. It's interface is pretty solid and I haven't heard many complaints about the performance either. I have it already but I don't have a Apple TV or iPod Touch yet so I don't need to compress video as of yet but it's there waiting for me when I do.
Bernard Ramsey said 2:06PM on 5-28-2009
Sounds like a good deal to me. I'm in it for the license to Parallels 4, TechTool Pro 5, Paperless, and NetBarrier X5 (I'm using Little Snitch right now - but want to check NBX5 out).
Anyone use Paperless to catalog their doc collection?
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David said 6:25PM on 5-28-2009
I already own 5 out of the 11 apps. I'm a little bitter about the fact that a lot of these have been available through MacUpdate Promo not long ago.
On the other hand, I have been very happy with Parallels, Notebook 3 and BetterZip. If you rip a lot of dvd's RipIt and DVDRemaster Pro 5 is very nice as well!
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Bruce said 8:47PM on 5-28-2009
BetterZip has one great advantage that other Zip programs don't: It can encrypt Zip file that can be unencrypted by WinZip, and vice-versa. This means I can encrypt sensitive files and work and bring them home without fear of their becoming stolen. It also allows you to extract some, but not all, of the files in a Zip archive, if that is what you would like to do. Very stable, and as fast as any other. My only archiving program.
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kinto said 11:48PM on 5-28-2009
it's worth it for tech tool alone...
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lancelott said 12:25AM on 5-29-2009
I actually find it a little weak, especially when compared to this years MacHeist. I got MU last year I think it was... it came w/ Parallels 3 and Story Mill which really where the selling point for me at that point...
I loaded the other apps MAYBE once...
While I got the last MH because of Boinx TV as the "killer app" and ended up discovering some nice apps that I use regularly now or semi-regularly now:
-World of Goo (fun game)
-Espresso (great, "non intrusive" or "simple GUI" html editor)
-Times (I would have never considered this app and it was a nice surprise!)
-Little Snapper
some more...
I also believe the the DVD program in this bundle is overrated. I got the previous version from the past MU and it's not that great... slower than Handbrake, supports less output formats and won't "backup" copy-protected DVD's... So why bother?
My advice would be: If you were in the market for Parallels- this is a no brainer. Otherwise wait for the next bundle. There are probably better and free (open source) alternatives to the rest of the apps in the bundle... (In fact, there might be an alternative to Parallels for you in the form of the free Virtual Box someone mentioned above...)
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bioadam said 10:00AM on 5-29-2009
MacUpdate's bundle is a great deal for a new Mac owner like myself. Really, who shouldn't have TechTool Pro? Best gem of the MacUpdate bundle has to be Circus Ponies Notebook. I'm already planning on using it for a trial in September.
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graham barnes said 12:16PM on 5-29-2009
The apps seem a bit useless all but one, it reminds me of those old days when you used to get loads of utilities on a cd/dvd and only a few where decent, their website also has a spelling error not once but twice for the same word.
What they can't spell signup :P amateurish if u ask me. So the question I ask myself is would I buy from a site which can't spell signup right and their logo looks like a office logo from macoffice, I know some countries language differs a bit such as english to american etc but i have never seen anyone get signup wrong before.
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Tomd24 said 3:45PM on 5-29-2009
Now first 20,000 get the two free additional apps.
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