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hype posts

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Software, Odds and ends, Developer, iPhone

Former Blizzard devs at Booyah plan iPhone app

Booyah is a company put together by former Blizzard devs (makers of classic games like World of Warcraft and Diablo) and funded by the iFund, and they've been keeping fairly mum on what they've been up to. Until now, that is -- they've updated their website and dropped a press release, and it looks like they're working on some iPhone software. What kind of software, exactly? Well, we're not quite sure -- it sounds like a game, because there's playing involved, but they're also using phrases like "life companion" and "social experiment," which makes it sound like a social networking app with some sort of game or virtual pet mechanics involved. And they are also hinting at a larger pattern of charity or cause-based action -- they told Kotaku that they want to tap into people's "life passions," and Gamasutra was told that the app itself is a "kernel miniproduct" that they plan to expand into a larger movement.

Blizzard's own Rob Pardo is an advisor to the team (and the product was originally pitched to Blizzard), but really that's the only clue here that this is anything more than startup hype -- we've seen social networks flash and fizzle already on the iPhone, and even game-based social networking tools like Foursquare haven't really found their tipping point yet.

But we won't judge fully before we've seen it -- Booyah says they'll be showing their cards "this spring" (so before June 21st?). We'll be watching.

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Apple, iPhone, App Store

Tracking the iPhone hype generator

Fortune's Apple 2.0 got a nice little graph up of just where and when the iPhone's hype machine went into overdrive. There's no question it was a gigantic brand last year, but what's interesting is just how manufactured and "by design" each of those spikes are. B on the chart above is the actual iPhone launch, and E and F are the 3G debut and store launch. Fortune relates point A to the Cisco lawsuit against Apple over the "iPhone" name, but let's be real: that was just part of the story of the gigantic iPhone reveal (which took place one day before, not two).

So the real story here isn't necessarily that Apple masterfully created a smartphone that revolutionized the industry and made tons of money doing it, but that they coordinated a hype machine that marched to their tune whenever they wanted. The red line above, as you can see, is Palm, and while there are a few spikes along that line (probably interest in various new products and releases), there's nothing like the excitement and hype that shoots up around a big Apple event. The iPhone is a feat of engineering in itself, but the hype machine behind it is pretty well-built, too.

Continue readingTracking the iPhone hype generator

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Apple Corporate, Apple

Apple among "10 most overrated brands"

Boston.com has produced a list of the 10 Most Overrated Brands. Apple is at number nine. How so? According to Boston.com, it's the hype that sustains us.

"...while Apple has made its name combining sharp design with great technology, the brand's true appeal comes from the fact that consumers are hooked on the hype."

Us? Succumb to the hype? It's not like we post pictures of empty boxes, sleep on the street or buy Steve Jobs Lego figures. I agree that the fanatical devotion of what Boston.com calls "the iCult" gets way out hand. Is any phone worth three nights on a New York City street? Of course not. But ask those folks why they're there, and they'll tell you it's the fun of hanging out with like-minded Mac geeks.

While Apple hypes their products, it's often the fanboys who push it over the edge. For me, that doesn't detract from the fact that they deliver great products.

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Software, Internet Tools, Deals

MacHeist giving away Linkinus

Last week I wrote about something brewing over on the MacHeist pages, and this week it looks like the project has come to fruition-- it's called Skunk Works, and in addition to the giveaways they're doing with the MacUpdate promo, they're now giving away software.

Yes, signing up on that page is supposed to give you a free copy of Linkinus (up to an including 1.1, not including 1.2, so read the fine print), the IRC client we mentioned earlier this year. The app is also now included in the MacHeist version of the MacUpdate bundle (so if you already bought that, save the free copies for someone else), and MacHeist recommends that even if you get it for free, you go ahead and purchase it anyway (to support the developers). Plus, a purchase will clear you until the next major version, not just 1.1.

Like some of you guys, I'm getting a little tired of all the hype around these Mac software bundles, so I've been trying to cut back on this kind of news. Still, free software is hard to pass up. If you've been looking for a substitute for Colloquy, this might be just what you need at a price you can't pass up.

Filed under: Software, Odds and ends, Deals

MacUpdate rolls out a bundle-- $50 for 7 apps

MacUpdate has another one of these bundle promotions going on-- is it just me, or is Mac software the only place (besides, say, pyramid schemes), where increasing bundles like this are sold? I don't show up at the grocery store to buy some oranges only to find that they're cheaper because 10,000 people bought them earlier that day.

Anyway, the bundle's not too bad, even without the extra promotional stuff. Right now, for $50, you get copies of:
  • SRS iWOW, an iTunes audio enhancement plugin
  • GarageSale, the eBay client
  • Cocktail, the utility that our own Scott McNulty calls "indispensible"
  • ProfCast, for lecture recording
  • Amadeus Pro, for multitrack sound editing
  • Fetch, an FTP client
  • Graphic Converter X, a useful little image editor
And then if the promo pans out, you can get more software out of the deal-- if a certain number of people (up to 10k) buy the bundle, then Little Snitch, Intaglio, and TechTool Pro get added to the bundle. With a week to go, they've only sold about 700 (for Little Snitch) today, so there's no guarantee you'll see any of the extra stuff, but the bundle might be worth it just for the apps above.

And MacHeist, always ready to jump on the hype train, is trying to add a little extra bonus onto all of this.

[ Thanks to everyone who sent this in! ]

Continue readingMacUpdate rolls out a bundle-- $50 for 7 apps

Filed under: Rumors, Software, Deals

MacHeist 2 hype begins with email and forum leaks

Like Mac software? Like stunts designed to promote and sell it? Then guess what, buddy-- you're in luck. It seems MacHeist 2 is just around the corner. Last year's ARG / bargain / Mac software love fest is coming around again, it seems, and while details are slim at the moment, odds are there'll be more very soon.

The main site still says nothing, but over on the forums, things are starting to get interesting. First, head honcho Phill Ryu hints at something that might be a "Web 2.0" "Game thingy where you win stuff," and then shared a bunch of little pictoral hints about something called "groupthinkheist."

Then, a tipster, who we'll keep anonymous, sent us word that an email had been sent announcing MacHeist 2 and sending everyone to... um... something. I couldn't get it to do anything now (you probably had to type in a code), but previously there was action going on there. That action was accompanied by more forums board talk, but apparently that talk was silenced. And all we're really left with is hype for something we knew was coming anyway.

So are you all excited for MacHeist to come around again this year? I only watched from the sidelines last year, and it's really just a way to sell software (and not a very profitable way for devs, either). But it is a creative way, and I have to admit it sounds fun. What do you think?

Update: Phill himself tells us this "event" is completely unrelated to MacHeist (so it definitely hasn't started yet), but that MacHeist 2 is coming later this year.

Update2: If you're interested, lots more information about what's happening is showing up on this wiki.

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