MacUpdate Update (MacUpdate² ????)

I fired an email of to the guys at MacUpdate yesterday after receiving a somewhat misleading email about their current software bundle. This was the reply.

‘Don’t worry about it. Come back closer to the end of the promotion if you want (like Thursday or Friday even). The bundle will be where you want it to be. :)’

The reply missed the original point, since I was asking about advertising a bundle as available today when three apps were not yet ‘unlocked’. Looks like the guys at MacUpdate are pretty confident all ten apps will be included, so I expect I will be buying the bundle before the end of the week.

MacUpdate Bundle: Get it all Today?

This morning I received an email from MacUpdate about the currently running software promotion. Nothing unusual there, I bought the last bundle. The thing that got my attention is the email making no mention of the last three applications being locked until sales targets are reached. With lines like ‘Total Value: $474.76 (get it at MacUpdate for $64.99 today)’ it actually reads like all ten apps are available now. I checked the web site and the locks are still there, so why does the email not mention this? Here’s the email I received, make your own minds up.

MacUpdate has just launched our biggest time limited Mac software bundle ever. It includes Parallels and 9+ other top Mac apps. Get them for $64.99 (retail: $474.76) and save 86% on this milestone bundle.

Buy the MacUpdate bundle at: http://www.mupromo.com

In 2007, we sold over 27,000 bundles. We expect this event to be one of the biggest Mac software event offerings ever seen.

Parallels ($79.99)
BannerZest (49.00)
Sound Studio (79.99)
DVDRemaster Pro (49.99)
Typinator (29.99)
StoryMill (44.95)
Leap (59.00)
MenuCalendarClock (19.95)
Art Text (39.95)
Hazel (21.95)
———————————————-
Total Value: $474.76 (get it at MacUpdate for $64.99 today)

Macupdate Promo

Following hot on the heels of the Macheist Retail bundle comes the latest Macupdate deal. As before, there’s seven software packages on offer for the slightly higher than previous $64.99, with three more to be unlocked after sales hit certain numbers. Hazel, Art Text, MenuCalendarClock, Leap, StoryMill, Typinator and DVDRemaster Pro are the apps you get to start, with Sound Studio, BannerZest and Parallels Desktop as sales targets. There’s some very interesting software in this bundle so it’s one to watch to see if the final three apps are added.

Switching to Free sofware

One of the ideas I have been toying with for a while now has been switching to free sofware, or reasonably priced software. The second MacUpdate promo bundle finished recently, and I got some great software for £25. Most of it I wanted, some was usually priced out of my reach so you can’t complain about £25 for twelve bits of quality software. There’s a similar bundle on sale soon at MacHeist, and for now you can solve the challenges they are posting to win free software and money off the bundle when it goes on sale. Good fun and some nice software given away so far.
But what of the free software? There’s some excellent stuff out there, so I’ve added a new section to the site to document my switch to free and cheap software. Microsoft office may be the industry leader, but how much power do you need to write a letter?

My first recommendation is Frostwire, a free open source Limewire replacement.