Month: January 2007

I have blogged about the Get A Mac ads previously. I like them, but I can see how they could be annoying, especially to those who do not live in the USA. Now Apple has produced some Get A Mac ads specifically for the UK.

These ads appeal to me simply because I like the two actors portraying the Mac and PC, Mitchell and Webb. We see them here in Peepshow on BBC America.

So do these ads actually help people to switch, or do they just annoy? I know that here in the US, Apple Stores are pretty busy places. Heck, I know a guy that is using a MacBook Pro as his Windows laptop! When I go to a coffee shop, I see more MacBooks than almost anything else.

Clearly, something is driving these folks to buy Apple computers. What do you think?

These are a bit old, but I am still catching up, so forgive me if you have already seen these articles.

Mark Kellner of the Washington Times has a nice mention of Nisus Writer Pro as does Mary E. Tyler on Ars Technica (scroll down a bit).

This proves that people actually do know who we are and what we do.

So Macworld is done, but the speculation over the iPhone is just beginning. It won’t even be released until June, so I think I will be completely sick of it by February.

Apple demonstrated Leopard (Mac OS X 10.5) but only the things that are on the Leopard Sneak Peek page. I suppose there will be a push at some point, but I honestly think that there won’t be a better opportunity to talk about Leopard while jabbing at Microsoft Vista than at Macworld. I mean, the whole world was watching! Well, I am sure there will be a big announcement when Leopard is released.

I enjoy Macworld, but I am glad when it is over. It’s a very busy time for us. I go to meetings, user conferences, informal get togethers with other Mac developers, and other assorted Mac gatherings. Or, I just sleep. Either way, I learn new things. Meanwhile, Mark just works his tail off. I have never seen anyone work a booth like he does. He will talk with one person, spy another, get him to join the conversation while looking for more to join in the fun. I have seen him with six or seven people explaining Nisus Writer Express in terms even I understand. Now he will have to do that with Nisus Writer Pro as well. He will love it.

In the meantime, I try to stay out of the way.

In spite of that we work well together. It’s fun, and we meet a lot of interesting people.

So, if you were at Macworld and came by the booth, thank you for stopping by.

Now, about that iPhone … nah, nevermind.

I am currently sitting in the Microsoft Blogger Lounge, which is a great idea if you get a thought while walking around the show floor. Kind of like I did now, which is why I am here.

I haven’t had the chance to get out on the main floor much as Mark and I have been very busy. Well, Mark is busy. There is a ton of interest in Nisus Writer Pro. So much so, in fact, that we are running out of materials to give away. That sounds bad, but it is good in lots of ways. We are able to show it to folks who are, quite frankly, very impressed by the new features. Bookmarks are a huge hit, as are Glossaries and Pro’s long document support.

Most are asking how much it will cost and a release date. We don’t have an answer for that yet. We will probably announce pricing when we release, if not sooner.

We have also been faced with some negativity. For example, we were surprised to learn that Pro will be Leopard only. That’s news to us, but many have told us that it is true. That’s just not the case. Some are upset that they will have to pay an upgrade price. We haven’t charged for one update of Express. That’s 3 1/2 years. Not that I am counting. Anyway, there will be an upgrade path. I know that will bother some people, but development costs money.

Some are also upset by our advertising. We have never claimed that Pro is all new. Just looking at it should confirm that fact. Omni does the same thing, does that mean their advertising is false? I don’t get this complaint.

The fact is, Express was conceived as a fairly simple to use word processor. Pro is the logical next step. More “professional” features, like more control over footnotes, Classic-like macros, the long document tools (TOC, Indexing, Cross References) and Bookmarks. Not to mention the attribute sensitive Find and Replace. The name Express just doesn’t fit with all of these new features. The name Pro makes more sense.

Anyway, enough negativity. Things at the Nisus booth are very positive. Good vibes, as it were. Hey, we are in hippy central, I can say things like that.

If you are in the area, you have one more day to bug us. Come on by, say hello, and have a look at the new software.

Oh, and bug Mark. He really likes that.

Everyone here at Macworld is still buzzing about the iPhone. On the train into the city, it was all anyone could talk about. On the train out of the city tonight, even more people were talking about it. Talk about mindshare!

It’s too bad you can’t actually play with one of these phones. Apparently, there are only 3 in existence. Steve Jobs has one, and the other two are at the show, both in a glass case. There are huge crowds there, taking pictures. Amazing.

What’s even more amazing is that there was no iLife update or iWork. An updated Airport Extreme came out and people barely noticed. AppleTV came out, and hardly anyone talked about it. Today was iPhone day, make no mistake. I am sure cell phone manufacturers at CES are just thrilled.

As for Nisus, we were busy all day. Everyone who came by it seemed wanted a look at Nisus Writer Pro. There were some pretty nice comments, some feature requests, and a few negative comments. Mostly though, people are happy that their favorite features are coming back. Believe me, we are happy to have them back.

The first thing I noticed when walking to Moscone Center to set up are the TV Trucks parked outside of the hall. More than I can remember at any time, that’s for sure.

When I got in this morning the local news hacks were all yacking about Macworld and how this one will be the biggest ever, attendence-wise. They expect more than 45,000 people to attend. If you are one of those folks, look for us at booth 4028, We will be showing the newest member of the Nisus family.

People I talked to are getting the feeling that this show is one of the biggest ever for Apple. I would be surprised if Steve Jobs didn’t talk about Leopard (Mac OS X 10.5), though I am pretty sure it won’t be released at the show, nor will a shipping date be announced. There may be new iPods of the video variety, and maybe even a new Mac or two. But, I think that something else is coming. Something that ties up the iTV device, your iPod, TV, and … well, I don’t know. It’s just a feeling, and I might be completely wrong.

For all I know, the iPod phone that everyone seems to want might be the big thing.

But, something big is up. Thankfully, tomorrow we will all know what the big deal actually is.

I have a fever, and the only thing that can cure it is … more Pocky!