Perhaps it’s because a current offering just doesn’t meet very specific requirements they believe their version can fulfill? Sometimes there doesn’t seem to be much variation at all between apps. I almost wish some of these developers would combine efforts to create a more complete package. I might even be willing to spring for slightly higher priced shareware in that case. Though competition does tend to spur innovation and creativity, I’d imagine that some of the developers are finding it a hard road to convince consumers there’s enough difference between their product and a competitor to (a) get the person to buy or (b) get the person to switch.

Thanks to a series of events I’ve participated in, as well as some Mac focused websites available currently, I’ve had the opportunity to acquire or test out some very functional and interesting software offerings. I’ve made a couple purchases I regret — I didn’t have enough time to fully evaluate some software before a discount expired and I jumped on a purchase without being able to ultimately determine if it would work on my setup. I’ve also made purchases that I’m quite happy with. Between MacHeist, MacAppADay, theAmazon and MacZot! I’ve gotten some great stuff either for free or for reasonably reduced prices.

Some of them will wither in my Applications folder, eventually to be deleted. Quite a few will be put into the upgrade track as I’ve ended up using a subset of them on a regular basis. I’ve determined that since I’m already putting time and effort into researching the similarities and differences in software offerings for myself, it might be useful to pass those findings on to others. Perhaps you’ll find this information useful in selecting an app for your own use.

The first comparison review I hope to post here or on my MacMuse blog will either be about my current experiences with app launchers or document/thought organizers. Watch this space for those to pop up as soon as I wrap up some additional research.