Top Ten Mac Apps
I had to migrate my data and applications to a brand new MacBook Pro a while ago. It made me realize how essential some of these applications are to a traveling new media person who loves to be able to be productive with technology and who does not necessarily have a pocket geek to bring along on all these trips.
Here is a compilation of my must-haves for 2010. Let’s do it in in a countdown fashion so you’ll finish reading with the best applications in mind. I also throw in an attempt at David Letterman’s presentation format to make it more entertaining.
Here are the top 10 reasons for owning these best apps or online services.
10. Because not everyone understands limitless mailboxes and huge presentations are so much more appealing. There is YouSendIt for that.
9. Because things that move on your screen are people too. They need to be saved. Why is it so easy to capture stills natively? Multimedia, video, motion and animation. YouTube anyone? Are all part of taking the office on the road without a techie.
SnapZ Pro X provides a perfect remedy to an inherent system discrepancy.
8. A Swiss knife equivalent for Web site programming? You never know when you will need to edit HTML, PHP, CSS. You better have CODA with you then, even if you know.
7. Because files need to be saved, shared, exchanged and edited somewhere away from home (replace home by office as they have become synonyms in this day and age). Transmit is the best FTP client there is for the Mac.
6. Because picture editing, morphing, blending, adding and retouching all rhyme, we need Pixelmator.
5. Because there is never enough video codecs, alternatives and options. Thank the community for VLC.
4. Because the more experience you gain, the more contacts you gather. Contactizer Pro offers the best price-quality ratio in the contact management category.
3. Because data has a tendency to get lost. Invest in Time Capsule.
2. Because The Office is a TV Series you cannot replace with an Open one. Yes you need Microsoft Office no matter what you have heard, there is simply no replacement for this ubiquitous software suite. It is so well integrated that you often think that Word is Excel without a grid. Or is it the reverse? Good luck to OpenOffice.org nonetheless.
1. Because Google is a monopoly that works.
Google Docs, Google Search, Google Mail, Google Wave, etc.
But, please Google, invest in user interface design, user-friendliness, user-experience, and style in 2010. Design? What’s that? It’s about all qualities that have more to do with function than engineers think and make functionalities so much more attractive and enjoyable. The quintessential difference between PC and Mac mentalities? Google, eat some Cocoa, Quartz and Aqua. The text based interface has outlived its purpose.
0. Because you always need more than 10 applications to do anything whilst away from the office and that a countdown hopefully goes to zero. There are Keynote (iWork), iChat, Skype, Eyebeam iTunes, and, and, and..
I wish you a very productive 2010 and good health!
