#MM CDROM pub:MPC,MAC or?
11 messages in this thread
I am working with a University prof. who is interested in publishing a
new art book as a multimedia CDROM. He's a GREAT teacher… very much
oriented towards visual presentation techniques. His CDROM publication could
be a big winner.
But we're having a hard time deciding WHICH PLATFORM TO DESIGN FOR.
The university has a lot of people who are hot on Macintoshes, and the best
Mac-based image and video-handling software still has a technical edge over
what's available on the MPC platform. Yet in the market place, it looks as
if most multimedia users will have Windows-based machines. And Windows
software developers are obviously moving fast to provide applications
comparable with those on the Mac.
Can I garner some opinions here? Our product will appeal to the post-
secondary education and the home markets, and will publish in early 1994.
Should we build it on the MPC platform? Or should we take advantage of the
Mac's technical lead and be optimistic that it will gain market share in the
interim?
Blair
Blair:
The key to the product is the content, and the platform question doesn't
require an either/or answer. I recommend you plan to create at least two
versions, one for MPC and one for Mac. There is an increasing number of
software pkgs that have compatible versions. One from Compton's NewMedia is
specifically designed for multimedia, multi-platform CDROM.
Hope this helps – Rich Bowers
Don't ignore the DOS market, either — look at the availability of theGrolier
Multimedia Encyclopedia on CD-ROM for Mac, Windows, and DOS — DOS continues
to be a big seller.
Dennis McDonald
Online Computer Systems, Germantown Maryland
Dennis:
Of course you are right. MPC has a couple of problems from the customers'
point of view: the sound board requirement, and the Windows requirement. And
rsearch shows that a lot of people have Windows that haven't installed it or
don't use it regularly even on the high-power machines.
I keep thinking about building products for Macs, and forget about having to
"dumb them up" for the pc (with or without Windows?).
Best – Rich
Dennis,
Couldn't agree more<g> Given a choice I'll always take the DOS version over the
Windoze one.
Adrian
How about both formats on the same disk. I have seen this in other
products, that is if you don't have over 340 meg. for each set.
Blair,
Why not do both? It's possible to put both DOS/Windows & Mac data on one disc
— if you use a file format that can be used by viewer programs from each
platform, you only have to have the (disc consuming) image files on the disc
once. We (The One-Off CD Shops) can make one-offs now that can do this, and
before long it should be possible to include UNIX as well.
Kathy <<– The One-Off CD Shop MidSouth, Inc.
You'll get a lot of conflicting responses on this from various machine
partisans (it's like arguing politics or religion) but the bottom line is that
the Mac peaked at 17% of the computer market and what's that leave? The vast
majority of Mac houses are now developing for Windows because they reached a
dead end in Mac sales and flat curves do not profits and growth make. Ideally,
two versions, one for each platform, are preferred, but if only one could be
picked, I think you will find that MPC has a potentially larger market.
Certainly vendors like Corel, which does a lot of art CDRs, and others are
releasing for Windows first and the Mac second. Arguments like "How many
Windows folks are really out there?" and add-on peripheral costs, etc., are
pretty well moot, since the question is also "How many Mac owners also own CD
ROMs?" Even Apple is developing Quicktime for Windows and releasing Windows
products.
Those in retail businesses are making cold cash decisions and they tend
towards MPC because the market is not only larger but expanding now; dual if
the budget can afford it.
Jack:
While your info about the proportions of the hardware markets is essentially
correct, that is not the only consideration in making decisions about an
information – as opposed to a software – product. The first key piece of info
you need is "Who needs the content in this product?" It's conceivable that
some kinds of information would be more successful in the smaller hardware
market (certain kinds of DTP support, or video production, for example).
The CDROM business is primarily a publishing business, not a technology
business. And that requires a bit more complex view of the market than what is
required for making straightforward software development decisions.
Thanks for your perspective.
Rich
Blair,
Unless the disc _absolutely_ requires Windoze, there are still a lot of DOS
users around. I've got Windows on my PC, but it only gets used for a few CDROMS
that insist on it, otherwise I stay in DOS all the time.
Having said that, you should do a MAC version _and_ a PC version.
Adrian
Speaking just of numbers: Icom has sold about 271,000 copies of Sherlock
Holmes. 254,000 were sold for the PC.
The other platforms weren't quite worth the port cost.