Nontrivial Exercises

MindJet - Let the People CrossGrade

One of the best applications for anything ever (of course in my opinion) is MindManager from MindJet. It was one thing that truly revolutionized the way I use a PC and how I captured thoughts and ideas with a computer. As I’ve written about before, mind mapping is not that new of a concept, and there are various applications that exist to create mind maps on different platforms (Windows, UNIX/Linux, Mac) - see freemind, NovaMind, VisualMind, etc. The Wikipedia article on mind maps links to several other apps and is an excellent resource to learn about mind mapping.

But, the de facto standard (based on my experience) of mind mapping applications today is MindManager. Not only is there an interesting story behind the development of this app, the app combines great power with great simplicity and ease of use. In addition, it has ink capabilities (i.e. for Tablet PC’s, my previous computer transformation before my Mac) built deep within the framework.

As you either know or have guessed, MindManager was developed for PC’s and has been the reason that many - i.e. more than a few, a lot, a significant number - of people have stuck with PC’s rather than switch to Macs. Just read the MindJet forums and the Yahoo MindManager discussion group for numerous examples.

When MindJet announced earlier this year that they had been developing a Mac version of MindManager and that it would be released this summer, many of these users got very excited. For many of us, we now had the last obstacle between a PC and a Mac removed. Or so we thought.

MindManager 6 Mac launched in early summer, but the big surprise was MindJet’s licensing strategy for the Mac version. MindManager is not exactly cheap - actually, it’s exactly expensive. I ended up purchasing it for my PC only after weighing the costs and benefits for about 9 months, until I finally came to the conclusion that it could do so many things for me that it was worth it.

I suppose we were all just expecting or assuming that we could either transfer our PC licenses to the Mac version or at worst, pay a small cross-licensing fee to add a Mac license. Not so.

in stead, MindJet is charging $229 for the Mac version, and is not offering any program to trade PC licenses for Mac licenses, or offering cross-grade licenses.

Why can’t we trade in our hard-earned PC license for a Mac license? Most of us who would want to do this will be ditching our PCs for our Macs. And, using MindManager in Windows on a Parallels virtual machine is not equivalent to running a native Mac OS X version and here’s why:

1. I believe that most Mac users who use Windows via Parallels do so for a specific task or a specific group of tasks. I use Windows for my day job, and can now utilize my Mac as my computing platform for work. However, I use MindManager for much more than just work, though I do use it for that. That’s why I bought my own license for it and didn’t ask my company to buy it for me - it’s mine and I can use it for any purpose, including work.
2. Because of point 1, having to fire up Parallels and Windows every time you want to use MindManager is not only a hassle, but it slows you down and it uses more system resources. Parallels is efficient and fast, but you do allocate a certain amount of RAM to Windows (I use 768M) and it takes a certain chunk of your processors’ workforce. So, it’s less efficient.
3. Because of point 2, you obviously do not have the native OS X look, feel, and efficiency of the application when using it in Parallels. Sure you can copy and paste between Windows in Parallels and OS X, but again it slows you down.
4. Applescript support for the Mac version.
5. Cocoa UI.

So, this is my humble call for MindJet to offer at the very least a $49 crossgrade license for existing license-holders of the PC version to add a Mac license and the opportunity to completely swap out your PC license for a Mac license at no cost. Here’s why this is a win-win for customers and MindJet:

• The biggest untapped market for MindManager 6 Mac are existing Mac users, 99% of whom are not MindJet customers today. This is the first product they’ve really been able to use on a Mac (MindManager on VirtualPC doesn’t count as by all accounts, it was unusable and slower than Microsoft’s Vista development).
• MindManager is already so Mac-like in it’s nonlinear and visual approach to information management, there would be a natural appeal to Mac users. So, big upside.
• How do you connect with existing Mac users? You need them to connect with the app, to hear about it and believe that it will help them. How will existing Mac users hear about cool new things and connect with them? Predominantly from other Mac users.
• By letting people trade in their PC license for a Mac license, you get many Mac users - who will be happy and even more enthusiastic about the product since they get to essentially keep their existing license - who are already knowledgeable and experienced MindMnager users to start talking about MindManager to others in the Mac community.
• By offering a low price cross-grade license, you satisfy the needs of people who want to keep their PC license and still use the reduced-functionality Mac version, AND you get another set of excited, experienced and knowledgeable evangelists for your company and your product to reach this new untapped market.

I’m ready for a crossgrade, how about you? And, I’m not purchasing the Mac version for $229 after already investing in the PC version. As great as MindManager is, it’s not worth it to me to throw away my previous investment, and I just don’t think it makes sense.

Please, MindJet, do the right thing for your customers and your future sales.

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