What’s the ‘killer app’ for a Mac?
If I had to pick a "killer app" for a Windows device, it would be Microsoft OneNote. That’s arguable of course and just my personal preference. OneNote is a SAS to me; a "Swiss Army bit o’ Software" because it’s easy to use and it provides features and functions that maximize my productivity. If you have any doubts on the personal experience, we’ve got plenty of items in our OneNote category that should enlighten.
Now I find a dilemma. What’s the "killer app" on a Mac? Is it a solid browser like Camino or Opera? How about Quicksilver; a name that I see bubble up to the blog surface repeatedly? Parallels is fantastic too, but that gets me back to Windows apps and eats up my battery. The floor is yours; can you lend a mobile brother a hand? Share your "killer app" for Mac in the comments and be sure to tell me why I should try it.
I’d say Final Cut. Although it doesn’t fit in the scope of what you’re talking about, a lot of people I know went Mac because of the ease of use to produce video.
I will vote for Parallel
Their coherence mode is one of the best virtualization that I ever see so far.
The killer app on a mac is Boot-camp, since it allows you to run Windows natively! LOL!
[runs into a bunker against the napalm throwers]
Quicksilver. I truly believe that Quicksilver represents the future of human-computer interaction. I literally bought my Macbook for it, after writing a Quicksilver clone for Linux and realizing the true depth of how many plugins I’d need to write.
There are so many. I would start with a “thinking tool”, like an outliner, you have plenty to choose on the Mac platform. For a quick list, take a look here http://www.atpm.com/9.10/atpo.shtml
Also Quicksilver is a must.
Quicksilver. You absolutely must try it. I’d recommend starting slow, thoug, as its power can be a little overwhelming. Start with the clipboard history (by enabling the shelf plugin) and also turn on the “web search” stuff.. Then I’d just start by assigning a few hotkeys to iTunes and google search.
Now every time I go to a windows computer or a mac without Quicksilver I catch myself trying to invoke it, then I freeze, then I think “How do I get to X again and why does it take so long?”
The killer app is FUN.
http://mikecane.wordpress.com/2007/03/13/does-apple-hold-the-key-to-breaking-open-computing-everywhere/
Stop focusing on software. It’s the experience.
TextMate (http://macromates.com/) is the best text editor I have ever used. It’s a thousand times better then BBEdit and it does almost anything you want from editing Unix files to multi-folder php/ruby sites. I have even used it to edit AS 2.0 stuff but for that I prefer Eclipse with the FDT plug in. This really applies to web developers so your mileage may vary.
Honestly, I think OS X is the Killer App for a Mac! BTW great site, thanks for all the good advice you have given me…
I don’t have one for the mac but for the pc I would have to say that my killer app is video games. Video games are what got me into computers and keeps me interested. I am a computer programmer and the reason I am in this profession is because of video games.
So far, my commercial app of choice Final Cut Express HD. For $99 at the time of my purchase of the iMac, it has proven to be the coolest thing I own. But really? OS X is my Killer App. The FreeBSD core and terminal window give me access to all sorts of scripting, tools, and automation that would’ve taken years on a Windows box. Instead of loading the weather on a site, I pop open my Dashboard every day and get everything I need before I leave the house in one click.
Plus the Core2Duo 2.0 with 2 GB of RAM is fast. Really really fast.
Killer app? Does *not* rebooting count?
*pets his iMac*
You’ve all convinced me to get a Mac. Which one though? Here’s what it must have:
1. Must be small and portable
2. Must have backlit keyboard
3. Must have active digitiser although a normal touch screen will do in a pinch
I’m not bothered about fancy graphics as it’ll just be an Office workhorse.
Can anyone tell which Mac will suit my needs?
I’m glad you posed this question Kevin. As a newbie MACer (MACie? ..errrr…what is a MAC user called? ) I asked the same thing a week ago and got zero response
) so I’m going to keep a close eye on this one. As for recommendations from myself well I’m too new on this platform to give any but generally I’ve been blown away with everything I’ve used so far – Safari, iDVD, Aperature, Keynote….hehehe… even the stock programs that come with the Mac OS 
) I’ve got my eye on few ‘juicy’ applications though – Scrivenger, Devonthink, Ecto, SOHO Notes (formerly StickyBrain) and a paperless document manager that I can’t remember right now….doh!!..oh wait I do remember it’s called Kip
Incidentally I’m intrigued that Quicksilver is getting such shining approval. I stumbled across the product website for this a week ago and dismissed it as just a superfluous launcher. Looks like I’d better go back and take a look again.
Anyway good luck with the search Kevin. Keep us all posted on your MAC journey
Back when I worked in a Mac environment (‘99-’01, had a red iMac at one point), I thought their killer app was iTunes. Man, did I call that one! Someone send me a loaded Mac, so I can make another prediction.
Kill app? Well, it’s probably a bundle of apps… iLife.
Quicksilver was recommended to me, though I haven’t tried it yet.
Mike Cane: I don’t find my Macs any more or less fun than my Windows computers.
I say NewTek SpeedEDIT on Windows . It’s a Quicker tool for video editing than Final Cut on Mac. Really !
More real-Time HDV 1080i layers !
Very quick actions on interface with Storyboard and Time-Line together….
Very good mix of HD, DV and MPEG on the same project with real-time upscaling or downscaling…
Impressive !
>>>1. Must be small and portable
2. Must have backlit keyboard
3. Must have active digitiser although a normal touch screen will do in a pinch
WT?! No Mac has a touchscreen. Yet. Wait for Santa, the elves have been saying. Q3/4.
As both a tablet (M200) and Mac user, I would say NotePad from Circus Ponies is the closest killer app (OneNote) replacement that I’ve found.
I would also vote QuickSilver as a close second but also check out LaunchBar and Butler which do similar things in a different way.
I also like MoRU as a Spotlight ‘extender’ of sorts. Adium, Cocktail, Fugu, Path Finder, and SuperDuper! are things I also use daily.
When I read the title before reading the text, quicksilver immediately popped into mind. You can navigate so fast, do everything with the keyboard, find anything quickly. It’s amazing.
As far as browsers: omniweb. hands down. it sucks having to pay for a browser, but it’s sooooo fast and so good. check out the speed comparisons here: http://macintalk.com/2006/07/11/fourth-mac-os-x-browser-test/
Look at their speed comparison chart (2nd graph of the article). wow. it shows in actual use, as well.
-arebelspy
Why, Firefox, of course!
“But,” you say, “Firefox is available on Windows and Linux, too!”
That’s my point. I practically live in Firefox. The more of my life I can make web accessible (blogging/email/calendar/photos/video/feeds/IM/etc.), the better. And the fact that I can run Firefox on a Mac just as easily as I can on Windows makes it almost transparent to me which platform I’m on. It really doesn’t matter – I can do 95% of what I want to do without caring which OS I’m running. And that’s a wonderful, liberating feeling.
Oh, and Parallels, too.
Don’t know about the Mac, don’t have one, maybe some day if the need arises.
For Vista, actually Windows XP as well, Windows Media Center is the killer app. The reason being is that is so functional (though we need CableCard!), and just far superior to a set top box, and it comes with the OS out of the box. When people start using it for real, they get hooked.
Omniweb. The best web browser I have ever used.
Killer App for the Mac? For me it’s definitely DocumentWallet. It’s like an iPhoto for PDFs, making the paperless office effortless.
Is there a OneNote equivalent for mac?
iPhoto is probably the Killer, aside from the OS it’s self. Mail App and such do not qualify because email and web surfing are part and parcel of all platforms. The iLife apps are what sets OSX apart and iPhoto is the most widely used of the ilife applications.
itunes! o wait…
Killer app for the Mac?
Windows, without a doubt.
I cannot use Windows for more than a few minutes without finding myself screaming in rage and frustration. For me a Mac is the difference between being a happy camper and not haveing a computer.
I think ThoughtFix hit it right on the nail: the killer app is OS X, or more precisely that it is a BSD. In my job the unix command line with all its associated tools is the bread and butter, which is the reason why I changed to a Mac – the alternative was to run Windows AND either FreeBSD or Linux.
Obviously the KILLER app is OS-X. After all no matter what your doing it provides absolute security and peace of mind. It isn’t always crawling up your ass or hitting you over the head with inane alerts and nonsensical dialog boxes.
Not good enough then throw in iLife after you become accustomed to getting rid of the retard that constantly harasses you in Windoze and become accustomed to real computing you find all this time to do fun stuff instead of Virus removal on your weekends.
Apart from stating the obvious (OS X is the killer app), for my compulsive web article reading habits, the killer app is Tofu:
http://amarsagoo.info/tofu/index.shtml
A very simple full-screen text viewer which sets desired text in a clean distraction-free column view, with custom font and background colours. There’s a “View in Tofu” system-wide service as well, so any text can be viewed in Tofu without prior saving, by simply selecting the text (in Safari, for instance) and invoking the service.
Oh, Tofu is free, by the way.
Another great set of system-wide services is Devon Technologies WordServices, free as well:
http://www.devon-technologies.com/download/index.html (scroll down)
They add a large set of very useful text-formatting, conversion and insertion functionalities which work in any application’s text field.
My 0 cents (for freeware)
Kevin – another vote for QuickSilver and a new recommendation for PathFinder – a killer Finder alternative that offers a tabbed UI and an astonishingly long list of really productive features. I also really like Yojimbo – a great “junk drawer” app for info capture I use in many of the same ways as I do OneNote on the Tablet PC.
OK OK , Im convinced, After a horrendous evening with my pc operating xp, Ive just been online and converted to a refurb Mac pro……I feel so relieved.
oooooh can’t wait
I have a macbook and when not hooked up to my external 24″ display I use Virtue Desktop to manage my screens. When the next version of OS X ships it will have ‘Spaces’ which should do the same thing but for now Virtue is great.
I really don’t have a ‘killer’ app, but there are so many that just seem to work for me.
I really really like OmniGraffle as a Visio replacment, it works so much better than Visio (for me at least) and is affordable.
I also just found GroupCal which allows me to sync to my work Exchange server for calendar events even when I’m not VPN’d in.
– QuickSilver – yeah, I can’t imagine how I went without it. That said I also have Drag Thing for stuff that I don’t use QS for.
>>>Mike Cane: I don’t find my Macs any more or less fun than my Windows computers.
Dave, same here. But we post here and read sites like this. The people I mean do not do that.