[comp.sys.mac] Business Idea

hong52@wharton.upenn.edu (04/12/91)

I have a business idea which I would like evaluated.
Finding PC companies and translating their PC programs
onto the MacIntosh. What do people think arethe
strengths and weaknesses of this business idea? What
things should people be aware of in running this business?
And what features in general would people like to see
in the Mac programs?
Thanks in advance!
-Joe

laird@think.com (Laird Popkin) (04/12/91)

In article <1991Apr11.150856.1@wharton.upenn.edu> hong52@wharton.upenn.edu writes:
>I have a business idea which I would like evaluated.
>Finding PC companies and translating their PC programs
>onto the MacIntosh. What do people think arethe
>strengths and weaknesses of this business idea? What
>things should people be aware of in running this business?
>And what features in general would people like to see
>in the Mac programs?
>Thanks in advance!
>-Joe
Joe, companies which simply port applications from the PC
to the Mac have uniformly been failures in the Mac software
business.  Simply put, Mac owners will not accept software
which isn't a "Mac application."

Now if you totally rewrite the programs, maintaining the
functionality but completely rethinking the interface, you
might have something.

Most DOS software companies seem to try to do a cheap port
of their application to the Mac, which fails dismally,
because they don't want to spend the time/money to do it
the right way.  Your balancing act (since you don't work for
an existing software company with a record of successful
Mac applications) would be to find companies who are
eager to save money by hiring a company with no track record
(which persumably works cheaply) but still willing to spend
the money to do a "real" Mac port of their application.

Good luck!

- Laird (laird@think.com)