September 11th, 2007
Earlier this week, Flying Meat released Acorn, a new image-editing application for the Mac. Acorn is the first of several new image editors coming to the Mac – Iris and Pixelmator being the other two.
John Gruber suggests a possible reason for the sudden glut of image editors: CoreImage, Mac OS X’s image processing framework lowers the technical barriers to producing this type of application.
That’s probably a significant factor, but these new apps also represent part of a larger trend.
Anyone who has used Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator for any length of time can probably tell you the exact number of RPMs on the spinning beachball cursor. Though they’re industry-standard apps, they often are slow, dodgy, and filled with features that often go unused. And that’s part of the allure of apps like Acorn.
If other recent software releases are any indication, there’s a definite shift away from feature bloat and huge, sprawling apps, and towards conciseness and simplicity. Freeverse’s Lineform offers a simplified alternative to Illustrator. WriteRoom from HogBay Software is a reaction to toolbar-filled text editors such as Microsoft Word. Of course, in the realm of web-based apps we have 37Signals who have built a brand around the idea of simplified, no-nonsense apps.
The iPod is a great example of this trend in hardware form. Wonderfully sparse, yet intuitive controls, plus a pared down feature set remove the obstacles between the listener and the music. It’s all about the experience.
Simplicity and a limited scope can encourage focus, productivity, and an enjoyment of the task at hand. There’s a market for that.
September 12th, 2007 at 9:48 am
Those be wise raster words. I’ve long considered the changes from one version of Photoshop to the next to be a lot like the planned obsolescence of the automobiles of yesteryear. “What’s new in PS CS3? A wider chrome grill and bigger fins!” Speaking of CS3, I’m not looking forward to my productivity taking a torpedo once I’m forced upgrade to it.
September 12th, 2007 at 10:17 am
I agree with Brian’s comments in that I am also a bit overwhelmed at the prospect of upgrading my Adobe products. I depend on them so much for my work both personally and professionally, yet the productivity curve is a bit steep at first.
Why should this be? The majority of my image-manipulation work calls for a limited number of Photoshop’s features. Having smaller, nimbler apps with targeted tool sets just might increase my productivity and eliminate time spent staring at that darned “Marble of Doom!”
September 12th, 2007 at 12:15 pm
Thanks for the comments, Brian and Jiffy. I’m often the same way – reluctant to upgrade things like software, operating systems, etc. until I really really need to. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” seems like good advice.