StackSocial began offering eight Mac apps in its "Ultra-Premium" bundle today, which includes Cultured Code's Things 2, an Apple Design Award winner, and Realmac Software's Typed, which was just released in December. The bundle is priced at $44.99, but StackSocial is offering MacRumors readers a $5 discount with coupon code MRULTRA5, bringing the price down to $39.99.

MacBundle_575x300
The total retail value of all eight apps is $469, so the bundle at $39.99 offers a significant savings compared to buying each app individually. The apps included are:

- ScreenFlow 5 ($99.99) - screen recording tool
- Things 2 ($49) - task manager
- Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth ($49.99) - turn-based strategy game
- ProSoft Data Rescue 4 ($99.99) - data recovery utility
- ExpanDrive 4 ($49.95) - directly access files stored in many popular cloud services
- AfterShot Pro 2 ($79.95) - photo editor
- Typed ($24.95) - text editor
- Snapselect ($24.99) - photo sorter for finding and eliminating duplicate and similar photos

Civilization: Beyond Earth was originally announced for Mac last April and debuted in the Mac App Store in November. ScreenFlow previously won an Apple Design Award several years ago.

The Ultra-Premium Bundle is available until March 5.

MacRumors is an affiliate partner of StackSocial.

Top Rated Comments

smirking Avatar
127 months ago
Is ProSoft any good?

I've had urgent needs to use both the original Data Rescue and Data Rescue II on several occasions in the past 10 years. That program has saved my bacon several times and in the couple of times that it wasn't able to restore a badly crashed disk, I was able to at least get some important files off of the drives.

I used to buy that program to keep around even if I didn't have an immediate need for it. I finally left the habit of always keeping a copy upgraded when I started using Time Machine to keep regular updates.

I already need to get an upgrade to my ScreenFlow software, which would run $34 normally. An extra $6 to also get Data Rescue? I'm in.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
0004838 Avatar
127 months ago
Actually, according to the Ts & Cs, licence resale is prohibited. Check the foot of the bundle webpage. Though, in the EU, the Courts have decided that licence resale cannot be limited (http://www.cnet.com/news/eu-court-sale-of-used-software-licenses-is-just-fine/).

Also, in their editorial about the bundle, the author writes:
This one will go really quick.
Given the bundle is for sale for a specific and pre-announced period of time, and given the author neglects to mention this at all, this could be argued to be a pressure-selling technique, which is illegal in the EU.

Additionally, 9to5 either have a flaky comments system or apply censorship: I posted a comment ~24 hours ago mentioning the same things and it's not yet appeared, though an attempt to re-post results in a "duplicate post" warning.

And it transpires Things 2 may shortly be superceded by a new version?

It's the Wild West out here, folks…

Edit: Also, ScreenFlow was in the MacLegion Spring Bundle 2011, as was Prosoft Data Rescue, contradicting the claim that AfterShot Pro 2 is, "the only app included that’s been in a bundle before". I accept they may be basing the claim based on app version; but then, in that case, it's a much weaker claim and hardly worth trumpeting, IMO.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple_Robert Avatar
127 months ago
Just a quick question to those of you that bought this bundle... as far as "Things 2" and "ScreenFlow 5" goes, do you get a code to download the Mac App Store versions of these apps or is this a serial number for a version that you download from the developers website? Thanks in advance!
You receive a serial with your download. The download is done outside the MAS.

Edited to add: Don't lose your serial, especially if buying a code from someone here. It would be a good idea to save the serial in 1Password or the like.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
smirking Avatar
127 months ago
You hassle me over this? Lighten up.

I'd have hassled you too. This is a high quality bundle. If the titles aren't right for you, move along. If you want it for $10... good luck with that.

I just remembered another reason to have Data Rescue. It also retrieves images from corrupted camera cards. I've had to use that a few times too and that's not something you can Time Machine your way out of.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bbeagle Avatar
127 months ago
I'm not buying it. Bundle's too expensive, even on sale.

Where do these people come from? They're all over these boards now.

If something costs more than you want to pay, you don't buy it. Simple as that. It's not for you. Why complain about it?

It's got to be the culture with kids/teens. Because back 20 years ago, people would sometimes inflate what they paid for something to impress people. It seems the opposite now - tell someone you won't buy something because it's too expensive (even if it's $1) to impress someone. Weird.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jettredmont Avatar
127 months ago
Anyone have any thoughts about how well After Shot Pro 2 might fare as an Aperture replacement? I took a quick spin around and I like the simplicity of it... haven't really tried to use it yet though.

I'm going to have to decide if I'm hopping on the Lightroom bandwagon in the coming months or if I'm going to hitch my wagon onto something that isn't subscription based.
Looking at the features list, it doesn't seem to have the Aperture features which Photos is missing (brush-masked edits, etc, although I think they are likely there in the layers support, just not listed in the marketing materials), nor obviously the seamless import from an existing Aperture library. Finally, it is cross-platform, and Corel is Windows-first so the Mac experience is going to have some rough edges (not unique in this aspect if you are considering Lightroom, but compared to moving to Photos when that comes out I think you'll hit a lot of fit-and-finish anachronisms).

There are reviews out there. This one is for the previous version (retailing at $99.99 in 2012) comparing it to Lightroom and Aperture 3: http://www.digitalcamerareview.com/default.asp?newsID=4945 - that is where I learned about After Shot's layers support (as well as its over-reliance on it for healing etc, at least in the first version).

On the down side, the reviews in the Mac App Store are minimal (only 2) and both abysmal. So, really, you want to try this one out with the trial download from Corel before forking over the cash.

IMHO, it is likely worth a download to try, and if you like what you see at all, this bundle is a good place to get it (and some other apps) at a nice discount. That said, it is not a Mac App Store app from this bundle (as with any bundle), so you forgo the convenience of the Mac App Store forever with it. Also, if you buy it from Corel you get licenses for WinZip (obviously only useful if you also have a Windows box) and some slideshow app along with AfterShot Pro 2 for $60 - think of that as an alternate bundle if for some reason those apps appeal to you more than the ones here and the extra $20 makes sense to you.

Finally, if you have more than one machine, the non-Mac App Store purchase only allows you to activate the software on ONE machine. So, if you want this for two or more machines you will need two or more licenses and will need a new license every time you upgrade your machine (according to Corel's support pages). Corel is still an old-school software company in this regard, it seems. It is almost enough for me to say you are crazy buying it outside the Mac App Store!
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18

10 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.2

Thursday October 31, 2024 9:42 am PDT by
Apple is set to release iOS 18.2 in December, bringing the second round of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update brings several major advancements to Apple's AI integration, including completely new image generation tools and a range of Visual Intelligence-based enhancements. There are a handful of new non-AI related feature controls incoming as well. ...
best early black friday deals

The Best Early Black Friday Apple Deals

Friday November 1, 2024 8:21 am PDT by
We're officially in the month of Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 29 in 2024. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment,...
M4 Pro on Blue

M4 Pro Chip Benchmark Results Reveal an Extremely Impressive Performance Feat

Thursday October 31, 2024 7:06 pm PDT by
The first Geekbench 6 benchmark results for the M4 Pro chip surfaced today. Impressively, the results that are available so far show that the highest-end M4 Pro chip is faster than the highest-end M2 Ultra chip in terms of peak multi-core CPU performance. Here is a comparison of the results: Mac mini with M4 Pro (14-core CPU): 22,094 multi-core score (average of 11 results) Mac Studio...
Apple iPhone SE 4 5G Modem 1

iPhone SE 4 First to Get Apple-Designed 5G Modem, iPhone 17 Pro to Add Custom Wi-Fi 7 Chip

Friday November 1, 2024 4:04 am PDT by
The iPhone SE 4 that's set to come out early next year is expected to debut Apple's first in-house 5G modem, according to Jeff Pu, an analyst who covers companies within Apple's supply chain. In a research note this week with Hong Kong-based investment firm Haitong International Securities, Pu said Apple is expected to roll out its custom-made 5G modem starting with the next-generation...
ios 18 2 chatgpt plus

iOS 18.2 Beta 2 Shows Siri ChatGPT Limit, Offers 'Plus' Upgrade Option

Monday November 4, 2024 10:54 am PST by
With the second beta of iOS 18.2 that's available for developers today, Apple has further fleshed out the ChatGPT integration that's available with Siri. In the Settings app, there's now a section that shows the ChatGPT daily limit, and offers an option to upgrade to the paid ChatGPT Plus plan. The beta includes an Advanced Capabilities section with a "Daily Limit" reading that shows up as...
M3 Pro Max vs M4 Pro Max Feature

Here's How Much Faster M4 Pro/Max Are for Graphics vs. M3 Pro/Max

Friday November 1, 2024 8:04 am PDT by
Apple's new M4 Pro and M4 Max chips are impressively fast in terms of CPU performance, topping the M2 Ultra, but what about graphics performance? The first Geekbench 6 results for GPU performance are now available for the M4 Pro and M4 Max, and the Metal scores reveal some impressive year-over-year gains. Based on the Metal scores that are available so far, the M4 Pro and M4 Max are up to...
imac video apple feature

What to Expect From Apple This November

Friday November 1, 2024 9:40 am PDT by
After a busy October in which Apple announced new Macs and Apple Intelligence launched, the calendar has now turned to November. Below, we outline what to expect from Apple this month as the slower-but-still-busy holiday season approaches. After seeding the first betas of iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS Sequoia 15.2 with additional Apple Intelligence features last month, Apple will likely...