Looks like Sky Safari Mac is getting close to release. These are the first screenshots I've seen, and I like the cleaner look over that of the incumbent Voyager. I really hope that it hasn't lost functionality to its older sibling, and that it's just as capable. They speak of comparisons to their iDevice offerings, but don't seem to address their old customer base who still love Voyager for what it was.
It will certainly look more modern with new controls that don't look like they've come from System 9 days - these and the updated OpenGL smoothness that I really love on the iPad version.
I can't wait to get hold of it.
Quote:
SkySafari for Mac OS X
Southern Stars was one of the first developers of Mac desktop planetarium software. Now, after our success on the iPhone, we're going back to our roots! SkySafari's high-performance OpenGL astronomy engine, developed for the iPhone, absolutely screams on the Mac - and a full-sized monitor, mouse, and keyboard open up a universe of new possibilities.
We've redesigned SkySafari's interface from scratch for the Mac, using 100% native Cocoa OS X controls. We've streamlined the workflow to keep commonly-used functions handy, without sacrificing the power you've come to expect from our apps. And SkySafari's Plus and Pro versions include both wired and wireless telescope control!
Like our iPhone apps, SkySafari for Mac OS X will come in three versions:
SkySafari - our introductory version, with 120,000 stars and the 220 Messier/Caldwell deep sky objects.
SkySafari Plus - adds 2.5 million stars, 30,000 deep sky objects, and wired or wireless telescope control.
SkySafari Pro - adds 15 million stars, 740,000 deep sky objects, 550,000 solar system objects, and telescope control. For the obsessed observer who wants it all!
All versions include the same encyclopedic descriptive content and astronomical image gallery found in our iPhone apps, but with a higher resolution designed to fill your Mac's screen. SkySafari requires Mac OS X version 10.6 or higher.
SkySafari for Mac OS will be sold exclusively on the Mac App Store. Pricing has not yet been determined at this time, but will be similar to our iPhone app pricing. Availability is expected in late June, 2011, pending Apple's approval. We can notify you by email when SkySafari for Mac OS X ships!
Here are some screen shots from a pre-release version of SkySafari, running on a 13" MacBook Pro. (Note: screens pictured here may differ slightly from the final release).
|