Perhaps the Mac user demographic is changing? My perception is that Mac users used to be technical types who chose Macs because they had specific capabilities, and were thus more likely to be more vocal about Mac matters. These days, I’m sure there is still the core of technical Mac users but I imagine more and more Mac users fall in to the non-technical ‘I just want something that works’ category, and so aren’t the sort of people who necessarily express opinions on the state of the software market, as long as they can surf, do email and the basics with music and photos, etc.

All guesswork on my part though. I only ‘switched’ to using a Mac about 18 months ago after years supporting Windows (and even DOS and OS/2!), so I still consider myself new to the Mac scene.

Why should Intuit care what Mac users think? Every Quicken/Quickbooks user I know who has been pissed off by the Mac version of the product has purchased the Windows version instead. Zero loss of revenue for Intuit. Given the near-universal disgust at the Mac version of Intuit’s products, I don’t know why the still bother.

Microsoft — not to mention Mac users — might be better served by canning the Mac version of Office. They could offer a special bundle to Mac users containing Office 2010 along with a copy of Windows 7. “Need to run Office on your Mac? No problem — buy our specially priced bundle and install via Boot Camp.” If it were priced at, say, $250US then how many Mac users would even bother with the clunky Office 2008? Apple’s iWork suite is a functional alternative at only 80 bucks.

The Intuit situation is a little odd. You’d think that they would jump at the chance to corner the current Mac market. They certainly haven’t had to compete with offerings from Apple. Toss in a clean and simple iPhone companion — what are they waiting for?

For the record, I never said developers were lazy.

My point is that the “simple resource prioritization” could be addressed if they wanted to; they simply choose not to. Yet all the while they pay lip service to the Mac as if it’s not the neglected platform it is.

In Adobe’s case, I think the native tools don’t matter much because I’m pretty sure they’re using their own cross-platform stuff.

Adobe may be the worst offender of those that I complain about. When you think about it, Mac users have been pretty much uninvited to every launch party Adobe has ever thrown.

I’m not talking about companies who choose not to offer software for the Mac (i.e., those who “don’t bother”). I’m talking about those that DO develop for both platforms. In that case, the decision is already made, so I think they could put forth a better effort.

Developers are just being lazy, and in the end it means they are leaving money on the table. Market share is a tricky number, since it often times also includes the tons of PCs bought for businesses. If your in the entertainment industry especially, your potential Mac market is a lot larger then just 4%. I’d be real curious to know how many WoW players are on a Mac, clearly it’s enough that Blizzard sees fit to continue to support the platform, and even add unique features like in game video recording.