Note: Family Tree Maker for Mac 2 replaced Family Tree Maker 2010 for Mac.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for Family Tree Maker for Mac
When will Family Tree Maker for Mac be available?
Update – October 19, 2010 It is now available:
* Ancestry.com Normally $66.95
* Amazon.com Normally $99.95
* Amazon.co.uk (United Kingdom) Normally £59.99
What will FTM for Mac cost and where can I buy it?
Update: It is available from Ancestry.com for a normal price of $66.95 or through retail channels for $99.95.
Why the difference in price?
The retail version you can buy through Amazon.com or elsewhere online comes with a 6-month subscription to parts of Ancestry.com. It also comes with the Family History Toolkit, which is a bonus DVD with some ebooks and resources to read. More Information about Family Tree Maker 2010 for Mac
What about physical retail stores?
It maybe available in Apple retail stores. Otherwise you’ll probably be buying it online.
Can I download a trial/demonstration copy of FTM for Mac?
Not at this time. Ancestry.com has indicated they may offer it in future versions, but no trials or demonstration versions for Family Tree Maker 2010 for Mac.
What will FTM for Mac be based upon?
It has been confirmed that it is based upon Family Tree Maker 2010 for Windows. Back in April of this year (2010) when FTM was announced, it was announced that it would be called Family Tree Maker for Mac 2010. That was around four months before Family Tree Maker 2011 for Windows (Genealogy Software Guide) was officially announced. They indicated it would be very close to the Windows codebase.
Will FTM for Mac share the same features/data with the Windows version?
Ancestry.com stated that it would be feature-comparable to Family Tree Maker 2010 for Windows, with some obvious differences due to the operating system differences between Microsoft Windows and Apple’s Mac OS X. FTM for Mac will take advantage of things like iPhoto and I believe iMovie – applications that are not present on Windows-based PCs. They also stated that the data would be interchangeable using a special converter. From screenshots I’ve seen, it supports the publishing of the same types of family books, charts, and reports and it looks like it has a good mapping system.
Will FTM for Mac import Family Tree Maker for Windows data?
Yes, from Ancestry.com:
You can bring files into Family Tree Maker 2010 for Mac directly from Family Tree Maker version 4 through Family Tree Maker 2006. To import files from Family Tree Maker 2008 or a newer version, simply use the Windows-based conversion tool included on the Family Tree Maker for Mac disk.
That may seem a little odd, but basically before you import the information from the Windows version, you run the Windows-based tool on the data and it will generate the specific information for the Mac version of FTM.
Will FTM for Mac import genealogy data from other Mac programs?
Yes, you can export GEDCOM files from other genealogy programs, whether they are Windows or Mac-based, and then import those in FTM for Mac.
How do I import genealogy data from other programs that aren’t Family Tree Maker for Windows or are Mac-based?
With Family Tree Maker 2010 for Mac open:
1) Click ‘File’ and then ‘New’
2) Select ‘Import a tree from an existing file’
3) Click on ‘Choose’ and then navigate to the appropriate GEDCOM file.
4) You will see some import messages and statistics, which you can close
5) Start working with your imported data!
What file formats can be imported into FTM 2010 for Mac?
1) Family Tree Maker for Mac – .ftmm
2) Family Tree Maker versions 5-16 for Windows – .ftw or .fbk
3) GEDCOM files from any genealogy program – usually .ged
Will FTM for Mac require an Ancestry.com membership?
As far as I know, no. FTM for Windows can operate independently of Ancestry.com and there is no reason to think the Mac OS X version won’t either.
Will FTM for Mac have an iPhone application?
Ancestry.com has already published one iOS/iPhone OS based app for the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad – Ancestry.com Tree-to-Go (MobileGenealogy.com), so I believe it’s safe to say that they will do so. While Ancestry.com Tree-to-Go is basically a front-end for Ancestry.com and not really tied to any desktop genealogy software, it shows that Ancestry.com is very aware of the iOS platform. Combine that with the fact that there are iPhone/iPad apps such as Families (MobileGenealogy.com) that sync up with Windows-based apps, and there will be pressure to deliver. Every major commercial Mac OS X genealogy application has an iPhone version to take your desktop or laptop data with you as well. Ancestry.com has the resources and have already committed those resources to Tree-to-Go which was probably testing the waters.
Will Family Tree Maker for Mac run on my PowerPC Mac?
Update: Ancestry.com product page for FTM for Mac lists Mac OS X 10.5 and an Intel-based Mac.
Why is FTM for Mac important?
Ancestry.com is the largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, and more importantly Family Tree Maker used to be a major player in the Apple Macintosh genealogy software market through Broderbund Software, Inc. back before Ancestry.com bought it. A copy of the Family Tree Maker Deluxe Edition II for Macintosh press release is here on MacGenealogy.org that discusses it. Paint it any way you want, it’s a big deal. Anybody who has watched the “Who Do You Think You Are” genealogy show that was on NBC and sponsored by Ancestry.com probably noticed the large number of MacBooks and MacBook Pros present on the show as well. It could also cause other genealogy software makers that are Windows-only to reconsider a Mac OS X version as well. I think what is also important is that it will be available at major retailers.
Most importantly, perhaps Ancestry.com has looked at how many members are accessing Ancestry.com on Macintoshes, as well as how many people are running FTM for Windows in some kind of virtual machine (VM) or through Boot Camp and decided the numbers were there to support it.
Previous questions that are no longer relevant because the information or speculation was wrong
Update (September 14, 2010): It will be available before the end of November, 2010.From the initial Family Tree Maker for Mac announcement, it was mentioned that Family Tree Maker for Mac (from here on out – FTM) would be available before the end of the year.
What about physical retail stores?
Back in May, it was mentioned that it would be available at “major retailers” which, if we are talking about the retailers that Family Tree Maker for Windows is currently available through, could mean mainstream stores like Best Buy, Target, Wal-Mart, etc., as well as online retailers such as Amazon.com.
This page last updated November 4 , 2010