Yesterday, I mentioned the differences between the two Mac versions of Family Tree Maker for Mac that are for sale on both Ancestry.com and on online retailers such as Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, etc. – it came down to the non-Ancestry.com versions (aka the retail versions) had a 6-month subscription to Ancestry.com with them, while the cheaper version sold at Ancestry.com does not. In everything else, they are the same.
I asked several more questions and am grateful to the Ancestry.com staff for answering them. The answers will end up in the Family Tree Maker for Mac FAQ, which is a part of the main Mac genealogy software FAQ. Without further ado, here they are (answers received are in bold and with numbers preceding them, my comments follow):
1) Family Tree Maker for Mac is basically Family Tree Maker 2010 for Mac. It is based on Family Tree Maker 2010 for Windows. It does not include the updated features of Family Tree Maker 2011 (Windows).
I had thought maybe it would be based on FTM 2011, but it makes sense to keep it on 2010. This is the first time since the 1990s that we’ve had Family Tree Maker on a Mac platform (that didn’t involve using virtualization running Windows) and it’s not the easiest thing to port between different OSes. They needed to work off of finished software, and at the time Family Tree Maker 2010 for Mac was announced, Family Tree Maker 2011 was probably nowhere near being finished. Had they used FTM 2011 as a base for Family Tree Maker for Mac, we’d definitely be waiting until sometime next year.
It is on the same level as Family Tree Maker 2010 though. It’s still one of the best/easiest ways for Windows users of Family Tree Maker to make the switch to Macs and bring their genealogy data and information over.
2) There are no plans to release an Essentials, Deluxe, or Platinum version of Family Tree Maker 2010 for Mac.
3) The version priced at $99.95 is essentially the same as the Platinum version of Family Tree Maker 2010 – it comes with the 6-month subscription and Family History Toolkit.
4) Both releases of Family Tree Maker for Mac are identical, the only difference is the included subscription and the Family History Toolkit.