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Google's Picasa 2 - A Free iPhoto Substitute For Windows, Not Macs
Computers | Jun 2, 05
We tend to focus on pricing issues in this blog, and there's no more interesting price than zero. Google just released Picasa 2, a free image management and editing package that indexes the photos and movies on your hard drive, puts them into a searchable database, and lets you make changes including red-eye and color adjustment, crops and orientation adjustment among others. In short, its feature set is similar to that of Apple's iPhoto, but so far Google has only released a Windows version. The omission of a Mac version is interesting – perhaps Google reasons that with most Macs already running iPhoto there's no point in making the investment to try to break into a user base that's already locked up. But the buzz on Picasa 2 is quite good – it's said to be very fast and considerably easier to use than iPhoto, so perhaps they should consider rolling out something Cupertino’s clientele could use. After all, many people buy Macs precisely because they view them as superior platforms for image and media work, and the zero price tag on Picasa helps knock down the barrier to entry.
It's also interesting to consider Picasa 2's effect on Adobe. While more serious enthusiasts might complain that Google's offering might not include all the editing functionality of Adobe Photoshop Elements 3.0, for example, it might well be good enough for users with basic needs, impacting Adobe's market share on the low end (e.g. Photoshop Album 2.0), and it is, after all, free.
Posted by jeffrey.trester (Permalink)
Comments
I'm seriously hoping that Google will rethink this and put out a Picasa for Mac. I just switched back to a Mac from a PC, and one thing I totally despise is iPhoto. It imported my photos from the PC into multiple layers of folders with nonsensical numerical titles, mixing my Picasa folders from the PC, and generally fouling up my system. I am still trying to get it back to some type of order. It's almost impossible to find a specific picture. I miss the image editing capabilities of Picasa, and I would love to see it for Mac, but I'm not overly optimistic, as Google doesn't seem to care about supporting Mac users at all.
Posted by: Janice at September 19, 2005 12:10 PM
I agree with Janice re: IPhoto. What a mess. It is impossible to figure out their numbering system and once you change a photo or move it to another album it no longer can be viewed except as a thumbnail. I'm at a lost now trying to review photos for another album. Can anyone help?
Posted by: Lynn at October 2, 2005 7:35 PM
The iphoto numbering system is easy. It's simply the month number in the first folder followed by the day number in the next set of folders.
Posted by: Dave at December 16, 2005 8:03 PM
try iViewMediaPro instead of iPhoto. Far superior (but not free)
Posted by: R at March 3, 2006 4:19 PM
