Ian
Fried, Staff Writer, CNET News.com
November
1st, 2002 - Apple Computer has a new weapon
in its campaign to woo PC users: a $59
piece of software that makes the Macintosh
switch easier.
Detto
Technologies has started selling Move2Mac™,
a combination of software and a customized
USB (universal serial bus) cable that
helps PC users move many of their files,
settings and even background pictures
to a new Mac running the latest version
of Mac OS X.
The
25-person company developed the software
at the request of Apple, although the
Mac maker did not pick up any of the development
costs, nor is it providing marketing dollars.
Apple does plan to carry it in its retail
stores, according to Detto.
"Apple
came to us," said Frank Coyle, vice
president of marketing for Detto. "They
said, 'Can you do PC to Mac?' We said
sure."
Apple
has been on a campaign to try to lure
more PC owners over to the Mac. Apple
CEO Steve Jobs demonstrated an early version
of the software at Macworld Expo in New
York last July.
For
the past year and a half, Detto has been
offering similar software called IntelliMover
that allows Windows-based PC owners to
move their files and settings to a new
Windows-based PC.
Move2Mac
transfers Internet settings, files, contacts
and more, Coyle said. Plus, he said, some
files, like pictures and music, are automatically
moved to the proper location on the Mac.
"The
idea is we get you over quickly, and once
we get you over, the things are in the
same folder locations as they were on
the PC," Coyle said.
Although
music lovers may find that it takes hours
to transfer all their files using the
USB cable, Coyle says that many consumers
find they only have about 500MB of files
that need transferring, a process that
takes about 15 minutes.
Bellevue,
Wash.-based Detto was started by two former
workers in Microsoft's technical support
unit. The company got funding at the end
of the Internet boom by touting the idea
of transferring files to a new PC over
the Internet.
However,
Detto quickly learned that the settings
for getting onto the Internet were among
the things that people wanted help bringing
over from their old PCs. That's when the
company switched to a cable-based approach.
About
Detto Technologies
Detto Technologies, a leading provider
of migration technology for consumer and
corporations is focused on advanced technology
to enable migration of data and personal
settings - the profile of the computer
user. Detto Technologies products provide
a software solution to intelligently transfer
and integrate settings, preferences and
files from one computer to another quickly
and cost-effectively. Corporate headquarters
is in Bellevue, Washington. More information
can be found at www.detto.com
Migration
Learning Center
