Cult Favorite: BumpTop Re-Imagines Your Mac Desktop in 3D
5:00 am, January 20th, 2010, Lonnie Lazar
What it is: BumpTop for Mac is OS X software that gives you a whole new way of looking at and using your desktop, one that brings your computer screen into the realm of 3D imaging and instantly grows your monitor’s real estate – no matter how large or small – into a more productive palette than anything you’ve seen before.
Why it’s cool: BumpTop represents a total re-thinking of the 20 year-old design artifact that is the standard desktop UI.
Now you can view your computer screen as a real desk, or more accurately perhaps, as the floor of a four walled room – and use all the space to put your stuff in piles, tack important things on the walls and slap sticky notes on everything – just like in real life.
Desktop minimalists are hereby free to skip the rest of this post.
The driving force behind BumpTop’s innovation is the concept of Piles, with which Mac users will be familiar vis a vis Stacks – though BumpTop’s Piles are so much more.
Piles in BumpTop are agile. They work just like the piles of stuff on your desk or floor – you can throw stuff into them and use BumpTop’s Grid view or your mouse’s scroll wheel to leaf through them with ease.
BumpTop for Mac is also fully integrated with the gesture features of modern MacBook trackpads – you can pinch/zoom to shrink & grow your Piles, use three finger swipes to create and break Piles and swipe to leaf through Piles in a way that’s totally intuitive and familiar to anyone who’s ever seen a cover flow display.
BumpTop for Windows has been around for a while, but the product launching today is no blind port from the DarkSide.
Development of BumpTop for Mac was driven by interest from Mac users and implemented by a team of developers culled from award-winning shops that produced iPhone apps such as Pano for iPhone and Little Metal Ball. The underlying architecture is fast and robust and the Mac version has Mac-only features including total integration with Exposé, Spaces and Spotlight.
A prominent investor in BumpTop is Andy Hertzfeld, one of the many core Mac people for whom BumpTop resonates as a great innovation. “I was very impressed,” said Hertzfeld. “BumpTop leverages intuition and experience with the real world to [create an] experience that is simple, fun and practical.”
Where to get it: BumpTop for Mac is available beginning today in Free and Pro versions from the BumpTop website.
The Free version supports limited sticky notes, doesn’t support the Flip, Find as You Type, or MultiTouch features of the Pro version and has lower support priority, but otherwise features all of the 3D GUI, Piles and Clean Up functionality of the Pro version.
BumpTop Pro for Mac is $29 – but if you follow Cult of Mac on Twitter and/or become a Fan of Cult of Mac on Facebook, next Monday we will be giving away access codes for the Pro version to up to 100 lucky readers.
Download your free copy of BumpTop for Mac today and check Twitter and Facebook Monday 1/25 for your chance to go Pro on us.
Posted by Lonnie Lazar in Desktop Pictures, First impressions, Macintosh, News, Software | Comment on this article
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This link — http://bumptop.com/mac/ — doesn’t work.
CaryMG, on January 20th, 2010 at 5:13 am
Hi. I would like to know what is “Available” when you get a password dialogue when you click on http://bumptop.com/mac/
Contradiction in full: “Where to get it: BumpTop for Mac is available beginning today in Free and Pro versions from the BumpTop website.”
Cheers,.
ekdor, on January 20th, 2010 at 5:27 am
Unfortunately,the link to the Mac version requires a password. Maybe they removed the free mac version?
Roger, on January 20th, 2010 at 5:32 am
I just found out in the AppleBlog (http://theappleblog.com/2009/10/05/bumptop-for-mac-is-now-in-alpha/) that is a private alpha!
Now I need one copy
Tiago, on January 20th, 2010 at 5:42 am
Ummm, can anyone plz send me a copy?
I will be really appreciated.
or any megaupload files are ok.
Seong-Hoon Lee, on January 20th, 2010 at 5:50 am
I became a fan and i really hope I can get one!!!!!
PLZ! I AM DYING FOR THIS!
I have been waiting 2 years, since the release of the Demo.
Seong-Hoon Lee, on January 20th, 2010 at 6:06 am
I’d like to have a try. Looks great. but still not available.
Googlor, on January 20th, 2010 at 6:11 am
Ok, Mr.Lazar,
I have been confirmed to be the beta tester for this.
I am waiting for the Pro code!
Seong-Hoon Lee, on January 20th, 2010 at 6:34 am
i am also waiting for a code . will start testing right away!
moses malone, on January 20th, 2010 at 6:36 am
I’m a fan.
Hit me up.
Rory Parker, on January 20th, 2010 at 6:58 am
It will be released at 8 am EST from what I know. Till then, all will get the password pop-up. BTW, it’s no more alpha, it’s a full 1.0 version I think.
Sayam Aggarwal, on January 20th, 2010 at 7:40 am
I’ve tested this, and it’s somewhat buggy (couldn’t create a linked documents folder). Besides, multitouch support seems to be available only to the more recent macbooks pro
ungenio, on January 20th, 2010 at 8:26 am
I stopped at the word Piles
Phil, on January 20th, 2010 at 8:37 am
site is open
moses malone, on January 20th, 2010 at 8:41 am
I wonder where they got that idea from?
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10121240-37.html
Yagan Kiely, on January 20th, 2010 at 9:58 am
Sorry all for the miscalculated post-time. All links should be live now. Don’t forget to check Twitter and Facebook next Monday for a chance to get BumpTop Pro for Mac free!
Lonnie Lazar, on January 20th, 2010 at 10:14 am
This “article” reads like an advertisement and is so chock full of hyperbole that it just isn’t believable.
3D desktops, however useful they may or may not be have been done many times before, to phrase it as “… a total re-thinking of the 20 year-old design artifact that is the standard desktop UI” is just horse poop.
Try actually *reviewing* the product and you might get some agreement and some interest from me. All this lathering at the mouth while providing no analysis is just a waste of time.
Gazoobee, on January 20th, 2010 at 11:14 am
Thanks Mr Lazar. I downloaded it and, while it is not perfect, it is a good re-imagining of the way future UIs might be.
The Finder is showing its age a little and 3D would add layers of functionality and ease of use which has always been Apple’s mantra on computing et al.
chano, on January 20th, 2010 at 3:41 pm
for those of us who think the dock makes most mac-sense on the right, this thing does not work at all?
ged, on January 20th, 2010 at 8:40 pm
cool idea, someone already did something similar an presented it on TED…
but…this one looks u g l y
schpenk1, on January 21st, 2010 at 3:15 am
The thing I don’t get is the physics simulation. How does scattering your icons around in any way help you be more productive? The beauty of the physicality metaphors of modern GUIs is that you can use the pieces of reality that will help the users intuit how things work, but you also get to IGNORE the parts of reality that don’t help. Can you imagine if your paintbrush app had to re-dip in paint after each brushstroke, or if you could break the lead on your virtual pencil and have to re-sharpen it?
Scott, on January 21st, 2010 at 8:38 am
downloaded, and trying
lemon, on January 22nd, 2010 at 1:52 pm
i want to Pro Sn?thankyou!
lhmickey, on January 22nd, 2010 at 10:46 pm
It’s very amazing!
Levin, on January 23rd, 2010 at 1:05 am
This “article” reads like an advertisement and is so chock full of hyperbole that it just isn’t believable.
3D desktops, however useful they may or may not be have been done many times before, to phrase it as “… a total re-thinking of the 20 year-old design artifact that is the standard desktop UI” is just horse poop.
Try actually *reviewing* the product and you might get some agreement and some interest from me. All this lathering at the mouth while providing no analysis is just a waste of time.
bACK, on January 24th, 2010 at 9:38 am
The integration of trackpad gesture features is pretty impressive. Worth trying!
Halo, on January 28th, 2010 at 2:31 am
Can we get the Pro version here? thx
Halo, on January 28th, 2010 at 2:34 am