Ancestry.com has announced they will be releasing their genealogy software, Family Tree Maker 2010, on the Mac platform later this year.
I welcome the return of the software. It signals the growing importance of the Mac platform to genealogists and the competition is much needed.
The features touted on their web site are:
- Integration with Ancestry.com — Easily add records and images from Ancestry.com and import your Ancestry.com family tree, along with attached photos.
- Family books, charts and reports — Publish beautiful keepsakes and books to share with friends and family.
- Slideshows — Create slideshows from photos in your tree.
Standard source templates — Cite the right information every time.- Family migration paths — View timelines and interactive maps highlighting events and places in your ancestors’ lives.
I am thrilled to hear it! Since transitioning to my MacBookPro last year I have been struggling to keep my Reunion and Ancestry.com data synced. This will finally but an end to the countless hours of doing data entry/corrections and let me spend more time on actually doing my research.
I can’t say I’m thrilled … I remember the last Family Tree Maker for the Mac. It was an exceptionally poor port and its GEDCOM export was … at best … troublesome.
It’s great that they’re back and maybe they’ll push Reunion, iFamily and MacFamilyTree to improve. But I wouldn’t race out and get an FTM product unless it gets LOTS of good word of mouth.
I used Reunion for years, but have been using Ancestry.com for the last two or three years. I especially like being able to link my sources on Ancestry directly to my tree. I’ve stopped using Reunion & the Windows version of FTM & trying out the various other Mac & Windows genealogical applications. Why do I need them when I have Ancestry.com? Others can share on Ancestry.com, which is hard to do with individual applications.
I’m glad to see the additional choice, but would really like to see a Mac version of The Master Genealogist.
When will the new Family Tree Maker for Mac be available? The year is almost over…..
The best information I have been able to get is that Family Tree Maker 2010 will be released in the 4th quarter.