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nanoBundle2.0:

Chances are, you found out about MacHeist through our most recent nanoBundle promotion. Over $439 thousand raised for charity, and a sweet pack of apps to boot. It's over now, and we're all patiently waiting for the Directorate to reveal the next big thing. When? We don't have a clue, but rest assured: MacHeist is not dead!

nanoBundle [previous/free]:

The previous nanoBundle (offered for free) gave you up to 7 great apps for your Mac at the crazy price of "free-ninety-nine" (aka, totally free). If this was your first experience with MacHeist, welcome aboard! We hope you'll stick around for what most of us have come to love most about MacHeist.

MacHeist has been primarily about two major components: The Heists, and The Bundles.

The Heists:

These are like elaborate Internet-based puzzles that you'll be asked to solve. You'll typically start with a mission briefing which gives you a problem to solve, and clues on how to get started. Chances are, those clues will leave you with more questions than answers. Eventually, if you're smart (and resourceful) you'll solve the Heist and get your reward: even more free software! At least, this is how it's gone down in the past. We call this Loot, and in the past, we've seen some pretty awesome games, utilities, and other apps show up in our Loot pile.

If you get stuck, and can't figure out the next step, we have a forum called The Backroom that can help you figure out your next move. I'll say this much, though: it's way more rewarding to figure it out on your own! But, time is usually of the essence, as heists have a limited window in which they can be solved. You'll need to act fast or seek help if the hour is drawing near.

Also, in the past, solving Heists has been rewarded with discounts that you can apply to the purchase of the other major component of MacHeist...

The Bundles:

The Bundles are pretty simple, but very awesome. The Directorate (the group that puts together MacHeist) works with various software companies throughout the Mac community to find great software to include in the MacHeist bundle. Over $900 in great software was available last year for only $39. These aren't crippled versions of the applications, or limited licenses - these are full featured applications. Long story made short,  you can get a bunch of really cool applications for the Mac for a great price. These are typically nicer than the Loot apps.

Charity:

One other great component of the Bundles is that a big portion (25%) of the sales go directly to charity. In the past, it has been a broad range of charities, and the contributions have been astounding. The Directorate also has a habit of bumping up the charity contributions with a major gift of their own. Last year, the total was a cool half million dollars.

Your Next Step:

Right now, if you've already signed up for the nanoBundle, watch and wait! We have no idea what's happening next until the Directorate reveals it, so just hang out for a while until the next big thing comes along. And when it does, believe me - it'll be hard to miss!

Be sure to stop by the MacHeist chat and socialize with fellow MacHeisters while we wait to see what the Directorate has in store for us. And once again, welcome to MacHeist!

PS: CREATE/UPLOAD AN AVATAR!

PM me | Twitter

Awesome. Should be a great help to anyone new!

Flickr

nothing's showing up on my briefings page?

That's because you didn't follow the instructions. Read jpdyson's "Your Next Step" in the first post of this thread.

(favourite paradox) This page intentionally left blank.

my bad, thought this was older haha

so nothin to get goin on yet?

Don't forget (at least in the past) that 25% of your bundle purchase price was donated to charity...

(I know this is on the "about" page, but so is some of the other info - the charity donation part is a rather nice perk that makes MacHeist different from a lot of other bundles.)

Edit - And thank you for putting this up - hope it gets some serious traffic.

"I merely took the energy it takes to pout and wrote some blues." -- Duke Ellington

Great job jpdyson. Not only good for the new crew, but also a great explanation for me to read to my beligerently analog boyfriend who can't seem to understand what this MacHeist business is and why we're on relationship hold til MH3 is over! LOL!

Diane, this case gives me a strange feeling... this is one of Cole's blue rose cases.

Just make up a "MacHeist is my boyfriend" T-shirt for the next few months. That may help him.

John Casasanta
MacHeist Director
tap tap tap chief

Edited to include a quick note about the charity component. This was originally intended to be instructional in nature, but some history and the like go a long way to making people feel comfortable and familiar with what they're getting into.

PM me | Twitter

Nice one jp! Now I know where to send people who have questions. Excellent write up. A+

Don't legi con comm bility unica fuse with tion.

Twitter

Im a nebie, this looks like fun, macworld anyone??

HMM??? this should be fun

Excellent work on this post, good to see I'm not the only lost soul here.. anyway everything has been bookmarked and i look forward to whatever this is.

To the macheist team - brilliant idea.. entice people with free software and a cool website and then make them EARN good deals on software.

I really admire your work.

I added a note to politely remind folks that an avatar would be a good idea.

PM me | Twitter

Can we make this a sticky? I don't know if moderators can do that.

Marathon Forever.
AppShelf: MacHeist 3 Loot
AppShelf: nanoBundle 1
Check Reciept Page for nanoBundle 2 AppShelf Files.

Yep. You'll find mod controls along the very bottom of the page.

Flickr

Well done, jp.  Thanks.

Whistle while you work.  Patience is key.

It WAS a Sticky...

PM me | Twitter

Hello All.

Alright! Looking forward to Mac Heist 3!

"What? No small-talk? No chit-chat? That's the trouble with the world these days. Nobody takes the time to do a real sinister interrogation. It's a lost art." - James Bond, Goldeneye

can't wait to start my first mac heist

▛▞▞▟ Proud Member of the BLUE Team™ ▙▚▚▜

Awesome site, can't wait for things to really start!!

Xbox Ambassador Podcast

You will receive notification from us as soon as anything major begins.

Co-Creator of MacHeist, Clear, Partner at tap tap tap | follow me on twitter

Because that's the way it is. Apple's rules. You'd have to ask them why things are the way they are, sorry.

Last year, I was pretty not involved. In fact, like some know now, I'm belgian, and i didn't understand the heists one year ago.
This year i'm ready (and i've improved my english... On the reading ) and i really hope that i'll be able to solve at least the first puzzle :-)
But now i know that there's a topic to help us, and i thank you for this subject !

French speaker trying to improve his english, solve riddles and get free applications
...So, correct me
And, yeah, I'm orange

There are no briefings at the moment, since the Heist is not on yet. But it will be Very soon

By night we sail, by dawn we fight!

the waiting is the hardest part

thought i'd something more to say

Hi

I am a newbie - found site through Stumble upon.  Look forward to the next heist.

MJ

I'd hate to close a sticky topic, so please - keep the conversation on-point here. This thread is for folks who are new to MacHeist, so let's keep it clean

PM me | Twitter

Oh, I think you forgot some minor details, jpdyson:

The Heists - it's worth mentioning that the heists (or missions as they're also called) have a limited shelf life. After a certain period of time (1-2 weeks) they'll expire and be finished to make way for the next mission. You can't solve heists which are already finished, which means you'll miss out on the bundle discount and loot!

I don't know if IRC is worth mentioning also. I assume that Phill and the Directorate will be reusing the IRC app from MHII.

Marathon Forever.
AppShelf: MacHeist 3 Loot
AppShelf: nanoBundle 1
Check Reciept Page for nanoBundle 2 AppShelf Files.

thanks for the tip - i made a couple changes to reflect your suggestions. i appreciate the feedback and will continue to update accordingly! you guys make this a better thread

PM me | Twitter

oh, this will be infinitely useful; thanks!

I have the heart of a child...

...it's in a jar on my desk.

I was trying to figure out who the new mod was from looking at the avatar. Then I saw the name. Doh!

the greatest blog known to mankind / twitter / flickr

Hi!

I am pretty new to MacHeist since Christmas now. And what could I say, MacHeist is awesome. Please keep up the great work you guys have done until now. The gifts are fabulous and I am really looking forward for the new Heists, mentioned in some posts and MacHeist3 Bundle!

Thanks a lot for the X-mas gifts!

Vanilla-Gorilla

Team Green Monkeys™: "It's monkey business!!!"
Support the Sea of Green: "Democracy for Iran"

I'm so excited for the third heist. So these missions only start around wintertime?

Hi

Well, the first two happened winter, and everyone expects this one to start very soon, but no-one can be certain.

mmm... Extra chewy

I'm pretty excited to get started with this new heist since I missed out on the last one! It sounds like a lot of fun.

Let's go Green Team!

so glad i stumbled upon this site! can't wait to get started!!!!
thanks to the MH crew!!!

Hey!  I've been hunting all over MacHeist for a simple explanation and I finally found it.  Thank you!!

I mean, surely you've heard the expression 'don't count your chickens'? Well, APPLY IT!

▛▞▞▟ Proud Member of the BLUE Team™ ▙▚▚▜

Hello! I'm new here and I was wondering if there is anything I can do to get ready for the heists.

Lots of cryptic crosswords might help.

You could also get a MENSA cypto-book.  They are pretty hard but fun to do.

Sweet! I'm so stoked!

BetterThanHuman
www.betterthanhuman.net
▛▞▞▟ Proud Member of the BLUE Team™ ▙▚▚▜

I got an email telling me about a new briefing to work on (I'm new here)- one with 3 apps as a reward. I can't find anything about it though...

The first clue for Heist #1 is here: http://www.macheist.com/forums/viewtopic.php?id=9205

If you need help, The Backroom has spoilers which will get you ointed in the right direction: http://www.macheist.com/forums/viewtopic.php?id=9206

Flickr

I did the Christmas tree heist which was a very simple way to acquire some great software. This time I received an e-mail saying there was a new heist, clicked on the link, picked up the first loot but had no idea about any of the other convoluted stuff nor any real explanation that there were tasks that had to be solved, etc. that involved downloading programs to solve what exactly. Saw the maze thing but no instructions on what to do with it - nothing responded to cursor, etc. moving cursor just changed color of maze but again, clicking left/right accomplished nothing. I like puzzles but this goes way beyond a fun puzzle, not fun. The Christmas tree was straight forward, purchase, wait for your Christmas day e-mail, pick up the apps. More like that, I'll do - more like this - no thanks.

The Mac Giving Tree wasn't a heist, just a promotion. You can get hints on how to solve the maze in the backroom if you are stuck.

Flickr

I'm confused. I was at MacWorld Expo in SF today and saw no mention of MacHeist. Is the $49 bundle available yet and, if so, where from? Thanks!

scott,
The $49 bundle is what you get after MacHeist is OVER. It's an event, not an item that you get in a box or anything... after you participate in the heists, you get a deep discount on a bundle of software (which I presume you download digitally, same as the Loot apps) that brings the price down to $49.

As of today, only the "intro" heist mission has been done-- it's a 9-part search for clues that results in you getting 3 apps as a reward for all your sleuthing! Check the "Directorate Communiques" thread for how to get started on that.

▛▞▞▟ Tweet @the_sweet! ▙▚▚▜

I'm a MacHeist Newbie who did a few puzzles on my own and the rest with help from The Forum, I thoroughly enjoyed myself!!!

I'd like to make a suggestion, if I may.

Lock the Briefings and make a thread in the Backroom with the same name as the Briefing it relates too. That way, it's easier for the Lost Ones (me, earlier in the week) to figure out how things work and they post their questions in the right thread.

Thanks for the distractions!!!

  BLUE Team™