Macaw, a Mac-based tool for web design currently in private beta, is getting closer to a public launch. Though Tom Giannattosio, co-founder of Macaw, won't give a firm timeline for the product's release, he says that the tool is about "80 percent there."
"People are knocking down our doors trying to get this," Giannattosio says. "We're pretty damn close. Adam [Christ, Macaw's other co-founder] and I are cranking it out as fast as we can."
Macaw is a native single application for Macs that exports print design code for web development. Currently, Giannattosio says, there is a huge divide between design teams and development teams. "Macaw helps designers and developers get along," he explains.
Whereas some companies, such as Adobe, have separate tools for designers and developers, Macaw breaks down those barriers. For example, Giannattosio explains, print designers sometimes create static images for the web, which web developers essentially have to throw away and recreate in code. "Macaw lets you design for the web faster," he says. "You don't have to repeat yourself. You can do your wireframing in HTML, which makes the whole process a lot faster."
To the dismay of many users of its creative suite, Adobe recently moved to a subscription model. Giannattosio says that Macaw, by contrast, will be available at a fixed price point. "We'll be pretty affordable," he says, "maybe around $100," although that number could change.
Macaw will initial launch on the Mac OS only, although Giannattosio has plans to launch versions for other operating systems as well. "Eventually, [we want to be available for] any operating system," he says, "but for now it's just for Mac."
Macaw, which is based in D.C., received a small angel investment from local angels and entrepreneurs Martin Ringlein and Alex Girón. "They are more partners than anything else," Giannattosio explains. Meetings with other investors are in the works.