Architosh Press Report: Architosh.com announces software competition to demonstrate Mac OS X superiority in the AEC market.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass --- 15 May 2003 -- Architosh.com, the world's leading Web portal dedicated to Macintosh-based CAD/3D and AEC professionals today announced a new software design competition focused on the architecture/engineering/construction (AEC) marketplace. The winner who best satisfies the key judging criteria will be awarded an advertising and promotional package worth an estimated $20,000US.

Theory of Diminished Professional Capacity

The objective of the software competition is to design a Mac OS X application or applications that clearly provide a professional advantage for use of the application on Mac OS X. The controlling criteria for juding the software is based on a concept of diminished professional capacity for users of particular information technology (see related article here).

In essence, the winning software would provide such key advantages on Mac OS X that professionals in the AEC marketplace that did not utilize Mac OS X would be professionally dissadvantaged compared to their OS X peers.

Not An Impossible Tasks

"At first thought the idea of creating such software seems likely impossible -- and that's a fitting and appropriate reaction -- but there are serious software opportunities in the AEC market that have never been addressed or addressed in a manner which is satisfying to end users," says Architosh editor and founder, Anthony Frausto-Robledo. "After watching some of the truly innovative software Apple has created on the Mac OS X platform for digital media authoring and play-back, I'm more convinced then ever before that it is possible to create serious software that advantages OS X users because the underlying technology in OS X."

A FrameWork For Success

In order to help software developers identify gaps in the professional offerings for the AEC market, Architosh has authored a white-paper based on four years of market research collected through Architosh.com. The white-paper details the common information and knowledge management (KM) pipeline in the AEC industries including: the KM in architecture firms; the KM in AEC engineering firms; and the KM in construction firms.

Additionally, the white paper delves into the market dynamics driving trends in the AEC industry, including the BIM phenomena and its promises, the impact of de facto standard file formats on the AEC information pipeline, Web services scenarios in AEC, high end visualization in AEC and other topics.

Rules and Contest Facts

The basic goal of the contest is to spur on the development of innovative technologies for the Mac OS X platform -- a software environment Architosh strongly believes offers more natural and promising technologies for technical creative professionals such as architects, interior designers and engineers.

There will be one guaranteed winner of the competition. If no contestant meets the threshold of unique platform innovation then that contestant will receive an award for $5,000 worth of free advertising and promotional opportunities on Architosh.com.

Current applications are acceptable candidates but to satisify the requirements of the contest they must be upgraded with significant new technologies that are unique to the Mac OS X platform and are not available on the Windows platform. Winners must promise to keep their innovative software on the Mac OS X platform exclusively for 24 months (or the approximate life time of their adverting and marketing award from Architosh.).