Many developers are relying on revenues from consulting services to tide them over until new NEXTSTEP sales create demand for shrinkwrapped software.
"If we didn't have the consulting, we'd be in trouble," said Alex Cone, president of Objective Technologies, a New YorkÐbased consulting firm that ventured into the shrinkwrapped market two years ago. "I know of a number of people doing consulting who are normally considered to be [developers of] shrinkwrapped software."
One example is Stone Design, which recently began offering consulting services in database design and graphic arts to bring in extra cash. One of the largest NEXTSTEP developers, Lighthouse Design, was "deriving revenue from non-NEXTSTEP sources" during NeXT's transition, according to company President Jonathan Schwartz.
The good news, said Schwartz, is that Lighthouse has "returned to profitability with our NEXTSTEP software alone." Reported NEXTSTEP sales of approximately 10,000 units from June through August may revitalize the shrinkwrapped-software market, Schwartz said.