2011-09-09 Family Tree Maker Complete

New Family Tree Maker bundle lacks Ancestry.com appeal

Family Tree Maker 2012

Family Tree Maker 2012 is currently available as the Family Tree Maker 2012 Public Beta. It's major new feature is TreeSync, a feature similar to Real-Time Collaboration's AncestorSync product, also in Public Beta.
The Ancestry Store has started taking orders for the Family Tree Maker Pre-Sale. The information on the Ancestry Store pages confirm the new features revealed in What is New in Family Tree Maker 2012?.

Family Tree Maker 2012 with TreeSync

Something odd about the Ancestry Store pages for Family Tree Maker 2012 is that they often refer to Family Tree Maker 2012 as Family Tree Maker 2012 with TreeSync. That with TreeSync addition makes it sound like TreeSync is something extra, a separate application included in the package, but TreeSync isn't something extra, and it isn't a separate application.
TreeSync is a feature of Family Tree Maker 2012. In fact, TreeSync is the big feature of Family Tree Maker 2012, so much so that a six-word description of Family Tree Maker 2012 would be Family Tree Maker 2011 plus TreeSync. Adding with TreeSync to Family Tree Maker 2012 makes no sense.
Saying Family Tree Maker 2012 with TreeSync is like saying Family Tree Maker 2011 plus TreeSync with TreeSync.

Ancestry Store: Family Tree Maker 2012 Video

There are several possible explanations for Ancestry.com's odd phraseology.
You may recall that, in mid 2010, The Cost of Genealogy Software pointed out that Family Tree Maker is one of the most expensive desktop genealogy applications. Perhaps Ancestry.com is planning to introduce a less expensive edition of Family Tree Maker that lacks some features of the full product. Maybe Ancestry.com is stressing that Family Tree Maker 2012 is Family Tree Maker 2012 with TreeSync because they are already planning to release Family Tree Maker 2012 without TreeSync.
Another possibility is that Ancestry is in talks with Real-Time Collaboration to bundle AncestorSync with Family Tree Maker, a bundle they'd probably sell as Family Tree Maker 2012 with AncestorSync, and they just want to make really sure that you know that the Family Tree Maker 2012 already includes the TreeSync feature.

The most likely explanation is simply that Ancestry is overeager to stress that Family Tree Maker 2012 introduces their TreeSync feature. Ancestry.com is proud of this new feature, and really, really wants you to know about it.

Family Tree Maker 2012 will ship this month.

release date: last week of September

When you look over the problems recently reported by testers of the Family Tree Maker Public Beta on the FTM Sync Beta message board, you'd expect the Family Tree Maker 2012 release date to be a few month away.
However, the Family Tree Maker team just posted a message thanking all beta testers for their involvement, and reminding all that current installations expire on 2011 Sep 15.
The Family Tree Maker 2012 Public Beta is over and the Ancestry store states that Family Tree Maker 2012 will begin shipping the last week of September 2011..

A quick browse through recent FTM Sync Beta messages does not give the impression that the TreeSync feature is ready for release, yet Ancestry.com has decided to end the Family Tree Maker 2012 Public Beta and start the pre-sale. Family Tree Maker 2012 will ship this month.
It probably takes a few weeks to produce and package the CDs, so the version Ancestry.com is going to ship is not likely to be very different from the last Beta release - Family Tree Maker 2012 Public Beta 4, released on 2011 Aug 31.
I cannot help but wonder whether Ancestry is once again making the same mistake they made with Family Tree Maker 2008 and Family Tree Maker for Mac; releasing a product before it is finished.

price & discounts

Ancestry.com has started a pre-sale for Family Tree Maker 2012. Family Tree Maker 2012 will sell for US$ 39,99 (about € 28,80). Ancestry is currently offering a 20 % pre-sale discount. If you buy now, you'll pay US$ 31,99 (about € 23,00).
An upgrade to Family Tree Maker 2012 is available at 40 % off, for US$ 23,99 (about € 17,25).

The Ancestry Store pre-sale of Family Tree Maker not only confirmed the Family Tree Maker 2012 features, it also revealed something we did not know yet. Ancestry will be introducing a new bundle, called Family Tree Maker Complete.

Ancestry Store: Family Tree Maker 2012 Complete Pre-Sale

The regular Ancestry Store price for Family Tree Maker 2012 Complete is US$ 79,99 (about € 57,50).
The 20 % off pre-sale price is US$ 63,99 (about € 46,00). The 40 % off upgrade price is US$ 47,99 (about € 34,50).

The aforementioned prices are prices as listed in the Ancestry.com Store. These prices do not include Shipping & Handling nor sales tax. The upgrade option is available for any previous version of Family Tree Maker.

Family Tree Maker Complete

The new Family Tree Maker 2012 Complete bundle consist of

Family Tree Maker 2012
printed Companion Guide
Family History Toolkit
Photo Explosion Album

So, Family Tree Maker 2012 Complete is Family Tree Maker 2012 plus three extras.
The same three extras are currently included in Family Tree Maker 2011 Platinum.

printed Companion Guide

Family Tree Maker 2012 Complete includes the printed Companion Guide.
An electronic edition (Adobe PDF) of the Companion Guide is included with all editions.

Family History Toolkit

The Family History Toolkit is six reference works on one DVD:

Abbreviations and Acronyms: A Guide for Family Historians - Explanation of abbreviations and acronyms found in census schedules, soundex indexes, mortality schedules, court records, etc.
Ancestry's Concise Genealogy Dictionary - Definitions of unusual terms you might encounter in cemetery, probate, court, and medical records.
Hidden Sources: Family History in Unlikely Places - Overview of sources that are often overlooked and where and how they can be found.
Printed Sources: A Guide to Published Genealogical Records - Guide to printed sources such as vital records, family histories, land records, and more.
The Official Guide to Ancestry.com - Become more proficient with searching the site. Explore obscure databases you didn't know existed.
The Official Guide to RootsWeb - Learn to use the resources on RootsWeb and read success stories from the RootsWeb Community.

Photo Explosion Album

Photo Explosion Album is a lite edition of commercial photo editing software by Nova Development. Nova Development sells both Standard and Deluxe editions.

Ancestry Store: Family Tree Maker 2012 Editions Comparison

bundled Ancestry subscription

Not only are those three extras currently included the Family Tree Maker 2011 Platinum bundle, that bundle actually offers another extra, one which many buyers find more important. The Family Tree Maker 2011 Platinum bundle includes a 6-month subscription to Ancestry.com. The Family Tree Maker 2012 Complete bundle does not.

The Family Tree Maker 2011 Platinum bundle includes a 6-month subscription to Ancestry.com. The Family Tree Maker 2012 Complete bundle does not.

Perhaps Ancestry.com has chosen to stop bundling Family Tree Maker with Ancestry subscriptions. If so, the discounted stock of older Family Tree Maker version is likely to be very popular as long as supplies last.
Ancestry.com's comparison table for Family Tree Maker 2012 editions lists just two editions: Family Tree Maker 2012 and Family Tree Maker 2012 Complete. Both come with a 14-day trial membership.

Family Tree Maker 2012 for Mac

Both the Family Tree Maker 2012 and Family Tree Maker 2012 Complete pages feature a Mac info link, but that link does not lead to Family Tree Maker 2012 for Mac. That link leads to the Family Tree Maker for Mac page, which, if it were year-numbered like the PC editions, would have to be called Family Tree Maker 2010 for Mac. There is Family Tree Maker 2011 for Mac.
There is no Family Tree Maker 2012 for Mac page, at least not yet.

updates

2011-09-29 FTM 2012 released

Family Tree Maker 2012 has been released. The pre-sale is over.

2011-09-29 FTM 2012 for Mac

The Ancestry blog got round to announcing FTM 2012, and there finally is an official statement about FTM 2012 for Mac: For those of you interested in Family Tree Maker for Mac, a new version with TreeSync capability is slated to be released by the end of 2011..