Case Studies
Bittorrent: BitTorrent Expands Product Reach with the help of Macadamian
BitTorrent Expands Product Reach with the help of Macadamian
Macadamian helps BitTorrent offer popular µTorrent file sharing client to Mac OS X users
The popular BitTorrent software client allows users to easily distribute and download large files online using the BitTorrent peer-to-peer file sharing protocol. In 2005, a smaller, streamlined client named µTorrent was introduced that has quickly set the standard for rich media sharing and become the world’s most popular BitTorrent client. Since 2007 µTorrent has been developed by the team at BitTorrent, Inc.
"µTorrent is very feature rich while also small and efficient," explains Ilan Shamir, VP of Engineering at BitTorrent. “The Windows installer is about 300K – that’s tiny compared to most Windows applications. µTorrent is also very efficient in its memory consumption, which makes it able to handle hundreds or thousands of files."
Initially, µTorrent was limited to the Microsoft Windows platform, but the growing popularity of the Mac OS X platform was impossible to ignore. "We quickly realized that to reach as many users as possible, we needed to offer µTorrent to MacIntosh users sooner rather than later," recalls Shamir.
While a Mac version of µTorrent would share much of the same code base as the existing Windows version, it would require more than a simple coding update. "Mac users have different expectations about how a product should behave. They are more sensitive to design and are used to a certain look, feel and overall experience. In addition to needing technical development help, we knew that we would need to get the user interface right."
BitTorrent turned to Macadamian for help.
Finding the right outsourcing partner
"We looked into outsourcing the project to an individual contractor, but Macadamian offered us so much more structure in the form of project management, quality assurance resources and access to additional developers if needed" recalls Shamir.
Macadamian also offered BitTorrent the opportunity to oversee – rather than manage – the project. "With an individual contractor, the responsibility of managing the project would fall largely on my shoulders," Shamir explains. "Macadamian had the organizational structure and processes in place for me to trust that they would manage the project properly and allow me to be more hands-off" he adds.
"We also knew that Macadmian had a history of developing commercial products for Mac OS X and we felt that we would be able to get µTorrent to market faster by working with a firm with that kind of experience," says Shamir. "Macadamian was clearly the right partner for this project."
Developing a market-ready product
Macadamian's software developers began developing and testing the code required to port the product to Mac OS X.
Through weekly calls, Macadamian and BitTorrent remained in constant communication about the status and progress of the project. "We were able to break down the project into three major milestones and I was able to track progress from week to week," says Shamir. "I also had access to the code review e-mail list so I could see which check-ins were made on a daily basis if I wanted. I could see open bugs and comment on them if needed because I had access to Macadamian’s bug tracking system," notes Shamir.
BitTorrent also appreciated the openness of the Macadamian team and its transparent workflow processes. "We needed Macadamian to work against our source control system on a daily basis and they were OK with that, which is not always the case with outsourcing firms."
To ensure that the µTorrent interface fulfilled both the requirements of the company and the needs of the Mac audience, "Macadamian spent a lot of time reviewing the visual design and ensuring that the interface would behave in a way that Mac users would expect it to," says Shamir.
Launching µTorrent for Mac
Following extensive internal testing, the beta version of µTorrent Mac 1.0 was released to the public in February, 2010. "Working with Macadamian allowed us to develop and release µTorrent for Mac much faster than we could have on our own, so we were very pleased," Shamir remarks.
Almost immediately, µTorrent for Mac began to receive positive feedback. "From the outset, we began to see a number of positive comments on our user forum and on Twitter, which were followed by good industry reviews," Shamir recalls.
BitTorrent was also pleased with the relationship it built with Macadamian throughout the µTorrent project. "The Macadamian team was very professional and proactive," says Shamir. "They noticed small issues and took care of them. We also didn’t have to provide them with extremely detailed instructions, which we've had to do with other outsourcing firms in the past. They were competent and committed not only to the project but to creating an end product that users would appreciate."
Future Plans
Based on its positive experience with the Macadamian team, BitTorrent plans to continue the relationship. "We will be working with Macadamian to make further improvements to µTorrent for Mac, and we have a few other projects that would be an excellent fit for Macadamian's expertise," Shamir notes. "We were extremely happy with Macadamian's work on this project and plan to continue working with them into the future."
Update
In November 2011, popular blog and review site Lifehacker, named uTorrent as the best BitTorrent client for Mac.
About Macadamian
Macadamian is a global software consultancy that helps companies create successful products. Product development leaders turn to Macadamian to develop product strategies, design compelling user experiences, and build quality software. We transform ideas into market-ready products that your customers will love. For more information, please visit www.macadamian.com or email software@macadamian.com.
