I was hoping to do this review alongside the MacPilot 4, as to tie together the whole aviation theme. As a Macintosh flyboy, I expect my machine to perform excellently in combat with nothing more than the twitch of my joystick or the press of button. Cockpit by green&slimy software can give aspiring pilots the precision they need to execute their daily tasks. Time to strap in to that five point harness Ace, it’s time for review.
Cockpit is a universal controller for anything on your Mac. Want quick access to iTunes controls? Universal keys to launch applications? How about custom controls to upload and sync files through Panic’s Transmit 4? Cockpit allows everything to be executed from mouse or fingertip, and automator/applescript fans could go all out with this application.
Cockpit is a menubar centric application, which gives you access to a variety of preset commands through a HUD. The HUD itself is composed of an Apple Remote-like system that gives you access to the most used features in iTunes, Safari, iPhoto, etc. I do question some of preset options (why would I want to open a tab in Safari through Cockpit?), and a big downside is that the application has to be open before those controls can be presented. Visually, I feel cockpit’s visual interface, while interesting, is somewhat wasteful. Instead of round buttons, inline or menu based controls may have been a better decision. However, Cockpit’s visual interface does make it preferable to mouse-pointers who would otherwise give a damn about keyboard shortcuts - most things are easy to find or figure out with a click or two.
While I’m not satisfied with that aspect of Cockpit, dare I say that the visual interface is indeed customizable to an extent? Found in the preferences, one may create custom controls that can do just about anything. Integrating with Apple’s Automator, you can create custom that do everything from launch scripts, perform application actions, etc. For example, I created a button that takes all selected audio files and adds them to the iTunes library (which kinda works - my lack of Automator skill fails sometimes). For these items, you can also create global hotkeys that can apply your actions anywhere you see fit.
I’m not certain that Cockpit can help me find that angle of attack, but the first effort is certainly welcome. I definitely look forward to future updates, as well as a list of even more controls (which is incredibly sparse on their website). The appeal here will be if the developers can get enough people or ideas to make lots of useful controls, because customers looking to take shortcuts might be turned off by the initial lack of functionality (or can’t be bothered with making their own controls). Cockpit is currently €19, and you can give it a free run here.
UPDATE! Get this app for free at MacBuzzer’s newest event! Click here.
