NetObjects does Mac Fusion

With help from two big names, NetObjects announced today the Macintosh version of its Fusion Web site design and management software, as CNET reported last week.

Looking to rope in the large number of Web designers using the Macintosh platform, Fusion for Mac has the backing of AT&T and Apple Computer, both of whom will add marketing muscle to pitch a one-stop site-building solution encompassing Apple hardware, Fusion software, and AT&T's Web hosting services.

The vote of confidence from AT&T and Apple follows the support Fusion for Windows received immediately after its release this summer, when IBM and UUNet announced bundling and marketing agreements with the Redwood City, California-based start-up.

The Mac and Windows versions will be practically the same, except for the Mac version's support of Apple's Meta Content Format for creating both 3D and 2D representations of Web sites.

Fusion faces tough competition, as Microsoft, Adobe Systems, Macromedia, and a host of others vie for space in the increasingly crowded Web design software market.

A free trial version of Fusion for Mac is available at the NetObjects Web site; the full version will retail for $695. The company is offering a special price of $495 until the end of the year.