Dear Kirk,
thank you for your reply.
I am not a programmer but as a user, I would consider having an update/install routine within applications as very common. Photo Mechanic is one of the very few Pro apps I know that does not have an inline check for updates. For me, the main advantage would be that things are quicker and simpler. I am a professional agency photographer, so speed and battery life in the field are always a concern.
Starting a browser to do the check means at least three things: First, browsers take time (and consume battery power) to start up. Also, very often browsers are closed with several tabs open which will reopen when you launch the browser again which takes even more time.
Second, if one of those tabs contains flash, like a video waiting to be seen, cpu load rockets skywards and drains the battery very quickly.
And third, I find it more difficult to read a status message on a web page than reading a quick dialogue within a program.
Photo Mechanic is my (and many other Pro's) number 1 choice for ingesting, selecting, captioning and sending photos very quickly and efficiently. A built-in update feature would add to speed and ease of use of this already great product.
Thank you
Best
Marco