OmniFocus iPhone App - Pricing? [Archive]

RobTrew

2008-03-17, 10:02 AM

Just FYI, I would be totally cool if it were some nominal fee ($0.99 -> $4.99) to make sure it covered costs and fit within the iPhone App paradigm.

I would prefer to see it priced as a separate app. It it were free or nominally charged, Omni customers who do not use iPhones would effectively be subsidizing those who do.

Developing these things incurs costs, and deflects capacity from other development projects. The costs should be allocated to those who benefit.

My impression, judging by comments on this forum, is that those who do use iPhones are really very keen to get hold of an iPhone version of OF, and that demand will not be highly sensitive to price.

Toadling

2008-03-17, 12:25 PM

Even though I own an iPhone and am anxiously awaiting an iPhone version of OmniFocus, I tend to agree with RobTrew. The iPhone app would be better sold as a separate-but-related product with its own pricing structure.

At this point, there's is so much pent-up demand for a mobile GTD app, that I think Omni Group could pretty much charge whatever they wanted if they got to market first.

But don't get me wrong, I like free or cheap, it's just not my highest priority.

RiK

2008-03-18, 03:33 AM

I'm very much looking forward to a proper portable app. I've got an iPod touch at the moment, but will shortly be getting myself an iPhone too.

Clearly it should be charged as a separate product as not all OF users will have an iPhone/Touch and so they shouldn't be forced to subsidise development for those who do.

Personally I would rather Omni charge a sensible price which allows them to invest the time and resources they need to make the best app possible.

I've never been in the 'software should be free' camp as I worked as a developer for years and I'm well aware of what it takes to get a software product to market. Our investment in software development was at least as much, if not more than the hardware that we were targetting.

frilliams

2008-03-18, 09:07 AM

I'll pay whatever--perhaps up to half the price of OmniFocus? I have no clue about how difficult it is to adapt a full piece of software to a portable app, but I would really love to take my tasks with me and collect on the go.. Really hoping it'll work for the iPod touch. iPhone wasn't in my price range, given the monthly fee (I guess given the monthly fee iPhone users are paying, a piece of software is like a drop in the bucket).

Bruce L

2008-03-18, 12:04 PM

I was hoping that OmniGroup might follow the example of 1Password who are offering their iPhone and Palm programs free with their current (1st) release. I thought they might have done this to thank the people who bought their first release. As far as the argument that those users who do not have an iPhone or iPod Touch would be subsidizing this feature, I think that this really is more of a feature, than a program. Like Apple's Mail program. One of it's features is that it will run on OS X on your desktop, laptop, iPhone, or iPod Touch.

The current cost for a single user OmniFocus license is five cents short of $80 US. For some budgets this may not be a lot, but for others it is not cheap. I believe that offering the iPhone/iPod Touch feature of OF to the early adopters will create a lot of good press and good will. OG can show its appreciation of these early adopters, and build goodwill by showing that it values its early adopters as much as Agile Web Solutions (creators of 1Password) does.

RobTrew

2008-03-18, 12:19 PM

As one of the many early adopters who does not use an iPhone - I am not sure that I would feel a warm glow of being "appreciated" because part of my license payment has gone to fund the use by others of an iPhone app :-)

Interesting, incidentally, to hear of constrained budgets that allow for the use of an iPhone ...

Bruce L

2008-03-18, 03:27 PM

Thank you for your response Rob. I can see your point, but I bet that you have your own ways of giving to others. I was raised to think in terms of giving back to the community, whether, it is helping out the local family violence center or being a member of a fraternal organization that helps those who are less fortunate. So I can take joy in seeing good things come to others even if it costs me some time or money, as I am sure that you do as well. This may not be the way you and others want to give back to their 'community'. I will admit that not everyone is 'wired' like me. My post was simply my thoughts, and an attempt to provide a different perspective to this conversation. I think that the Mac community is by and large a very giving group.

With respect to the finances of iPhone or iPod Touch users, there are some people for whom an iPhone acts as a mobile computer, i.e., a laptop replacement. With respect to the iPod Touch, for some it is a cheaper alternative to having a PDA and portable music player. Also we have to consider that some of these items are bought used or refurbished. I have a rule of thumb that says most purchases of this type cost one 25% - 50% over time above the purchase price by the time you add in all the 'necessary' accessories and extras. Like when I moved to the Mac from Windows. I had to get Quicken for the Mac, new utilities, MS Office for the Mac, etc. You get the picture. So even though the cost of OF for the iPhone or iPod may be 'relatively' small expense, sometimes it is something like the straw that broke the camel's back. My impression is that the aforementioned company built a lot of goodwill by their action, but this is anecdotal. Nevertheless, I quite see your thinking on this point in that these do seem to be something of semi-luxury items.

RobTrew

2008-03-18, 10:36 PM

"Giving" sounds good. Omni's efforts deserve reward. Give to them.

(None of us, I'm sure, would want to be the kind of schnorrer who holds out his hat to receive donations, while taking a call on his iPhone - an all too familiar medieval figure)

Bruce L

2008-03-19, 09:11 AM

I actually believe that proper giving doesn't sound good, but is good. I am happy to reward OG for their good efforts, and do so whenever I buy a license from them.

My suggestion was that OG might consider following a certain course of action that would show their appreciation of the early adopters of OF, following the example of the 1Password, who is offering the iPhone version of their program free to early adopters for a limited time. Don't get me wrong, I do want OG to make a reasonable profit on their software.

I was not suggesting that OF users are asking for OG to do this, but that if OG followed this course of action there would probably be many users of OF who would appreciate such a course of action, and that it would engender a certain level of goodwill towards the company. Or think of it this way, how much more enthusiastic would the typical person be about recommending a company that had done something like 1Password did? Or let's say that I buy something with a three year warranty, and that product fails two weeks after the three year warranty, but the company replaces that product. Don't you think that I will enthusiastically recommend and use that product? When companies built goodwill, and that goodwill is not abused, I believe that it comes back to them in many ways. In OG's defense they did make offer a very nice pre-release price of OF. Again I want OG be fairly compensated for their efforts, and only they have the information at their disposal to determine if following the example of 1Password might be a suitable course of action for them.

CrzyMke

2008-03-19, 11:21 AM

I find it hard view a release of OF for the iPhone/Touch as a new standalone program - as its essentially worthless without a direct sync to my desktop.

iPhone sync has long been touted as an intended feature should it ever have been feasible, and (I'm sure) informed many decisions to support Omni, over the competition. If Omni decided to charge for the mobile app, I'd be very disappointed. That being said, I would likely buy the app if priced below $5 or so, but I would certainly feel gouged.

OF is supposed to be "professional-grade" task-management, and sync is its killer feature. I may be off base - but as I followed development of OF from the early beta days, I was under the impression that iPhone sync was always an intended core OF feature. To segregate the user market now seems somehow dishonest. Use of the iPhone app could always be limited to users who sync w/ the main app if there is a concern of giving away a free product to non-users.

I think the subsidization argument against a free app is a bit self-serving. Just because you don't make use of a new feature doesn't mean it isn't part of the core philosophy of the app, and therefore part of an upgrade. I don't use OF w/ iCal or Mail - should I be allowed a price break - or is feature chronology somehow more relevant?

I would feel much better spending $20-30 to upgrade to an OmniFocus 2.0 that includes iphone sync than I would about $5 for a second standalone app.

Bruce L

2008-03-19, 12:40 PM

Thank you CrzyMke. Your logic makes a lot of sense to me, although what about the person who just wanted to use a program like OF on an iPhone or iPod Touch? Maybe the answer would be separate prices for a Mac OS X only version, a Mac OS X version with an iPhone/iPod Touch plug-in/program included, and a version for just the iPhone/iPod Touch. You could have a reasonable cost differential between the first two. The pricing differential of buying the OS X version with the iPhone/iPod Touch plug-in/program included would be less than the cost of the standalone iPhone/iPod Touch version. This seems like a solution that would fairly balance the interest of all parties.

blewis

2008-03-26, 06:48 AM

For me, in order to pay anything and not feel burned, I have to have iPhone to OF sync with a cable. If I both have to pay for the mobile sync utility _and_ pay for a website/server to run webDAV, then things get fairly expensive for the mobile sync function. If things have to be done on a webDAV server for the application to "make sense" there's going to be more cost involved because I have to pay for a repeating service - which I generally frown upon. Any web base syncing has to be secure because I may be passing actions that have to do with my job.

I don't feel that Omni ever said that they guaranteed iPhone syncing with OF - in fact, I asked them directly in this forum as a precondition to me buying the beta. They gave a very professional and measured response which was something to the tune of ~"we can't really promise anything to you until we see the SDK and then we'll go from there. You can assume that we'd like to give you some way to have OF on your iPhone, but don't assume we will".

I took from that I might have to pay for an OF 1.2/1.5/2.0 license to get mobile syncing. That mainly sucked cause I thought I might have to wait a year to get OF2.0 just to get iPhone syncing. ;-)

After using OF for a couple of months, I'm amazed at how integrated it has become into my life. It's actually causing me some problems at work where I use Windows - I've had to use my personal Mac @ work for the last 2 months and my managers are annoyed with me that I've requested a mac. It's obvious to me that having a mobile interface to the application is the NeXT step. Once that happens, OmniGroup may well have control over my life. ;-)

Brandon

brab

2008-03-28, 11:48 PM

I was hoping that OmniGroup might follow the example of 1Password who are offering their iPhone and Palm programs free with their current (1st) release.
As I have 1Password and a Palm, I quickly went to check this out. Looking at this page (http://agilewebsolutions.com/downloads) it's clear that they offer the iPhone app for a limited time, but that the Palm version requires a separate license (unfortunately for me).

Kampy

2008-04-23, 02:21 AM

I've been wanting to implement a GTD app for a while now, and after doing some homework, it seems Omnifocus is the best app out there. But 80 bucks seems kinda steep (compared to other GTD apps) so I have not bought anything yet.

BUT, if Omnifocus worked on my iPhone, THAT would be the tipping point that would get me to take the plunge and plunk down my 80 bucks.

However, if I had to pay $80 for OF, and then have to pay AGAIN to get it to work on my iPhone, that would suck.

I wouldn't want a standalone iPhone only app, of course, because i'd want to be able to enter info via my desktop as well. The iPhone version should work in conjunction with the desktop version.

80 bucks for a premium GTD app that worked with my iPhone would be totally worth it, but having to spend more than, say, $10 more to get the iPhone functionality would leave a BAD taste in my mouth!

mjstarks

2008-04-23, 10:23 PM

Thought I would throw me vote in for a free update to existing license holders. Consider the cost as "Green Marketing" because by having OMNiPhoneCus on my iPhone, I will stop printing out reams of paper everyday trying to keep my next actions with me for all my various contexts.

What is GTD if you can't easily have your next actions available when you are in whatever context in which you need it? and, of course, what is always with someone all of the time? Their iPhone!

Don't get me wrong, if I felt the iPhone app was well done I'd be willing to pay again, but anything over $6 and I trend toward bitter.

I have invested in OmniPlan, OmniOutliner, OmniGraflle & OmniFocus trying to get the best system together. And I can't even share data from OmniPlan to/fro OmniFocus, and my incredible portable computing platform, the iPhone can't do much with any of my data. So I am looking at another round of upgrades (which are hopefully coming soon.)

So charge if you must, but I would much rather feel some goodwill for the investment I have already made.

joelande

2008-04-25, 10:06 AM

...iPhone sync has long been touted as an intended feature should it ever have been feasible, and (I'm sure) informed many decisions to support Omni, over the competition.

... but as I followed development of OF from the early beta days, I was under the impression that iPhone sync was always an intended core OF feature. To segregate the user market now seems somehow dishonest.

I don't feel that Omni ever said that they guaranteed iPhone syncing with OF - in fact, I asked them directly in this forum as a precondition to me buying the beta.

Well I can tell you that I was at the Apple Store "event" where OmniGroup first announced OmniFocus during MacWorld Expo a couple of years ago.

There were lots of questions regarding information on their portable device (at that time, Treos). OmniGroup said that OmniFocus would definitely work with as many portable devices as practical.

Omni were very emphatic that OmniFocus data would be available on their Treos. They were even waving their Treos in the air, claiming that they would definitely have their data with them.

Now, to be 100% completely fair, at the time they were talking Treos, and they were not specific as to whether it would be an add-on product or not.

But I have to say, as someone who was there, I walked away with the impression, in the spirit of the conversation, that it would be included.

Ken Case

2008-04-25, 10:50 AM

Omni were very emphatic that OmniFocus data would be available on their Treos.

This works now by synchronizing both OmniFocus and your Treo with iCal.

If the iPhone had a built-in To Do application like the Treo does, presumably it would also synchronize with iCal and we'd be synchronizing with it now as well. Unfortunately, it doesn't, so what we're really talking about is writing a new application for the iPhone rather than just synchronizing with an existing one.

The iPhone synchronization code will be included in a free update to OmniFocus, but we haven't yet decided whether or what to charge for the new iPhone application we're writing (which some people may want to put on their iPhones even if they don't have OmniFocus—or even a Mac).

blewis

2008-04-26, 04:53 AM

If the iPhone had a built-in To Do application like the Treo does, presumably it would also synchronize with iCal and we'd be synchronizing with it now as well.

Who knew that after a year of iPhone software updates, Apple _still_ would not have a basic smartphone feature. I can't believe it. I expected they'd have one as soon as Leopard came out.

The iPhone synchronization code will be included in a free update to OmniFocus, but we haven't yet decided whether or what to charge for the new iPhone application we're writing (which some people may want to put on their iPhones even if they don't have OmniFocus—or even a Mac).

Interesting....

kcmac

2008-04-28, 05:54 PM

I am a registered user of OmniFocus. I am most interested in seeing how the iPhone version compares to the desktop version. Frankly, I will be impressed if Omni can figure out how to simplify the iPhone version enough to make it iPhone friendly.

I have also started to use Things, which while not as feature rich as OF, is much more intuitive to use. I am also watching how they implement an iPhone version.

Since I registered with the early price of OF, I feel I got a pretty good deal. If I had paid $80, I would feel more inclined to think the iPhone version should be free for a registered user.

Looking forward to June, that is for sure.

Cameron

2008-04-30, 11:26 AM

Let me just say that I do not own an iPhone, but I am definitely buying the rumored 3G version and I cannot wait to have Omnifocus for the iPhone.

blewis

2008-06-15, 03:17 PM

Perhaps it's time to revive this thread?

joelande

2008-06-15, 03:26 PM

I would like to know - so I can start budgeting -

new iPhone, new family plan (wide gets old iPhone), new iPhone apps, new mobile me account...

So, do I have to budget for OF iPhone?

Gort

2008-06-15, 05:48 PM

My guess is Apple would be less than pleased if Omni released pricing prior to the App Store going live. I haven't seen a whole lot of co's confirming app pricing -- lots of rumors, but a definite lack of official confirmations.

joelande

2008-06-15, 06:17 PM

I doubt that - there have been several apps announced with pricing.

blewis

2008-06-15, 07:06 PM

Well Re: iPhone 3G: I'm playing wait and see on that one. When you factor in the new ATT data plan, owning the new iPhone is going to be more expensive than owning the orig. I'll have to play with the iPhone 2.0 software on my existing phone and read some reviews about the new hardware (audio quality?) before moving forward. I'm annoyed with the "It's cheaper! (until you actually do the math)" trick being pulled.

On the OF front, I've read on another website that Omnigroup won't have the mechanism to give discounts on the iPhone OF app to people who already own OF on their desktops. Something to do with how the AppStore is going to work.

As I've mentioned before, I purchased at the beta price of $40, so I've got some room to play with before it gets uncomfortable. I still think $80 for OF 1.0 was a bit much. $80 for OF 1.x and OF iPhone... now that seems to make more sense as a product package... but I'm still not sure where that leaves me.

I don't know, thinking out loud: $10-15 is a gift from Omni to me. $20 for OF iPhone is a no brainer. $30 ...okay. $40-$50 "dammit... grr... (sigh) okay..." >$50 "George is gettin' angry!"

Still need syncing with a cable. I don't want to have to fork over $30/month to ATT, then $10/month to Apple (or someone else) for some webDAV server just to use OF on my iPhone. Yes, syncing wirelessly is cool, but a dude has to put a stop to the monthly service premiums at some point.

BwanaZulia

2008-06-16, 03:56 AM

Now that we know it will be a seperate application (meaning, you don't need OmniFocus) I think they will price it in the $9.99 - $14.99 range.

BZ

Macka

2008-06-16, 05:34 AM

I'f I were picking the price for OF iPhone at this stage it would be somewhere around the $10 mark at launch, and depending on the size and speed of the AppStore uptake, I'd drop that eventually to something like $5.

What Omni want is volume. Pundits are predicting ~70 million iPhone sales by the end of 2009. With those kind of numbers you want your product to be cheap enough so everyone who has an iPhone is willing to have a go with it. And if it doesn't suit, then who's really going to mourn the loss of $5. But if Omni can get 50% of the user base to buy OF at $5; well that's serious profit. And an Omni Group with a healthy balance sheet will mean lots of juicy Apps for us for many years to come.

Ken Case

2008-06-16, 05:35 AM

For now, let's just say we're shooting for the "no brainer" price range. We'll get more specific in a few weeks.

joelande

2008-06-16, 05:36 AM

I agree, it is a bit sneaky the way they have announced things. Although, to be clear, ATT has not OFFICIALLY announced price plan details for iPhone 3G (text messaging details, family plan details, etc). I even called ATT and they said that pricing plans for the new iPhone had not been distributed yet.

But if you view the known facts and mix in the rumors regarding the new iPhone pricing plans, (data plans, text plans, etc) - it puts the iPhone plan more in line with other smart phones (and cheaper than Verrizon, T-mobile, and Sprint).

So while it is a bummer, and a bit sneaky how they announced it, I don't feel I am getting ripped off.

BwanaZulia

2008-06-16, 05:48 AM

It will be interesting to see if there is a market for OmniFocus iPhone as a standalone application, for users who don't want to use the desktop application (PC users).

I am sure OmniGroup hopes so.

BZ

Toadling

2008-06-16, 10:11 AM

It seems AT&T is switching the iPhone's service plan over to their standard arrangement for smart phones (no more special treatment). It's now pretty much inline with other phones on the market:

http://gizmodo.com/5015540/iphone-3gs-true-price-compared

Frankly, I don't see what the fuss is here. Yeah, it seems AT&T is subsidizing the initial cost of the handset and making the money back in service fees. But then, their 3G network didn't build itself for free either, so they're entitled to charge for it. That's nothing new. I mean, do you want 3G or not?

As for the front end price being less and having to pay more over the next two years: that's fine by me. I'd much rather hang on to my money as long as possible. This plan still seems better than the old one; the extra $160 over two years is worth it for 3G and GPS.

-Dennis

Brian

2008-06-16, 10:53 AM

I'f I were picking the price for OF iPhone at this stage it would be somewhere around the $10 mark at launch, and depending on the size and speed of the AppStore uptake, I'd drop that eventually to something like $5.

Don't forget: Apple takes 30% of whatever price we set. So a five dollar app is really a $3.50 app for us. And it's not pure profit - more customers means more support ninjas. A volume strategy only works when the transactions are profitable. :-)

Juddbert

2008-06-16, 01:50 PM

And let's not forget that Omnifolk are as entitled as anyone else to a decent wage. Innovative software combining robust code with an intuitive user interface, plus stellar support - it's a no-brainer. You get what you pay for, and with Omni you're guaranteed that's VFM :)

blewis

2008-06-16, 04:55 PM

It seems AT&T is switching the iPhone's service plan over to their standard arrangement for smart phones. Frankly, I don't see what the fuss is here. I mean, do you want 3G or not?
-Dennis

I suppose "the fuss" for me is that the original iPhone data plan was the first time that I thought data was worth it and that was because it was cheaper than other phone. It's weird, I'm not sure if I want 3G or not.

I have this nagging feeling that for all the times I'm going to be getting pumped that I'm getting data faster than the 2G iPhone, there will be equal amount of times I'll be annoyed that I'm paying more money for the same 2G EDGE service in locations where 3G isn't deployed. Who knows.

Having said that, I'm one of the clowns that stood in line to buy the iPhone 2G on launch day. So, for some reason, I thought $600 + $480 ($1080) was "totally worth it". Now I'm questioning $200 (or $300) + $720 = $920 (or $1020). What? Doesn't quite add up does it?

I wonder what has changed in my mind? I think it's that so much power is being opened up with the iPhone 2.0 software that I'm just less motivated to buy new hardware as an early adopter. I'll just wait and read the reviews on the new hardware and go from there.

Now, back to the thread... sorry 'bout the detour on iPhone pricing... if Omni sells OF iPhone for the "no brainer" $20 range, that'll be really cool in my book. If I do buy a 3G iPhone and the app is $20, I'll buy a copy for myself _and_ I'll buy a copy for my wife's 2G iPhone (my old iPhone). She doesn't need the desktop version at all, but I'm sure she'd like a mobile version.

Anyone want to start a thread on the phenomenon of the spouse getting the hand me down 2G iPhone? Sounds like a trend to me.

BwanaZulia

2008-06-17, 12:56 PM

I too stood inline for the $600 iPhone and a year later know it was completely worth it. I love that device more than any other I own and 3G, 16Gb, GPS and iPhone 2.0 will only make it that much more a part of my life.

BZ

clipboarder

2008-07-12, 07:01 AM

Considering that I just spent $250 on a new phone, spent money on OmniFocus for the Mac, cannot test OmniFocus (or any non-free App) on the iPhone, and see other companies like iPassword offer the mobile version as a free extension of their desktop application I'm unpleasantly surprised by the $20 price. I'll wait and see what other mobile GTD apps will appear on the market in the coming weeks.

tdonovan

2008-07-12, 07:32 AM

Lizard

2008-07-12, 07:50 AM

What I haven't been able to find info on anywhere is how upgrades to App Store apps will be handled. $20 for v1.0 isn't that big a deal if I know I can get 1.1-1.9 for free (ponying up for v2.0 isn't unreasonable), but if I'd have to pay for each new version, then the price would have to come down by at least half.

While Apple will obviously know that I purchased v1.0, will the App Store be smart enough to have different terms for current license holders as opposed to new purchasers?

I can't speak for other app developers, but Omni plans to offer minor updates (eg 1.1-1.9) for free, as we do with our desktop apps. Yes, Apple does provide the infrastructure for that. Whether we'll be able to offer a discount for 2.0 to current 1.0 users is less clear.

BwanaZulia

2008-07-12, 09:28 AM

sgecko

2008-07-12, 09:43 AM

I can't speak for other app developers, but Omni plans to offer minor updates (eg 1.1-1.9) for free, as we do with our desktop apps. Yes, Apple does provide the infrastructure for that. Whether we'll be able to offer a discount for 2.0 to current 1.0 users is less clear.

this is very frustrating for me. this program does NOT live up to the same graphic standards at other omni programs. i'm somewhat mobile during the day and need to print out my lists to use with me. and from the lousy implementation for printing, i have in my hands a product i won't show my clients (because it looks so unprofessional). coordination with ical or mail to do's is limited (not omni's fault imho), so i was thrilled we could port it to the iphone.

so now to effectively use this program, i have to shell out another $20 on top of the $80 already paid. ouch. and then to see your comment above, i could no longer be silent. so no upgrade discount for the next generation that may make the program usable? this program is still in beta as far as i'm concerned. so to pay full price for the next version? i'm losing faith in omni.

i have no problem paying for software. in fact i even paid for omniweb, omnigraffle, omnioutliner, and omniplan. i never used the browser and hardly use the graffle and plan programs. but i pay because i WANT to support your efforts. you came into the market and set a new standard for intelligent use, graphical interface, and products we could use. omnifocus has failed to reach that same level of quality.

clipboarder

2008-07-12, 10:11 AM

What I haven't been able to find info on anywhere is how upgrades to App Store apps will be handled. $20 for v1.0 isn't that big a deal if I know I can get 1.1-1.9 for free (ponying up for v2.0 isn't unreasonable), but if I'd have to pay for each new version, then the price would have to come down by at least half.

While Apple will obviously know that I purchased v1.0, will the App Store be smart enough to have different terms for current license holders as opposed to new purchasers?

great point! if i knew that i'd get free upgrades up to a certain points, or some kind of benefit for owning both desktop and mobile down the road, then the price would be easier to swallow.

tdonovan

2008-07-12, 12:00 PM

brianogilvie

2008-07-12, 12:26 PM

so no upgrade discount for the next generation that may make the program usable? this program is still in beta as far as i'm concerned.

Keep in mind that Omni Group, like all other iPhone developers, is constrained by the limitations and policies of the App Store. When Lizard wrote, "Whether we'll be able to offer a discount for 2.0 to current 1.0 users is less clear," I interpret that charitably as follows: Whether the App Store will allow Omni Group to offer a separate upgrade price from 1.x to 2.0, in addition to the price for 2.0 for new users, is less clear.

Note too that he (or she) was talking about the iPhone app, NOT the desktop app.

And if you think the program is "still in beta" and unusable, why did you pay for it? It's easy to get frustrated by the limitations of any application, but hyperbole gets in the way of a constructive discussion.

Christopher

2008-07-12, 01:31 PM

Looks like I was wrong. $20.

I still think it is a little on the high side as an OmniFocus owner, but it won't stop me and the other 1,000s of people from buying it.

$14 straight into OG's pockets. No other company deserves it more.

BZ

I too was disappointed to see it at $20 - but that's because I'd gotten it in my head that it would probably be $10. But buying it was a no-brainer for me. I need mobile functionality, and would probably pay $50 for it.

I've only had OF for iPhone for a day, but I have zero buyer's remorse. It's a fantastic app, synchronized beautifully, and is going to make my life much better. Thanks, Omni!

sophiesfurnishings

2008-07-12, 01:34 PM

I have been using OF on and off since the early sneaky peak that was developed from Ethan's program. $20 for a productivity app that you can have in your pocket that syncs with your mac is such a no brainer! Think about what your life was like with no iphone a year ago? How much more productive are you now that you have your contacts and calender with you? I would venture a guess that you are much more productive! As a long time mac user one of the things we as a community can count on is a viable developer base that responds to our needs. Omni is one of these companies. They are a real company with real people that have to make a profit. With apple taking 30% for distribution Omni is making about $14.00 per copy. With out knowing what development costs are involved it would seem IMO that OF for the iphone is a deal.

joelande

2008-07-12, 03:02 PM

FYI, this is a note I received regarding the "Things" GTD app for iPhone:

Things for iPhone and iPod touch available

Yesterday not only saw the debut of the iTunes App Store. A budding new member was born to the Things family too: Things for iPhone and iPod touch. But while Things for the iPhone is promising and developing fast, it is not without its teething troubles.

No sync?

The short development time available to us made it impossible to recreate every feature of the desktop version in time for the App Store's launch. Most notable is the omission of sync with the desktop version. This and many more features will be delivered as free updates.

Substantial discount now - free updates later

Here is the deal. As long as major features are missing, we will offer Things for the iPhone for US$ 9.99, which is 50% of what was initially planned. Missing features like syncing with the desktop version will be provided as free updates.

Once more and more features are added, we will gradually adapt the price to its final target between $15 and $25.

25000 developers applied for the App Store. 4000+ were accepted. At its launch 500 applications were available. But Things already made it into the Top 25 category!

Christopher

2008-07-12, 03:24 PM

I guess it says something about Omni that they have been able to provide syncing so well in that same "short development time."

sterling

2008-07-12, 06:35 PM

Just thought I'd chime in. Like many people I was put off by the $20 price tag. I bit though and am extremely happy. Omni really packed the features into the iPhone version. I am really impressed. If taking your action list with you is important to you than the app will be worth it.

Ken Case

2008-07-13, 09:58 AM

We offer free updates to all our products. For example, OmniFocus 1.1 is a free update to 1.0 and offers some major new functionality with the ability to synchronize your database. (It also adds archiving and some new style preferences, so hopefully there's something in this release for everyone.)

When the time comes for us to release a new major upgrade (i.e., OmniFocus 2.0), we plan to offer existing customers a substantial discount on the new version just as we do with all our other applications. On the desktop side, of course, we control our own store and we know that we can offer discounts as we already do.

The only wrinkle is we don't know whether this sort of upgrade will be possible on the iTunes store, but we've already expressed the need for this to Apple (months ago!) and we hope they'll have this in place by the time we have a 2.0 release. (That's still quite a ways off, so they do have some time!) If this is important to you, too, I encourage you to send Apple some feedback requesting this as well.

I hope this clarifies things somewhat!

joelande

2008-07-13, 10:48 AM

blewis

2008-07-14, 04:02 AM

[B]FYI, this is a note I received regarding the "Things" GTD app for iPhone:

Up until this morning, I felt like the $10 premium on OF iPhone was for syncing. This morning however, I feel the $10 premium was paid of OF iPhone for me to Alpha test OF syncing.

It'll be worth it in the end, I really believe that. These OG guys are going to make it right and they've already showed us their commitment to make it happen right.