Value versus functionality
 

I have used Mindmapping and Outliners professionally and personally for many years with great success and enjoyment ... But always in a Windows environment.
Since I got my iPad, but no Mac, I feel that I have come home. I spend more on Apps than I should, but so what at the price points asked, but Omnioutliner is the greatest imbalance of price versus function I have ever experienced.
If this product was another Ecco, or Lotus Agenda (Functionalities I sorely miss on any platform, and showing my age) I would gladly pay double or triple the asking price.*
Other Outliners are appearing in the App Store and I try them all, so if I spend a few dollars and they don't work for me cest la vie. But this product, at this stage, when I cant print, or search, never mind more sophisticated features, indicates an assumption about me as a Customer that I find unacceptable.
Am I being unreasonable about a product from a Brand that I respected from afar?

[QUOTE=IvorM;97421]
Am I being unreasonable about a product from a Brand that I respected from afar?[/QUOTE]

Probably not, if you've never used OO on the Mac. To me, OO on my Mac is so essential, and its files so ubiquitous in my workflows, that I would have bought OO on the iPad on the first day, no questions asked, for twice the price. I did the the same for OmniGraffle :)
That said, I find a little disappointing this idea that software for iOS should be dirt cheap. True, Apple does not allow trial versions, which is a big problem for someone parting with money on untried software, but all these developers rushing to lower their prices to 0,99$ are generating false expectations that you can get apps (almost) without paying for them.
And BTW, I find OO on the iPad already great as it is. :D

I agree with the vegaz, knowing Omni products over many years I have a trust of the company but even so the price point did make me think as many of omni's prices do. I do own OmniFocus both the Mac & iPad versions (and iPhone version which I never use now) and I also bought OmniOutliner Pro. I would love to own omnigraffle and omniplan but the plain fact of it is I can't afford them. They aren't apps I would use a great deal but even so they are out of my league as far as price goes.

Whilst I do use OmniOutliner I'm not a huge user of it, I don't have thousands of outlines. I create at best one a month, and have in use at any time between 5 and 10 files. I also only really use it for very basic outlines. Section headers, maybe sub sections and some notes. Usually single column outlines, maybe the odd check boxes. I could do the same in a text file so cost of the software is an issue. For me the iPad apps are not my primary use, I would always use the desktop versions given the choice and rarely use the iPad versions of anything, the iPad apps are just a means of taking that info with me and occasionally being able to work with it. I only use the iPad for a few minutes at a time even when I do use it. I realise some people get a lot more out of the software than I do so they maybe can justify the pricing and whilst I don't agree with the assumption "iOS software should be drit cheap", there is a point where I expect a lot more for my money when the author ups the price. Unfortunately I am a little more sensitive to pricing and I do have to draw the line at whats economical for me and find alternatives when it isn't.

Not being able to demo software especially the expensive stuff is a big problem with iPad. The games developers often bring out lite versions to get around this which is good.

It is worth noting that you [b]can[/b] get a full refund in the first 30 days if you are not satisfied with any Omni product, including the iOS apps. Omni has to eat Apple's 30% cut when they do that, so they have some skin in the game! They've also said on numerous occasions that they want happy customers, and if their product doesn't meet your needs, you should buy something else that does.

It is also worth noting that every Omni product bought at FCS comes with a long tail of free improvements, bugfixes, and excellent customer support. The initial price may seem high, but the picture changes substantially as time goes on. Of course, that does not matter if you cannot afford the upfront cost, I agree!

[QUOTE=IvorM;97421] But this product, at this stage, when I cant print, or search, never mind more sophisticated features, indicates an assumption about me as a Customer that I find unacceptable.
Am I being unreasonable about a product from a Brand that I respected from afar?[/QUOTE]

I agree with the other opinions here about OmniGroup as far as their professionalism, dedication to their customers, etc. and there is a certain amount of money I'm willing to part with to do business with a company like that. A confidence factor that problems will be fixed and improvements will be made.

That said, I also think Omni has done a good job in pricing its products at just the right point- A premium cost for both Mac and iOS platforms that has made me sometimes agonize over whether the purchase is worth the money... Inevitably, I cave to my desire to have it and the reputation of the company is probably the factor that tips me over to the "buy" category:

OF for Mac
OF for iPhone
OF for iPad
OG for iPad
OO for iPad