[BwanaZulia]

Any idea if this will be free to OmniFocus purchasers or if it require another purchase.

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.

BZ

Originally Posted by BwanaZulia

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]

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]

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]

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]

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.

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]

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.

"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]

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.