[bassman]

As long as our friends at Omni indeed keep adding features (like edit dependencies!), I think this was a great release. I don't play "Angry Birds" (or other games); OmniPlan (PM) is one of a small number of iPad apps that I find useful, excluding "free" stuff like web-browsing or Twitter.

The iPad app culture is different from PC/Mac "shrink-wrap" software, being more like the Open Source or freeware culture. There just isn't the cash-flow for the sort of apps we see in the PC/Mac environment, and not enough "long-hairs" to volunteer their efforts for free apps like we see in the Linux world. The iPad hardware is *very* limited (slow CPU, no SD slot (grrrrrr), etc.), the apps only cost a fraction of what PC/Mac "shrink-wrap" software does, etc.; for now, the iPad is basically a "sand-boxed" "consumption" device, much like the iPhone or iTouch, but with a bigger screen.

I only expect so much of the iPad, or apps on it. I'm more than content to get the app now so I can get started, as long as the next few months see features added to round-out usability. If apps like this get "rounded-out", I'll stick with the iPad. If not, I'll go "ultrabook" next year, after the Windoze 8 dust settles, and screen-resolution hits 1920x1080 as the "basic" screen resolution.

[Brian]

Originally Posted by endoftheQ

What exactly did you expect?

I know this question was directed at Ken, but he's at WWDC this week and even busier than usual, so I'll step in.

I think we expected pretty much what has come to pass: that the release of the app without these features would disappoint some folks - a thread like this one appearing isn't surprising - but overall the release would make customers happier.

Remember: before last week, folks had no iPad version at all. And while some folks need printing or PDF export, based on the app store ratings, it's not everyone.

The number of emails we're getting asking when these features are coming doesn't equal the number of "I need OmniPlan for iPad" emails we were previously getting. At the time of this writing, just under two-thirds of the app ratings in iTunes are 5-star ones. Total the 4- & 5- star ratings and that goes to just under 70%.

Are there more 2- and 3-star reviews than we'd like to see? Absolutely. But we know how to change that. And it doesn't mean we should force 100% of our customers to go without an app in order to make the third of them that are a little disappointed right now happier.

[rrkpl]

Hi Brian,

As someone who has been using your software since it was first bundled on Mac's many years ago and finds value in being an Omni Customer I have two thoughts for you.

1. Unless your business model is different than mine (we produce corporate documentaries in the energy and defense sector) I, sure can't afford to make one third of my customers a *little* unhappy.

2. I know in mine and other cases I've seen posted both on this forum and the App Store reviews, all you would have had to do to avoid 1/3 customer disappointment is to be up-front about lack of input/output options on your App Store product description. You could have even done it in a positive manor such as:

"Input / Output options-
Inputs documents created by OmniPlan Desktop
Outputs to OmniPlan Desktop or screen capture

That way purchasers would either understand the products limitations or at least feel you hadn't misled them by your silence. For that matter that might be a good thing to add right now before your 1/3 grows in size.

[Brian]

Originally Posted by rrkpl

I sure can't afford to make one third of my customers a *little* unhappy.

This is a great goal to shoot for, but I would love to be faced with a choice like "do we make some people unhappy, or no people unhappy?". That one's a no-brainer. :-)

Adding printing/export means either cutting out features that are in there, or asking folks to go longer with no app at all. Either would have made folks unhappy; it would just be different groups depending on their particular needs...

Originally Posted by rrkpl

all you would have had to do to avoid 1/3 customer disappointment is to be up-front about lack of input/output options on your App Store product description.

That's a really good point. Ken's best equipped to a change along those lines, and he's at WWDC (so is even busier than usual), but I emailed him your suggestion. Thanks!