[jbrown]

We've been getting lots of feedback about the Mac App Store- here are a few questions that have come up recently.

Is the Mac App Store the only way to buy your apps going forward?

Not. We'll continue to sell our applications directly from our online store in addition to the Mac App Store.

Does the Mac App Store automatically integrate with my existing apps?

There are some cases in which an app will appear as "Installed" in the Mac App Store if the app ID and version number match up. This might lead you to believe that your existing apps can be updated through the App Store. However, if you didn't purchase the app from the Mac App Store, you won't be able to update through the Mac App Store. As soon as the version number changes, the Mac App Store will no longer think it's installed and will instead offer to sell you the app (the button will say "Buy Now" instead of "Installed").

How will updates to the applications be handled?

The updates to apps purchased direct from us will be available as soon as we release them. Updates for the Mac App Store purchases may be delayed slightly, pending Apple's review process.

I see a different version number on the Mac App Store than I see on your website; what's going on?

We're going to attempt to keep the versions of our products available on our website aligned with the ones on the Mac App Store as much as possible, but we may need to do updates specific to one store or the other on occasion.

The previous answer describes one case where this may happen; there may be a few others. If we need to fix a bug in our licensing code, for example, we don't think Mac App Store customers will want to download a whole new application just to keep the version numbers in sync.

So, should I buy your apps directly through you, or through the Mac App Store?

It depends. It's important to think of the Mac App Store and our own online store as two separate channels that you can buy our apps through: the Mac App Store offers simplicity and convenience, while buying direct from us offers more flexibility in terms of upgrade pricing, bundle discounts, access to beta releases, and educational discounts.

If you're comfortable with the way you've been buying our apps all along, then there's no real reason for you to start purchasing through the App Store. If you're new to us and our apps (or even the Mac platform in general), it might be easier to buy from the App Store.

[Luna]

I'm a fan of the MAS already for the ease of install and update and the ability to install my apps on multiple Mac's (3 atm). Let's face it, for most apps it's a cheap way to get more than 1 license.

It would be nice if more developers follow Pixelmator's example.
http://www.pixelmator.com/transition/

What about a free update to v2 for MAS OF buyers like Pixelmator did?
Or a short period lower price on the MAS after sending emails to all licensed OF users?
Any attack strategy in the works on the Omni front?

I am holding my breath on some apps for now but will upgrade to the MAS version after a while anyway. Since it's all still pretty new I'm waiting to see if any special deals on some apps I have pop up.

[pjb]

There will be a v. 4.0 OF for Mac. If I bought v.3.x from Omnigroup then on the Omni web store I'll pay an upgrade price. If I buy OF 3.x now from the MAS then how much will I pay for v4?

[whpalmer4]

Seen on the Omni blog:

Originally Posted by Ken Case

At present, the Mac App Store doesn’t offer upgrade pricing for major upgrades. But if Apple hasn’t added support for that by the time we need it, our plan is to offer upgrade discounts on our own online store to Mac App Store customers.

That's probably as close as you're going to get to an answer, given that no one has disclosed a price for 4.0 (you said OF, but I assume you meant OO). As Ken has said elsewhere, Omni feels the value of their software is the same whether bought through their store or the Mac App Store, so they attempt to set the pricing identically. Seems like that boils the question down to "if I buy OO 3.9.5 today, and OO 4.0 comes out soon, will I have to pay full upgrade price for an upgrade?" and at least if you buy within 30 days of 4.0's availability, the answer should be that you can get it for free, so long as 4.0 doesn't cost more than 3.9.5 does. Omni might have to eat the 30% cut to Apple to do that "free" upgrade through the Mac App Store, however. Instead of buying it through the Mac App Store expecting the upgrade in a few weeks, it might be appreciated if you instead download the free demo of the current version and use that until 4.0 becomes available, whereupon you buy through the MAS. I don't think that 4.0 is going to be ready in anything like a month from now, however—I'm just describing a hypothetical situation where there's reason to believe it is within a month of release.

[pjb]

Thanks for that summary (and yes it was OO). This was a specific example for a general case but in the specific sense as long as Omni has their own store I'll be buying from them.

[hussar]

I have OmniFocus version 1.8.2 installed on my MacBook, and unlike other applications available in the MAS, it is not recognized as installed. I notice, however, that OmniFocus for Mac is also version 1.8.2. Are there any significant differences between these two applications other than their names?

I also have OmniOutliner Professional version 3.9.5 installed. When I select "Check for updates..." it tells me that 3.9.5 is the most current version. Yet, there is an OmniOuliner Pro for Mac on MAS which has the version number 3.9.6. Are there any significant differences between these two applications other than their names and version numbers?

Can I expect some future alignment in which MAS recognizes my installed versions of Omni Group products?

[CatOne]

Originally Posted by hussar

Can I expect some future alignment in which MAS recognizes my installed versions of Omni Group products?

No, you cannot. Note the App Store cannot (and likely never will) be able to update apps that were installed outside of the App Store. So it's open to interpretation whether it is showing these as "Installed" is actually a bug.

[Brian]

Originally Posted by hussar

I also have OmniOutliner Professional version 3.9.5 installed. When I select "Check for updates..." it tells me that 3.9.5 is the most current version. Yet, there is an OmniOuliner Pro for Mac on MAS which has the version number 3.9.6. Are there any significant differences between these two applications other than their names and version numbers?

Sorry for the confusion this caused! There are differences, but no bug fixes or new features. OmniOutliner 3.9.6 only contains the specific changes that were necessary to get the app approved for sale on the Mac App Store. (Dropping support for OS 10.5 and earlier, for example.)

We're going to attempt to keep the version numbers aligned as much as possible, but the two may be out of sync on occasion. We didn't want to ask folks to download a new version if the only relevant change was the version number.

(Great question - I'll add this to the FAQ.)

[Aldaron]

Originally Posted by Luna

It would be nice if more developers follow Pixelmator's example.
http://www.pixelmator.com/transition/

This is precisely how it should work, anything else just looks silly. Is there any logic to not following this example?

[whpalmer4]

Originally Posted by Aldaron

This is precisely how it should work, anything else just looks silly. Is there any logic to not following this example?

Yeah, the part where you lose all the flexibility of the Omni store (upgrade and educational discounts, sneaky peeks, etc.) would be a substantial loss to both Omni and its customers.