iPad or Bust: two weeks later

The Blog

by Ken Case on February 11, 2010

A week and a half ago, I announced that we were planning to bring all five of our productivity apps to iPad. So much has happened in the short period of time since then that it feels like we've been in some sort of time distortion field!

Let me skip straight to the good stuff and share some screenshots with you:

I should point out that the document icons in the document lists come from the QuickLook previews generated on the Mac, so they show features that aren't actually supported in the iPad app yet: for example, if you compare the OmniGraffle canvas screenshot with the corresponding icon in its document list, you'll see that OmniGraffle for iPad doesn't actually render text yet.

We don't even have a mechanism for creating new documents yet: both apps are just loading documents created on a Mac. But it's certainly progress!

Now, I mentioned two weeks ago that we were generally prioritizing iPad work over some of our Mac projects, but that some Mac projects—specifically, OmniOutliner 4 and OmniPlan 2—would take precedence over their iPad counterparts. In response to that plan, I received a lot of feedback that folks would like to see OmniOutliner for iPad sooner rather than later.

So we started thinking about how we could get started on OmniOutliner for iPad sooner. We really don't want to delay OmniOutliner 4, so we instead started thinking about how we could finish OmniOutliner 4 more quickly. We realized that if we scaled back some of the esoteric features which we'd planned for the Pro edition of version 4—cloning and multiple schemas—we could shave three months off its development schedule and get started on OmniOutliner for iPad that much sooner. Now, both of those features are still pretty interesting to us, and we've already laid the groundwork for supporting these in the underlying outlining engine—but we think bringing OmniOutliner on iPad is more important overall, so that's what we're going to do.

So I'm pleased to say that both OmniOutliner 4 and OmniOutliner for iPad will be coming three months sooner!

Oh, what's coming in OmniOutliner 4? We've rebuilt the engine inside of OmniOutliner, so among other things it will support text zooming, showing and hiding columns, "Smart Match" completion cells, searching across all column types, better link handling (no more unfindable tokens!), and (in the Pro edition) saved smart folders. (Also, say goodbye to the old Aqua drawer!)

Thanks for all your feedback on my last announcement, and I look forward to receiving any feedback you might have on this update!

Comments

I'd be very interested in hearing about how easy it was or wasn't to get your UI code from the AppKit to the UIKit.

-jcr

John C. Randolph

02.11.10 2:45 AM

If you turn the OmniOutliner navigation drawer into a pane, please keep the current behavior; i.e., that the outline doesn't resize when you show/hide the pane. Instead, the window should grow. This is something that really bugs me in several applications that have made this transformation; it's irritating and just plain wrong when you've sized the window for a reason.

Nicholas Riley

02.11.10 3:06 AM

thank you for listening to us! I <3 you!

Sarah

02.11.10 5:55 AM

Cloning isn't an “esoteric” feature; it's the primary reason that many of us have been hanging around for version 4. Why not take the extra 3 months and make it an upgrade that we'd actually be excited to buy? The targeted improvements that you've listed (text zooming, etc.) are surface issues, whereas cloning would be a real advancement in core functionality. Without cloning there's just no compelling reason to upgrade.

disappointed

02.11.10 6:28 AM

OO4 screenshots! And thanks for ditching the drawer! Can't wait for OO on the iPad.

Brian

02.11.10 6:48 AM

Yes, OmniOutliner soon with support for handwritten notes with a stylus!

Steve Masson

02.11.10 6:57 AM

Omnifocus and Omnigraffle on the iPad - I can hardly wait! Those are the first apps I will purchase and load on the thing.

Scott

02.11.10 10:23 AM

Is there a reason all the document thumbs are crooked? Seems kinda wonky to me.

Dave

02.11.10 10:36 AM

I heavily depend on the drawer for my +300 pages OmniOutliner document so please don't imply that somehow the drawer will disappear !!!!!!

P. E. Audit

02.11.10 7:07 PM

I'm glad that there is enough demand for you to put your other apps on the fast track. It helps prove that people want iPads. It's so clear that it will be a great platform. It's sad that the press been so negative, complaining about boring things like lack of USB or memory cards. I believe that if you put an iPad running Omni apps in someone's hands, it will be very convincing.

Tod

02.12.10 12:57 AM

I work as a technology manager for a large publisher and have come to rely on all your applications. My priority list for iPad roll out given the nature of the device is:

1. Outliner

2. Focus

3. Plan

4. Graffle

5. Anything else

Most managers are likely carrying MacBook Pros or an Air. I use an Air most of the time given the amount of traveling that I must do with a 17” Pro for shorter trips or where I need more power.

I manage my actions and tasks across 4 different devices (Mac Pro, 17” MacBook Pro, Air and my iPhone). So Focus is a key application for me. I love the Synchronization and would love to see more of this capability across other apps including Outliner and Plan.

I build large Graffle diagrams and manage project plans on my Mac Pro where a 24 or 30 inch monitor is best used. For these apps, displaying, presenting and basic editing seems like the right amount of functionality for the power and size of the iPad.

Hope this helps!

Dan

02.12.10 2:12 AM

Very cool. I'm excited to see them running live on my iPad :)

Scott Walter

02.12.10 8:37 AM

What about OmniWeb? Will that be on the Tablet too?

David Kendal

02.12.10 10:05 AM

Thanks for prioritising Omni Outliner for the iPad.

I'm shocked actually that you've never ported OO to the iPhone. That platform has been crying out for a good outliner since its introduction. I for one much prefer the control I have over my lists in OO, over the more prescriptive approach of Omni Focus.

Will any of these apps have a 'small screen' mode for the phone?

Andy B

02.13.10 12:35 AM

OmniGraffle on an iPad has the makings of a dream come true for this Moleskin obsessed experience designer. OmniGraffle is currently the second step in my process. I'm hoping to make it #1 ... and find an excuse to further justify the purchase of the iPad

Ariel J

02.13.10 2:48 AM

If you really wanna catch the iPad spirit, just give us JavaScript / HTML 5 versions of you applications.

That would be something to look forward to.

Drazick

02.14.10 2:23 AM

[...] könnte durch die Entwicklung fürs iPad etwas abgeschwächt werden, hat es auf dem firmeneigenen Blog nun verkündet, die iPad-Entwicklung für die Diagramm-Software OmniGraffle und OmniGraphSketcher [...]

Erste Drittentwickler-Apps angekündigt «

02.15.10 1:13 AM

>>so among other things it will support text zooming

thank you, thank you and thank you

Kelly Brant

02.15.10 9:31 AM

omnigraffle/ipad will likely be my first app purchase when i get my ipad. i can't wait. i think omni's decision to move *now* on ipad development is going to prove extremely wise. well done!

sam kusnetz

02.15.10 3:17 PM

I echo Disappointed's comment above. In fact I'm more than disappointed! Your major competitor in the field of Mac outliners has had cloning for years, as have comparable Windows outliners, and reading the Omni Group forums, I notice that it has been mentioned as a potential feature of OO4 for a long time.

I can see why people have become caught up in iPad fever, and in some ways rightly so. I also understand that Omni Group have to make choices. But for many users of your applications like me, a Mac is likely to be the only device on which to use them for some time to come. Without the previously heralded cloning, OO4 will be much less useful.

Very disappointed

02.15.10 11:32 PM

As a P.S: posts in the OG forums had requests for cloning in OO in 2006…

Very disappointed

02.16.10 12:33 AM

Ommnigraffle und OmmniGraphsketcher für das iPad…

Wie bereits vor einigen Tagen berichtet wird Ommnigroup seine Produktivitätsanwendungen auf das iPad bringen. Nun gibt es schon nach ein paar Tagen die ersten Ergebnisse für Graffle und OmmniGraphsketcher:

Nachdem angekündigt wurde, dass ...

iPad Spiele

02.17.10 11:36 AM

I understand why OmniGraffle and Sketch are top of the list. My personal can't wait is for OmniFocus. I'm curious as a stop-gap how well it works in the iPad in zoomed mode, but I'll buy an iPad version the day it comes out.

Richard Brantley

02.18.10 7:42 AM

thanks “disappointed”, encouraging Omni to ditch text zooming as a 'surface' feature.

zooming is one of the primary requests on the forums, and i daresay in the support emails as well. it is NOT a trivial feature, the lack of zooming has always impeded what is otherwise a beautifully designed piece of software. why on earth should the implementation of zooming be seen as being at the expense of cloning? i'd like to see cloning too, but perhaps others will also see that as a triviality, would you like to see people lobbying for its removal from the list of new features?.

ken

02.20.10 1:28 AM

Best project ever, besides the iPhone/iPad.

I can't wait to use OmniGraffle as class notes. Make diagrams, type (may be with Apple wireless keyboard) text, draw directly on the canvas with stylus, save it to the cloud(MobileMe) in organized way, start where I left off on the Mac.

Takayuki

02.20.10 2:58 AM

Please don't delay in bringing OmniPlan to the iPad - imagine sharing the plans in a discussion over the workflow needed for certain projects - the iPad is perfect for this and would love this on day one in some version - at least a viewer app on day one

Tim Chaten

02.21.10 2:47 AM

You are making some bad choices. Cloning is critical to many users. You have dangled it in front of us for years, and now to call it esoteric and cut it from development is insulting. Three more months is something I can live with. Another year or two I cannot. The drawer is critical to me. I live in large outlines, and it is the only way I have to find where I am.

While there is some excitement for the iPad, it does not appear to be as great as you seem to think it will be. Don't lose your current customers for the sake of potential customers.

Fred Webb

02.22.10 6:29 AM

I'll second Fred's comment. I'd like to see OO on the Mac progress to v4 with cloning _before_ an iPad version diverts attention.

I get that you are excited about the iPad. Once again I concur with Fred. Many of us who use OO professionally have both MacBooks and iPhones. The likelihood of a significant number getting yet another “form factor” to carry around is low. I expect actual take up on the iPad will be closer to the MacBook Air which was similarly overhyped.

Andreas O'Shields

02.23.10 5:38 AM

Please stop! Please? I really, really don't want to buy an iPad. If you stop what you're doing, the iPad will remain useless and unappealing…

Greg

02.23.10 5:51 PM

I don't care whether we call cloning “esoteric” or not—-unlike Fred, I am not insulted by the term. However, and this is a big however, I will not even consider spending another dime on Omni until cloning is implemented. I could care less about the iPad. What I care about is functionality and outlining power, and the iPad won't enable me to make better outlines. Cloning would enable me to make better outlines. So quit backtracking and deliver some functionality! (Zoom isn't functionality—-it's just comfort food for the eyes.)

Lucas

02.24.10 12:03 PM

On further thought, I've made a decision: Goodbye, OmniOutliner! Hello, quirky and complicated but much more powerful TAO Outliner! (TAO Outliner has both cloning and smart folders, so in terms of functionality it's way ahead of the admittedly much slicker Omni.)

Lucas

02.24.10 1:53 PM

Team Member

Thanks for all the feedback on our plans for OmniOutliner 4!

I apologize if anyone was upset by my characterization of cloning as an “esoteric feature”! I certainly didn't mean that as an insult: I simply meant that cloning was likely to be understood by only a small number of people who have a specialized knowledge and interest in outlining. Perhaps “advanced feature” would be a better turn of phrase.

We certainly understand that some of you really need clones in your outlines: over the 8 years that OmniOutliner has been shipping, we've received a few hundred requests for cloning. But to put that in perspective, we have a few hundred thousand people who are using OmniOutliner every day, many of whom have no interest in advanced features—even the ones already present in OmniOutliner! My impression is that most of our customers just want to write basic outlines. Many of those people would like to see their outlines at different sizes on the screen than in print, which is why zooming is by far the most requested feature for OmniOutliner 4. And many of those people would like to take those outlines with them on the go, which is why an iPhone OS version of OmniOutliner is our next most popular request.

Before this blog post, I don't believe we've ever said anywhere that we were planning to bring cloning support to any version of OmniOutliner. Yes, we've certainly asked on our forums whether you'd like to see cloning and how you would use it—but in that message we clearly said that we were looking for feedback to help make sure we're on the same page regarding the feature should we implement it. We did not say that cloning was definitely coming in any future version.

By the way, one of the things we learned from that feedback was that some requests for cloning would be better served by saved smart folders—a feature which, as I've indicated above, is coming in OmniOutliner 4.

Now, with this blog post I've gone a little further, indicating that true cloning support was in fact something that we were looking to add to OmniOutliner in version 4. And that enough of the groundwork has been laid that hopefully we'll get back to it sooner rather than later. But if you absolutely need cloning support in your outlines today, then—much as I'd love for you to be using OmniOutliner as your tool of choice—I humbly submit that it would be a good idea to look for another outlining tool that already supports cloning rather than waiting for some potential future version of OmniOutliner. I wouldn't want to hold you back from a solution which works today based on some vague forward-looking statement from me!

Once again, thanks for all the feedback!

P.S. — I should probably point out that when I said “say goodbye to the old Aqua drawer”, I simply meant that we were moving that functionality from a drawer to a sidebar, not that we were dropping that functionality altogether!

Ken Case

02.24.10 11:50 PM

Thanks very much Ken, and sorry for being overzealous in my response. You are absolutely right that you hadn't promised cloning—-I was actually quite surprised to learn that you had initially decided to include it in Version 4. In fact, saved smart folders is even more important to me than cloning, so version 4 may very well meet my needs. I look forward to it!

Lucas

02.25.10 12:17 PM

Actually, when I heard of Apple Tablet rumors. All i want is Omni, Keynote and iMindmap on it. And..it happened. Thank God and Thank you guys!

Ho Viet Hai

02.25.10 1:57 PM

I’ve followed this exchange with a great degree of excitement. I have to confess that I fit the exact user profile described by Ken: someone who uses OmniOutliner professionally and who wants to, at several times, take my outlines with me on a device more portable than my beloved MacBook Pro. One of the very reasons I want an iPad is for the portable calendaring, notetaking, and idea organization potential it provides. I attend and facilitate a lot of meetings where actions are discussed, schedules adjusted, etc. It is so much better to imagine capturing these notes on an iPad—which is much less intrusive than looking over my MacBook Pro screen—and then finishing/refining things back in the home office. OmniOutliner on the iPad would be the best tool for this. I really, really hope to see it soon! Especially with the option of syncing up outlines between the Mac and the MacBook Pro.

Can’t wait for OmniOutliner on the iPad!

Thanks for all you do at Omni. I love your software and rely on it almost daily for my productivity.

Ben

03.08.10 12:37 AM

The more I think about it, the less interested I am in an iPad, for numerous reasons I won’t go into here. I know you’re hearing iPad enthusiasm from soon-to-be early adopters, but consider the possibility that most of your customers won’t be getting an iPad any time soon, if at all.

Please don’t delay updating Omni* (OmniFocus is my personal favorite) on the Mac for iPad versions.

Thanks,
David

David

03.09.10 10:20 PM

Does this mean we can expect to see OO on the iPhone as well?????? There is really no great app that allows me to brainstorm and them plug that info seamlessly into my mac. And I don’t want to change up formats. I have a deep love for omnioutliner.

Also what are Smart Folders and how would that functionality work?

Casey

03.11.10 8:50 AM

Any thoughts on the app prices yet? A price break for current program license holders?

Greg

03.14.10 8:32 PM

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