iPad or Bust! Mac App Store or Bust Too!

The Blog

by Ken Case on November 29, 2010

It's been another crazy busy month here at Omni! In the last four weeks, we've celebrated Thanksgiving and somehow survived Seattle's snow, we've started private beta testing of OmniPlan 2 and shipped updates to OmniFocus and OmniWeb for Mac. Oh, and that's not counting the 13 app releases we've submitted to the App Store this month: 2 iPhone updates, 4 iPad updates, and 7 "new" Mac apps (OmniFocus, OmniGraffle Standard and Pro, OmniOutliner Standard and Pro, OmniGraphSketcher, and OmniOutliner).

"OK," I hear some of you asking, "15 app releases this month? That's great and all, but really I only care about one release: where is OmniOutliner for iPad?"

Well, given that we're at the end of November and we have yet to reach beta, I think I can predict with confidence that OmniOutliner for iPad won't be shipping this year. We did finally come up with a design that makes us all reasonably happy on paper, but we're still busy implementing that design in code—after which we'll be running it through its paces to make sure it works as well on an actual device as it does in our imaginations.

(Not that our engineering team has been idle while all this design work has been going on. They've been busy working on all the nuts and bolts which make up the unique functionality offered in OmniOutliner!)

For those who prefer pictures, here's an updated graphic:

"You're really going to sell your apps through the Mac App Store?" I hear others asking. "What about all those questions and challenges you mentioned in your last blog post? How will you handle upgrade pricing and volume discounts, for example?"

We've decided the best way to solve those problems is to recognize that the Mac App Store isn't an exclusive distribution channel, so it doesn't need to solve every problem. We will continue to sell our apps through our own website (in addition to the App Store), where we can continue to offer discounts for upgrades, bundles, and volume purchases. We still think the Mac App Store will be the most convenient way to purchase apps for the average consumer, but those who prefer more flexible terms and options will be able to continue to purchase and install apps directly from us.

"Hey, wait, those weren't my questions at all!"

Hmm, um, OK, sorry, my ~~magic 8-ball~~ palantír must be broken! If you have a question I didn't answer (or any other feedback you'd like to share), please let me know! Either leave a comment here, or send me a message on twitter (where you'll find me at @kcase).

Comments

Good for you guys. It’s hard to keep pushing deadlines (even self-inflicted ones) back until you have the right plan, but it’s usually the way to go. I’m excited to get OmniOutlner on my iPad whenever it’s ready.

Daniel Eckhart

11.29.10 8:01 PM

That’s great and all, but really I only care about one release: where is OmniOutliner for iPad?

Couldn’t have said it better myself.

Glad to at least get an update on status by the end of November. Really looking forward to OO for iPad, though, and would be happy to beta test to help it along!

Mike Byrne

11.29.10 8:32 PM

Ok, ya I have basically been checking the site every day for updates about OO for iPad. I’m a little disappointed its delayed but I’m so grateful you include your customers in the update process in this way. Overall I am happy I know that its advancing and it is on its way.

Torvold

11.29.10 9:25 PM

That’s great and all, but really I only care about one release: where is OmniOutliner for **iPhone** ?

Is it safe to assume that it will come quickly on the heals of the iPad version?

Thanks for all your great work!

Josh Schreiber Shalem

11.30.10 8:20 AM

Team Member

Josh, I’m afraid OmniOutliner for iPhone would require a very different design from OmniOutliner for iPad, and we have a lot of work on our plates which we’ve already committed to so we haven’t made a decision about whether to do an iPhone edition yet. But it is something we’re strongly considering, and we’d love to hear more about what you’d like to see in an iPhone edition and how you’d use it. (See the linked thread for more information.)

Ken Case

11.30.10 2:19 PM

Looking forward to OmniOutliner 4 for the Mac. Has OO 4 already been submitted to Apple for the Mac App Store or are you referring to OO 3?

Chris

11.30.10 4:28 PM

Team Member

Chris, the version we’ve submitted to the Mac App Store is OmniOutliner 3. (We’re still hard at work developing OmniOutliner 4!)

Ken Case

11.30.10 4:46 PM

Bummer, but thanks for the update. Now I can stop trolling (again.)

I agree that you should sell no wine before it’s time. I don’t.

But, DANG! I want it so bad.
Can I be a guinea pig?

Witz

11.30.10 5:44 PM

That’s great and all, but really I only care about one release: what’s the current ETA on OmniPlan for iPad?

Filip Verhaeghe

11.30.10 9:36 PM

Team Member

Filip, we’re not really sure yet: the OmniPlan team has been focused on OmniPlan 2 all year (which, as noted above, just reached its private beta milestone this month). Once we get OmniPlan 2 out the door we’ll be turning our attention to OmniPlan for iPad.

Ken Case

11.30.10 10:03 PM

Count me in with those who check your website almost every day to get an update on OO for the iPad… I understand it’s hard work. Guess I’ll be checking back in 2011. Can hardly wait; I consider it the *one* app missing from my iPad.
Rufus Deuchler - International creative software evangelist

Rufus Deuchler

12.01.10 2:33 AM

Thanks for the update. I’d like to hear more about your plans for OmniFocus for Mac. While I appreciate the various updates we’ve had since 1.0, I still feel that the *overall* feature set is very 1.0. The updates have, in my opinion, been refinements.

OmniFocus for iPad has some new features, like the week-view. When will that come to OmniFocus for Mac. The iCal syncing is unreliable, but at any rate fails to achieve what is needed—as week-view shows—since it throws away useful information like durations, start dates. Visualising my work in a non-tabular fashion is a big part of staying on top of my work and managing its completion.

In short, I’d like to think that OF for Mac has a major release in its future.

entropydave

12.01.10 6:13 AM

Hi Ken,

I love Omni’s apps and have been a user of OmniFocus since it came out. I use OmniGraffle, OmniOutliner, and OmniPlan on a regular basis. However, my biggest issue now, is that I have recently moved into a job where we are on a Windows platform and it is KILLING ME that I can’t effectively manage my workflow with an effective tool like OmniFocus! When I need to do any diagrams, I am still using OmniGraffle and then export for them use in Windows, and I am using OmniPlan on my Mac at home to do some long-range plans for projects, but not having OmniFocus for daily use on my work computer is dragging me down to a work/home split which is NOT working at all…

What I’m looking for is a web-based app or version of OmniFocus that will sync with my other versions of OmniFocus (Mac at home, iPad and iPhone on the go). I’ve tried using Spootnik as a web interface and linking to Basecamp, but it does just not meet my needs. As an interim measure, I’ve been using Nirvana (http://www.nirvanahq.com) for all my work items, but PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, when are you guys going to put out a web-app to close the loop on OmniFocus? I just saw today that Nozbe now has an iPad and iPhone app, that links with their web service, and thought that if anyone can implement it properly it would be the Omni crew!!!

Harris Silver

12.01.10 10:30 AM

Team Member

Entropydave, we definitely agree that it’s time for a redesign of OmniFocus for Mac! We learned a lot while developing version 1.0, and learned even more from building the iPhone and iPad editions, and we’re really looking forward to applying all of that experience in a fresh Mac design.

Harris, since you have an iPhone and iPad, it sounds like you already have access to your lists from the processing/reviewing/doing point of view… So I’m guessing your biggest need is for an easy way to capture tasks from Windows, or am I totally off base? Would it help if you could email a task to your Omni Sync Server account to automatically add it to your OmniFocus inbox?

Ken Case

12.01.10 12:13 PM

What an amazing forum. Along with everyone else, I’m anxiously awaiting OO for iPad. It’s law school essential as far as I’m concerned (along with OmniGraffle. To see a company involve its customers in the process by responding to ideas and keeping them posted is refreshing in a business world that seems to have forgotten the meaning of “customer service.”

Quality product and quality service? Where can I buy some stock?!

KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!

Rob

12.02.10 1:06 PM

“those who prefer more flexible terms and options will be able to continue to purchase and install apps directly from us”

Stuff like this is why I love OmniGroup…

Chucky

12.05.10 4:22 PM

I wish you’d hire more programmers. OmniOutliner has been one of my favorite programs for years, but by the time you get around to releasing an iPad version, I will have found an alternative and learned to like it.

Mark McQueen

12.07.10 11:12 AM

It isn’t all that obvious from reading the descriptions of what the OmniOutliner team (or any other team at Omni, for that matter) has been up to that the problem has been that they simply don’t have enough programmers to execute the plans they have developed. My impression has been that much of the bottleneck has been a matter of figuring out just what it is they should be building, and more programmers wouldn’t necessarily make that happen faster (though it might accelerate the delivery once it is finally a matter of just implementing the design).

Bill

12.07.10 2:00 PM

Hi Ken,
Can you tease us a little with some of the features you guys are going to include in OO4iPad? I’m keen to know if you all are planning on supporting audio recording. Specifically, if I can use OO for taking notes during something like a requirements gathering session and then be able to mark the recording with an item I add so I can return to it later when synthesizing my OO notes.

Thanks,

Bryan

bryan

12.07.10 4:09 PM

Will wait for OO for Ipad, thanks for sharing your plans ... quick question: just bought Omnifocus (Mac+ipad+iphone) [and been a customer for Omniplan and Omnigraffle (Ipad]: will OO4 (Mac) be granted as free upgrade for OO3 (Mac) customers?

Mau

12.13.10 12:35 PM

Thanks for sharing your plans! Omnifocus is definitely the best tool for Professional Mac Users, I use it every day!

Nicolas Chevallier

12.14.10 5:20 AM

Desperately waiting for omniplaner !

Bernd

12.14.10 11:20 PM

What I am worried about is how do we as developers know that a customer has bought a license through the Mac App Store? I mean if the iOS App Store is anything to go by, all products will be “fully unprotected (no serials), encrypted disk images” delivered to each individual customer. But what that means is that we as developers cannot verify that someone has really bought the software, and THAT is a problem, because how do we then allow them to sign up for customer areas (where they would normally enter their serial to verify the purchase), to be able to take part in crossgrade/upgrade deals? Does anyone know if the Mac App Store is less locked down than the iOS App Store and will actually allow serial key generation in some verifiable way so that we can allow customers to get access to customer areas of our website?

Chris White

12.22.10 3:58 PM

Oh, and another huge worry is the way that Apple has NO way of protecting us developers from the hackers that will simply buy the software, decrypt the disk image, and enjoy a redistributable version of the program that has absolutely ZERO copy protection or serial protection. Sure, all copy protections get broken eventually, but this is just ridiculous, it’s going to open the way for the best way ever to steal software: Versions that don’t even require a serial. And we KNOW hackers know how to decrypt the encrypted software, because anything released for iOS is quickly decrypted and placed on Installous or whatever that thing is called. So has anyone got any information on these worries?

Chris White

12.22.10 4:01 PM

That’s great and all, but really I only care about one release: where is OmniOutliner for iPad?

I use it for everything: plotting, lists, thinking… Put me on the beta list too.

And let us all know when it’s available. Thanks, and we’re rooting for you.

Sarah Smith

12.25.10 8:06 PM

Totally understand how difficult it is to add OmniOutliner for iPhone, but how about a reader? A simple app that displays outlines without any editing capabilities. This would, at least, let us take our outlines with us. And although I’d miss somewhat the ability to add, delete, or edit notes, it would be infinitely better than nothing at all - at least for me.

R. Barre

12.26.10 1:53 PM

If you only need to read your outlines, print to PDF from OmniOutliner, then transfer file to iPad or iPhone via Dropbox or some other tool that reads PDF files.

Bill

12.28.10 11:48 PM

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