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I think Omni Group's locked down to Apple is a mistake. As a iPad Pro/iPhone user I wish to buy their products but as a Windows/Linux desktop user the lack of c

I think Omni Group's locked down to Apple is a mistake. As a iPad Pro/iPhone user I wish to buy their products but as a Windows/Linux desktop user the lack of cross-platform support is a huge dealbreaker.

keyle 7y ago
Sometimes it's best to stick to what you do well and do it really well. The market for their product is very different on the Windows side.
- ramraj07 7y ago
  How was this for the best when they had to lay off "usually off market" talent?
  - lonelappde 7y ago
    It worked pretty well for three decades.
- kbumsik 7y ago
  I haven't used their products but how the market is different from the Windows side? Aren't they general productivity tools?
  - tonyedgecombe 7y ago
    Their USP is their integration into the platform.
  - tguedes 7y ago
    Non-Mac/iOS users generally don't pay for software/don't care enough about polish to pay a little extra for something. That's why the majority of developers develop for iOS first and release on iOS first even though Android has the far larger market share (https://www.cultofmac.com/601492/app-store-google-play-revenue-2018/ https://www.cultofmac.com/601492/app-store-google-play-reven...). The type of person who is willing to pay extra for the polish Mac/iOS has over Windows/Android, is usually also the type of who is going to be willing to spend more for a better app.
gowld 7y ago
Seems like a great opportunity to build a Windows alternative. Omni software is deeply Mac, using Mac UX/UI components that don't exist elsewhere. If they GTK/QT/JSed it, it wouldn't be Omni and it wouldn't be worth $50-$250 a pop.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
- worthless-trash 7y ago
  Are you saying using mac components alone gives it the $50-$100 a pop value, if so thats some quality brainwashing going on.
  - macintux 7y ago
    The difference between using software developed explicitly and exclusively for the Mac (and/or iOS) platform vs a cross-platform application is often quite dramatic. Omni in particular makes extremely clean, friendly applications that feel aligned with the platform.
  - pavlov 7y ago
    I’ve been paying for OmniGraffle since 2004 or so and also bought licenses at various employers. The price has never been a problem. But if it wasn’t a native Mac Cocoa app, I would never use it. A lot of OmniGraffle’s value comes from UI that abides by platform guidelines and the high-quality rendering and integrations enabled by being a native app rather than a lowest common denominator cross-platform port.
    - djsumdog 7y ago
      > a lowest common denominator cross-platform port I think the word you were looking for was "Electron Cancer"
  - pubstik 7y ago
    It will be defended to the death. The cult is strong, if waneing.
vl 7y ago
Apparently they are working on the web version of OmniFocus.
- kenada 7y ago
  It’s out and has been for a while, but it’s not a standalone product.[1] You need to set up your database in one of the apps, and some functionality is not implemented (yet). [1]: https://www.omnigroup.com/omnifocus/web https://www.omnigroup.com/omnifocus/web
blihp 7y ago
It's also what made the company: they were originally developers of software targeting NeXT machines/OS. Their products are a better fit in the role of 'big fish in a small pond' of the NeXT and then Mac worlds. Also, the Windows world has never valued the kind of craftsmanship Omni puts into their products... it's much more of a corporate market where managers and purchasing departments decide which products win.
- wdr1 7y ago
  True, but sometimes what got you here, won't get you there.
  - lonelappde 7y ago
    That's fine. A 30year career doing what you love on your own terms is a winning life.
- Traster 7y ago
  The flip side is that I'm never ever going to use a diagramming tool that isn't compatible with windows. Even if it were great, the fact I can't use it on my company workstation? Useless. Or even if I happened to have a mac workstation - being unable to share the source files with colleagues? It's dead on arrival. So basically it's a great diagramming tool so long as you work at a company that exclusively uses Macs. Which there really aren't many of. It's basically a diagramming tool for employees of Apple. Who, by the way, produce their own similar (less good) tools. The productivity tools? Fine, you don't need to be able to share that. But Omnigraffle is juts a bizarre decision.

keyle 7y ago

Sometimes it's best to stick to what you do well and do it really well. The market for their product is very different on the Windows side.

ramraj07 7y ago
How was this for the best when they had to lay off "usually off market" talent?
- lonelappde 7y ago
  It worked pretty well for three decades.
kbumsik 7y ago
I haven't used their products but how the market is different from the Windows side? Aren't they general productivity tools?
- tonyedgecombe 7y ago
  Their USP is their integration into the platform.
- tguedes 7y ago
  Non-Mac/iOS users generally don't pay for software/don't care enough about polish to pay a little extra for something. That's why the majority of developers develop for iOS first and release on iOS first even though Android has the far larger market share (https://www.cultofmac.com/601492/app-store-google-play-revenue-2018/ https://www.cultofmac.com/601492/app-store-google-play-reven...). The type of person who is willing to pay extra for the polish Mac/iOS has over Windows/Android, is usually also the type of who is going to be willing to spend more for a better app.

gowld 7y ago

Seems like a great opportunity to build a Windows alternative. Omni software is deeply Mac, using Mac UX/UI components that don't exist elsewhere. If they GTK/QT/JSed it, it wouldn't be Omni and it wouldn't be worth $50-$250 a pop.

deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
worthless-trash 7y ago
Are you saying using mac components alone gives it the $50-$100 a pop value, if so thats some quality brainwashing going on.
- macintux 7y ago
  The difference between using software developed explicitly and exclusively for the Mac (and/or iOS) platform vs a cross-platform application is often quite dramatic. Omni in particular makes extremely clean, friendly applications that feel aligned with the platform.
- pavlov 7y ago
  I’ve been paying for OmniGraffle since 2004 or so and also bought licenses at various employers. The price has never been a problem. But if it wasn’t a native Mac Cocoa app, I would never use it. A lot of OmniGraffle’s value comes from UI that abides by platform guidelines and the high-quality rendering and integrations enabled by being a native app rather than a lowest common denominator cross-platform port.
  - djsumdog 7y ago
    > a lowest common denominator cross-platform port I think the word you were looking for was "Electron Cancer"
- pubstik 7y ago
  It will be defended to the death. The cult is strong, if waneing.

vl 7y ago

Apparently they are working on the web version of OmniFocus.

kenada 7y ago
It’s out and has been for a while, but it’s not a standalone product.[1] You need to set up your database in one of the apps, and some functionality is not implemented (yet). [1]: https://www.omnigroup.com/omnifocus/web https://www.omnigroup.com/omnifocus/web

blihp 7y ago

It's also what made the company: they were originally developers of software targeting NeXT machines/OS. Their products are a better fit in the role of 'big fish in a small pond' of the NeXT and then Mac worlds. Also, the Windows world has never valued the kind of craftsmanship Omni puts into their products... it's much more of a corporate market where managers and purchasing departments decide which products win.

wdr1 7y ago
True, but sometimes what got you here, won't get you there.
- lonelappde 7y ago
  That's fine. A 30year career doing what you love on your own terms is a winning life.
Traster 7y ago
The flip side is that I'm never ever going to use a diagramming tool that isn't compatible with windows. Even if it were great, the fact I can't use it on my company workstation? Useless. Or even if I happened to have a mac workstation - being unable to share the source files with colleagues? It's dead on arrival. So basically it's a great diagramming tool so long as you work at a company that exclusively uses Macs. Which there really aren't many of. It's basically a diagramming tool for employees of Apple. Who, by the way, produce their own similar (less good) tools. The productivity tools? Fine, you don't need to be able to share that. But Omnigraffle is juts a bizarre decision.