Mac Power Users episode 156 is up and we are joined by the handsomest voice in podcasting, Federico Viticci. We then digress into a long talk about the state of iOS text editors and all the great stuff we’re doing with Editorial. Enjoy.
Microsoft Office for iPad, Revisited
I’ve been yammering away at this subject for two years now. Sadly, most people in my line of work use Word and Excel so I spend plenty of time in those applications. With a massive installed based of iPads, I can’t understand why Microsoft isn’t already there. If they were holding back to try and give the Surface an advantage over the iPad, that didn’t work very well.
Anyway, Steve Balmer is now cryptically saying it is coming. If so, I’m guessing you’ll only get it with an Office 365 subscription, like the existing iPhone Word application. While I understand Microsoft is probably doing a smashing business with lawyers and accountants, I have to wonder how relevant Office is at this point with everyone else.
Timeline 3D for iOS Gets Impressive Update
My favorite timeline application, Timeline 3D for iOS (both iPad and iPhone), got a nice iOS 7 update. Not only does the new design fit right in with iOS 7, there are also several new features.
The app can now publish interactive cinematic timelines to the web. Where before timelines were slideshows you can now get interactive timelines, letting you jump around (forward and backward) at will. If you’ve ever presented with a timeline, you already know how big this is. Everything is built on WebGL and very clever. Here is an example.
That’s not all. They’ve improved the lighting for a better sense of 3D. (As a longtime user of this product, this was immediately noticeable.) You can also share timelines and media between devices using Dropbox or AirDrop. iOS 7 dynamic text adapts the interface to user preferences and the 3D perspective uses parallax motion dynamics.
If you want to impress a client or customer, build a professional looking timeline on you iPad while they are explaining events to you and then hand over the iPad at the end and ask, “Is this right?” This is a nice update and a great time to check out Timeline 3D (website)(iOS App Store).
Billings Pro Makes it to the iPad
Marketcircle has released a version of its popular Billings Pro on the iPad. This isn’t just a mobile timer but a full-blown billing application worth checking out. Billings Pro is now on the Mac, iPhone, and iPad.
Begin – A Simple Task Planner from Ben Brooks
Back in law school my task list was a napkin. Everyday I wrote down the two or three things I needed to get done and stuck it in my pocket. At the end of the day I’d check off those items, use the napkin with dinner, and start again the next day.
Unfortunately, that no longer works for me. I’ve got too many oars in the water for a system that simple. However, not everyone is a freak like me.
My friend Ben Brooks released an app called Begin that gives you a simple list of tasks for today and tomorrow. This app would have served me well in simpler times. I can see Ben’s design aesthetic all over this application and it’s worth checking out particularly if you have a simple task list.
“New is easy. Right is hard.”
That Craig Federighi is really growing on me.
OmniFocus for iPhone 2.0
Today the Omni Group released OmniFocus for iPhone, version 2. I’ve been in the beta and using my iPhone, nearly exclusively, for the past weeks to manage my OmniFocus data. Today the new version is available for purchase and I wanted to share my thoughts following a few weeks of intensive use.
THE Redesign
Version 2 has a ground-up redesign. The Omni Group put every aspect of the app under the microscope and produced something quite different from the original. The new version looks nothing like the old version. Don’t believe me? Take a look at the home screens for version 1 and version 2.
The new start up screen puts everything you need on one iOS 7-friendly screen. Forecast is across the top of the screen along with a live count of due items for each of the next seven days. There are also large buttons on the home screen for the Inbox (including an inbox count), Flagged items (also with a count), Projects, Nearby, and Contexts. Finally there is a list of perspectives at the bottom of the screen. Like before, you can star individual perspectives and they will show up on this screen and you can access all perspectives by tapping on the Perspectives button. (You can also set the order in which they display.)
When you select an item, like tapping the Projects button, the screen splits at the button you select and animates the two halves to the top and bottom of the screen displaying your selected view. The animation is a nice touch and fast enough that it doesn’t feel a hinderance.
Missing from the interface is the big plus sign to add a new task. Instead, there is a floating Inbox button in the lower right corner of the screen that is nearly always present. Tap that button to add a task from just about anywhere.
Also missing from the home screen are buttons to sync my data, adjust settings, and search my database. To get these, drag the screen down, like you do to get the search bar in the iOS 7 Springboard or update just about every Twitter app on the platform. This displays a grey bar across the top of the screen with all of these options. The new design does a great job of just showing you what you need 90% of the time and placing the other stuff in easy reach.
One of my favorite features is the forecast view right across the top of the screen. The new version gives a summary listing the per-day deadlines right on the home screen. I can tap on any day and see all tasks due that day and all tasks I’ve deferred to that day. This view also has all calendar items for that day. Pulling down for the toolbar in Forecast view, the Settings icon is replaced with the View icon. From there you can customize the Forecast view for due and deferred items, and specify which calendars appear. Forecast is one of OmniFocus’s premier features and I’m glad to see it get so much prominence in the new application.
Selecting Projects or Contexts gives a list of Project folders or Contexts with a visual representation of the number of items represented as dots. Tapping these drills down into sub folders or contexts until it hits a list of tasks. If there is anything over due (or nearly due) in any list, the grey dot is replaced with a red or yellow one. This is a great way to get a handle on how you’ve got your work spread out.
The way in which the new application displays lists of tasks also received an overhaul. The Navigation bar at the top uses iOS 7-style text “buttons” to navigate. Tasks are displayed in black text on a white screen, always. Each task displays its project name in grey below. Instead of check boxes there are now check circles. The circles do more than just give you a place to check something off. They also convey information about the task. If there is an ellipses inside check circle, it is a repeating task. If the check circle is red, the task is overdue. The date (or time) that the task became overdue is also listed in red. If the check circle is in yellow, the task is about to become due. In that case, the date (or time) it will become due is listed in yellow. The way it uses colors on the check circles instead of the task names makes a lot of sense. It makes the text more readable while conveying the same information. It also provides for a more subdued interface, which I prefer.
The task edit window is also completely new and iOS 7-ified. There are tap-able areas to adjust the project, context, and add a flag. You can set set due and defer dates. Gone is the term “start date” replaced with the term “defer until” which makes more sense with the way I’ve been advocating using start dates for years.
You can also set a task as repeating, move a task, convert it into a project, share, and delete a task from this screen. Several of these options are new to version 2. Notes and Attachments (both pictures and audio recordings) are accessed through text buttons at the top of the list.
As you dig through these options, you’ll see that everything got redesigned. Take the repeat task screen for instance. The new design simply could not exist on a pre-retina iPhone but looks great on my iPhone 5.
Features
The new version 2 isn’t just a pretty face. There are also some nice feature upgrades.
Background Sync
When Apple first announced they were putting a background sync mechanism in iOS 7, the first thought that crossed my mind was “OmniFocus Sync”. The new version delivers on this. Background Sync allows OmniFocus for iPhone to hit the OmniSync server and pull down updated tasks while OmniFocus isn’t the active application. No longer do I need to launch the app and wait for it to connect to the Internet and pull data down. Occasionally, I’ll get an “optimizing” message (which deals with processing already downloaded data and database changes) but usually I just open the application and go. Background Sync isn’t a setting in the new app. It just happens.
Defer Until “Later”
One of my favorite new little touches is when deferring tasks. Sometimes it makes sense to move a task a day or a week or a month. Other times I just want to put a task (or project) out to some time in the future and stop thinking about it for awhile. There is now an option to defer an action until “later”. The selection even includes a pair of dice. Tapping this moves a task about a month or two (it’s random) and gets the task or project off my mind until then. The random element of this pushes a button I didn’t know I had and I use this feature more than I probably should.
The Price
This is a new version and it requires a new purchase. The price is $20 and, famously, the Omni Group (or any iOS developer for that matter) cannot offer an upgrade price to existing users. I’ve already seen complaints on Twitter about paying for version 2. The logic goes something like this: 1. I paid a lot for version 1; 2. Therefore I shouldn’t have to pay again, ever.
The Omni Group is one of the few companies that has held the line about pricing its software. If you’ve ever owned any of their applications, you probably have a good idea why. The Omni Group is a big software developer with lots of smart engineers, artists, and all the other people required to make something of quality. Moreover, the Omni Group has outstanding customer support. You can call them and get a friendly, knowledgeable human.
This sort of infrastructure costs money. It doesn’t just cost money the first day you buy your app. It costs money month after month and year after year. I remember what it was like having an iPhone without OmniFocus and I don’t care to go back.
I’m pretty sure I paid $25 for OmniFocus for iPhone version 1. That was five years ago. Over the past five years I’ve used the heck out of this app (which ended up costing me $5 per year to own). For the price of one cup of coffee per year I’m more productive and kicking ass with this application. Moreover, the Omni Group did not hold back on updates to version 1. During those 5 years, syncing got really great, OmniFocus became location aware, the Omni Group added an innovative forecasting feature, OmniFocus learned to talk to Siri, the Omni Group built an entire back-end syncing engine for my data, and OmniFocus obtained the ability to add tasks via email. The list goes on. I believe over the next five years, the Omni Group will be just as productive and add more useful features to version 2 that will become equally essential to me.
To those complaining about the price I’d ask you to look back and honestly answer the question of whether the Omni Group hasn’t already given you your money’s worth with version 1. If we, as discriminating users, want to continue to have excellent software, we are going to have to pay excellent developers so they can buy shoes, beer, and Pop Tarts. If you’re really hung up on this, think of it as an extended software license to get you through several more years.
Today I paid $20 and bought OmniFocus for my iPhone without blinking. I’m not trying to be heavy handed about this but we all have an interest in a software model for productivity apps that involves paying an honest price for honestly good software.
Summary
There’s been a lot of speculation that the uniform nature of Apple’s own iOS 7 apps foretold a future where all apps look the same. OmniFocus 2 disproves this. This app does look distinctly iOS 7 but at the same time, is quite noticeably different from the Apple applications. In summary, this redesign reflects a developer that used its own product for several years. It removes friction from the previous design and gives the user something that just flows easier. I’m looking forward to several more years of OmniFocus on my iPhone.
A Few Points on iOS 7
There is a lot getting published today about Apple’s new iOS 7 operating system for the iPad and iPhone. I’m not going to go in depth. (If you are looking for that, Macworld.com is the place to go.) Nevertheless, I do have a few observations having used it now (full time) for about a 6 weeks.
- Give iOS 7 some time. It takes about two weeks to adapt and it will grow on you.
- Everyone keeps talking about how “flat” iOS 7 is but it doesn’t feel that way to me. Zipping up and down through folders and apps makes this operating system feel like there truly is a third axis. I can’t wait to see what developers do with that. I think the three dimensional nature of this “flat” operating system may turn out to be its best innovation.
- The new font support is great if you like text a little bigger.
- Multi-page folders: Golden for app packrats (like me). No longer do I need three separate folders full of utilities (or games).
- Spend some time with the new notification center. I didn’t like the text summary at first. Now I prefer it.
- I know a lot of people are worried about background app refresh updating a cherished app with a broken version. I’m not. I’m just glad to not have to see all those uninstalled updates every time I go in the App Store.
- Background Syncing is going to be huge for me. I’ve already been using it on a few beta apps and soon we’ll take it for granted.
- I’m still not entirely happy with buttons that are just words. I understand the design decision. I’m not even sure I have a better idea. It just still looks odd to me. Maybe this one will take a few more months of use.
- After an hour of use of iOS 7, bubbly iOS 6 apps look very, very old.
The AppleCare Question
Since it is likely a lot of us will be buying a new iPhone in the next few weeks and, possibly, a new iPad in the next few months, I wanted to revisit the AppleCare question.
AppleCare Plus on iPad and iPhone – Yes
On mobile devices AppleCare+ makes a lot of sense. It costs $100 and lets you replace your dropped, dunked, or otherwise wrecked iPhone/iPad twice. Granted you will have to pay a fee for each exchange (it used to be $50, now it’s going up to $80) you are still bucks ahead on phones and iPads that start at $550 and could go up to nearly $1,000. I don’t use a case but think of AppleCare+ as my invisible case. We’ve already used this on two of the iPhones in my household and the iPad 3 has a nasty scratch on the screen that will result in its replacement as soon as I get time. Unless you’ve got some other insurance on your iPhone or iPad, I wouldn’t think twice about it.
AppleCare on MacBook – Probably
I’ve always bought AppleCare on my MacBooks as well. About five years ago I had a MacBook Pro that had something wrong inside where it would reject a logic board after a few months. This started about 18 months after I purchased it (6 months out of the standard warranty). After Apple replaced it a few times, and the second replacement failed I received a call that started with, “David, we’re just going to give you a new Mac.” As a result, I keep buying AppleCare on my laptops even though I’ve never needed to use it since then. I probably still will continue to buy it with laptops though I can understand why some don’t. They are pretty reliable as of late. The best case for not buying it is if you keep your laptop on a desk all the time and treat it more as a desktop machine. Still, there are a lot of densely packed electronics in there and it is so easy for something to go wrong on a machine so complex. Note that AppleCare for Macs does not cover accidental damage.
Apple Care on the iMac – Probably Not
This is the hardest case for AppleCare. iMacs are generally easier to repair and they aren’t dragged around with you every day so there is less wear and tear. They generally have better ventilation (and bigger fans) and are much less likely to run into issues. I’ve got AppleCare on our iMac (that is now approaching three years) but don’t think I’d buy it again (assuming we replace that machine).
An insurance guy once told me that lawyers are the best insured people on the planet. We always see things going wrong so we always buy insurance. Maybe I’ve got a bit of that bias but when I replace my iPhone, I will be paying an extra $100 gladly.
For more on AppleCare Macworld recently did an article summing up all the details.
John Cleese on Creativity
John Cleese, in addition to being very funny, is also very smart. Take 10 minutes to watch this video and you’ll agree with me.