2/27 Update: It’s live.
3/6 Update: Last round.
tl;dr Use this, not this, and read on to find out how and why.
Last September, Realmac released a new version of its to-do list app Clear that included visual tweaks and iOS 7 feature support. This version of Clear also ran natively on the iPad for the first time and was a separate purchase from the App Store.
This lead to a great deal of feedback from customers displeased with having to buy a new version of Clear for an iOS 7 update on the iPhone (especially when iPad support for the biggest selling point, but not every iPhone customer has an iPad)…
Realmac responded by offering existing Clear users the same iPhone update as users purchasing the universal version had, and the result was two versions of Clear on the App Store, both which looked the same and ran on the iPhone (Clear+ being the higher priced, universal version).
As you can imagine, this isn’t the ideal way to present your apps and has resulted in enough confusion that Realmac is looking to unify its customers behind one version. Realmac is asking Clear+ customers who don’t already own Clear (the original version) to sign up to be notified when Clear goes free on the App Store.
We’re going to be returning to just one, universal version of Clear for iOS, with the original version of Clear gaining iPad support. If you already own a copy of Clear, you don’t need to do anything as it’ll be updated with iPad support very soon.
As Apple doesn’t offer a way to migrate users between copies of an app, we’re going to make Clear free for 24 hours so owners of Clear+ can move to the correct version free of charge.
To make sure as many people as possible can move to Clear, we’re going to do this three times during the remainder of February.
Clear+ users (or anyone for that matter) can sign up to be notified when Clear goes free on the App Store so users can migrate without being charged again. That window is targeted and limited, so spread the word to your Clear+ friends.
Clear is set to receive some very useful features in the coming weeks including Reminders functionality that presumably will not be introduced to Clear+.
Read the full letter from Realmac here.
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It is absolutely absurd in 2014 (or even 2013 or 2012) that a company would release a productivity app for iOS and it not be universal (working on both iPhone and iPad) from the get-go. It is not rocket science.
Users were right to be upset about being charged extra. Support for running on the iPad is simply not difficult enough to demand extra payment over and above running on the iPhone.
And in terms of upgrades, Apple has made it absolutely clear:
1. There is no such thing as “upgrades” anymore. Price your app low enough that the initial price is what used to be considered an upgrade price. Aperture is what–$79? Final Cut is also priced as if it were an upgrade.
2. An “upgrade” or “version 2.0” is a separate app. And it dang well better be good enough of an upgrade that users will pay for it. If it’s a trivial upgrade, you do it for free as part of the original app.
OmniGroup, RealMac, and others are trying to live in the old days, but Apple has changed the rules. Stop living in the past.
How does Apple explain what to do with the left-over app when there has been a real upgrade.
I’ll use Aperture as an example. When the next version comes out, I’ll buy it. Under the model described it is a “new” app. So, now I have two Apertures version 3 & 4. the point of “upgrades” is replacement.
This model will pointlessly increase the number of apps to be managed on the “screen top” by the user.
How is Apple proposing that users eliminate useless old apps, since we cant actually delete apps from iTunes?
I believe that on both OS X and iOS, App Store-purchased apps can be deleted off the device and they remain in iTunes, although they may be removed from the store.
For large upgrades like this, I’m betting you’d pretty much be forced to delete the old version, because there will likely be data incompatibilities between the old version and the new version.
You’re right that this would be nice if it were automated somehow.
would want to know more about this “reminders functionality”.
Honestly, I think Apple should really try to enforce compatibility between iPad and iPhone for all future apps. It just doesn’t make sense to not offer it – Or at least make it clear that they can’t charge for adding iPad/iPhone support. Now, that I think about it I though Apple didn’t allow duplicate apps. Remember when they started blanket rejecting all fart apps? Why didn’t they reject Clear+ in the first place?
P.S. One thing I’d really like to see Apple do with iOS 8 and the next version of OS X is to start pushing developers to bring their apps over to the Mac. If Apple could provide the ground work, and all devs had to do was input the completed app, make a few lines of code to alter the interface to work with a keyboard and mouse. Volia!
What a mess.. I owned both, now I have to migrate the data manually out back to Clear
What’s really funny about the whole thing is that no iPhone or iPad user needs a paid reminders app at all.
Edit: I had iCloud sync on, so did not need to do manual migration.
This is bar none the best todo app for iOS. If you’ve been on the fence about getting Clear, GET IT!
It is confusing though. They made Clear for iPhone, then Clear+ for both iPhone and iPad, but they’ve depricated Clear+ and now have universalized the original Clear. Maybe there should be a way to issue tokens to existing user of an app to shuffle them off to a replacement app, but the update history of Clear is not Apple’s fault.
Again, though, best todo app. Ever. And now it’s free. When paid apps go free, it’s always a good idea to download then delete even if you don’t want it. That way it’s sitting in your iCloud just in case.
Agreed, that’s why I paid for both.
Probably a bug, the latest update on iPad seems to be missing ‘Settings’ (no issues on iPhone though)