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Omni Group Debuts OmniKeyMaster Mac App for Discounted Upgrades

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Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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omnifocus.png
The Omni Group today released OmniKeyMaster, a Mac app designed to allow users who purchased older Mac App Store versions of the company's software to access discounted upgrades in the future. The app locates installed Omni apps and generates new licenses that unlink the software from the Mac App Store.
OmniKeyMaster is a simple app that finds App Store copies of Omni apps installed on your Mac, then generates equivalent licenses from our store - for free. This gives Mac App Store customers access to discounted pricing when upgrading from the Standard edition to Professional, or when upgrading from one major version to the next.

Another benefit: since they don't have to wait in an approval queue, our direct releases sometimes get earlier access to new features and bug fixes. OmniKeyMaster lets App Store customers access those builds, as well.
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Though the apps allow users to access upgrade pricing in the Omni store, it does not provide them with App Store versions of upgraded apps.

​
The Omni Group produces Mac apps like OmniFocus, OmniGraffle, OmniOutliner, and OmniPlan, among others.

OmniKeyMaster can be downloaded at no cost from the Omni website.

Article Link: Omni Group Debuts OmniKeyMaster Mac App for Discounted Upgrades
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2013/08/27/omni-group-debuts-omnikeymaster-mac-app-to-give-users-access-to-free-upgrades/
ArtOfWarfare

ArtOfWarfare

macrumors G3
Nov 26, 2007
9,560
6,059
It'd be nice if Apple would just allow paid updates and discount pricing for existing customers.
 
Dulcimer

Dulcimer

macrumors 6502a
Nov 20, 2012
895
717
Silly how limited the App Stores with flexibility of options, such as student discounts, upgrade discounts, etc.

When I bought Omnifocus, I had the choice of paying $80 on the Mac App Store or $50 for a student discount on their website (yes, I am an actual student). Guess which one I chose.
 
C

Crikey

macrumors 6502
Jan 14, 2004
356
0
Spencer's Butte, Oregon
That's an interesting development. I wonder about the politics. Apple presumably wants people using the App Store and taking 30% of the sale. But Omni Group is a long-time developer, heavily and as far as I know exclusively invested in Apple's ecosystem -- they must have calculated that Apple won't be pissed off enough to damage the relationship.

A win for users, for sure.
 
dermeister

dermeister

macrumors 6502
Jan 19, 2003
458
96
I am Vinz, Vinz Clortho, Keymaster of Gozer. Volguus Zildrohar, Lord of the Sebouillia. Are you the Gatekeeper?
 
S

syd430

Guest
I've never understood how this company gets away with selling its products at such high prices. There almost always seems to be a better designed, cheaper alternative for everything they sell. Maybe it's the pretty icons.
 
Dulcimer

Dulcimer

macrumors 6502a
Nov 20, 2012
895
717
syd430 said:
I've never understood how this company gets away with selling its products at such high prices. There almost always seems to be a better designed, cheaper alternative for everything they sell. Maybe it's the pretty icons.
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Maybe you don't see the value, but OF is a very well designed, highly flexible app (sometimes to a flaw). If you're in the GTD mindset, then $80 isn't a lot for an app that'll save you productivity in the long run. They also have great customer support.

Hey, this sounds familiar. Higher price, cheaper alternatives existing, but great value, design, and customer support. Hmm… Apple! :p
 
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G

GuyCalledPete

macrumors member
Jun 10, 2008
49
0
SJism23 said:
They also have great customer support.
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I'll second this - I've been using OmniPlan for the last couple of weeks under a trial version, and the support I've received even before becoming a paid customer has been exceptional (and this new KeyMaster app is another perfect example of their dedication to existing customers).

Now the trial is ending, I am going to upgrade to the full paid version in a heartbeat.

-- Pete.
 
ValSalva

ValSalva

macrumors 68040
Jun 26, 2009
3,783
259
Burpelson AFB
ArtOfWarfare said:
It'd be nice if Apple would just allow paid updates and discount pricing for existing customers.
Click to expand...

It would be nice. Then developers like the Omni Group wouldn't have to waste their time with workarounds like this and could spend more time doing what I'm sure they'd rather be doing: making their apps even better.
 
Jessica Lares

Jessica Lares

macrumors G3
Oct 31, 2009
9,612
1,056
Near Dallas, Texas, USA
syd430 said:
I've never understood how this company gets away with selling its products at such high prices. There almost always seems to be a better designed, cheaper alternative for everything they sell. Maybe it's the pretty icons.
Click to expand...

Brecause they've been in the business for the last two decades?

From Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Omni_Group

The Omni Group is a company that develops software for the Mac OS X platform. The Omni Group was informally founded as a NEXTSTEP consulting company in 1989 by Wil Shipley, who immediately brought on Ken Case and Tim Wood. The three incorporated together under the name Omni Development, Inc. in 1993, because the name "Omni Group" was taken by another Seattle firm. Omni initially produced custom database software for the NEXTSTEP platform for clients such as the William Morris Agency and McCaw Cellular Communications (then Cingular Wireless; now AT&T Inc.). During this period they also ported a number of games to NEXTSTEP, then later to Mac OS X (after Apple acquired NeXT in 1997). Around 2000 the company decided to start focusing on their own consumer applications for the Mac, and as of 2004 the vast majority of their revenue came from their consumer products. In 2003 Ken Case took over as the chief officer of Omni, and in March 2004 Wil Shipley left with another Omni employee, interface designer Mike Matas, to form Delicious Monster. Matas later left for Apple.
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charlituna

charlituna

macrumors G3
Jun 11, 2008
9,636
816
Los Angeles, CA
Crikey said:
That's an interesting development. I wonder about the politics. Apple presumably wants people using the App Store and taking 30% of the sale. But Omni Group is a long-time developer, heavily and as far as I know exclusively invested in Apple's ecosystem -- they must have calculated that Apple won't be pissed off enough to damage the relationship.

A win for users, for sure.
Click to expand...

It's not an App Store app so there's little Apple can do about it.
Even if they try to yank all apps from the App Store and revoke omni's certificate, folks can just install things anyway if they choose
 
M

Michael73

macrumors 65816
Feb 27, 2007
1,082
41
I like the fact that if you buy through Omnigroup.com quantity discounts are automatic—you can build your own bundle. For each license beyond the first, you get 5% off the price of your order. The discount works for any combination of products, up to 30% off.

The only downside I've found to buying through their store (and I've sent them feedback on this...) is that there is no unified updater application to check and see what Omni products you own and let you know if any of them need updating. If you buy their apps through the Mac App Store, the store itself (rather than Omnigroup) would provide such a notification system. However that's a small price to pay for getting up to 30% off the initial purchase price.
 
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