Cultured Code Releases Things 3 for Apple Vision Pro

[MacRumors]

Cultured Code has officially released an all-new spatial computing version of Things 3, the popular personal task manager software, for Apple's Vision Pro headset, which launches today in the U.S.

Developed from the ground up to be a fully featured native app for visionOS, the productivity app brings the familiar Things interface into the user's virtual workspace, allowing them to open multiple Things windows and arrange them around their immediate environment.

The sidebar can be hidden to focus on a single list, or users can place it next to their other apps while they get things done. As you'd expect for a visionOS app, the Things interface can be navigated using eyes, hands, and voice. Available functions include the ability to search across lists, drag and drop to-dos, and dictate notes.

The app also works with a wireless keyboard connection, offering full keyboard support, and Things for Vision Pro syncs with the app on Mac, iPad, iPhone, and Apple Watch.

Things 3 for Vision is available to download from the visionOS App Store from today, and is a $29.99 one-time purchase. The app supports English, Spanish, German, French, Italian, Russian, Japanese, Chinese (Simplified), and Chinese (Traditional).

Article Link: Cultured Code Releases Things 3 for Apple Vision Pro

 

[Joseph C]

Things is a great app but with some of the most stubborn developers of all time.

I've gone back as far as SIX years ago on Twitter to find the first time a user requested the extremely simple but useful feature of showing Tags in-line on iPad (the new Vision app is also lacking this). They constantly say they'll add a +1 to any feature request but these +1s clearly go into a bin along with a "Thanks for letting us know you'd like this" response.

They appear to have a form of pathological demand avoidance where it comes to implementing basic features and seem to wear this as a badge of pride. Other minor annoyances include their refusal to adopt the post Big Sur macOS icon shape like EVERY other app out there. Like why?

The app is very, very well made and the devs always update religiously to support new OS features like Widgets and others. I wouldn't use anything else.

But where it comes to simple, and perfectly valid user requests and feedback, it's almost as though if it's requested they will double down on not doing it.

 

[contacos]

I fail to see a real difference to the iPadOS Apps on most of these Vision Pro optimized apps like it’s still just a floating 2D window like what is the difference? The transparency effect? Bigger buttons?

 

[EmotionalSnow]

Things is a great app but with some of the most stubborn developers of all time.

I've gone back as far as SIX years ago on Twitter to find the first time a user requested the extremely simple but useful feature of showing Tags in-line on iPad (the new Vision app is also lacking this). They constantly say they'll add a +1 to any feature request but these +1s clearly go into a bin along with a "Thanks for letting us know you'd like this" response.

They appear to have a form of pathological demand avoidance where it comes to implementing basic features and seem to wear this as a badge of pride. Other minor annoyances include their refusal to adopt the post Big Sur macOS icon shape like EVERY other app out there. Like why?


View attachment 2344331

The app is very, very well made and the devs always update religiously to support new OS features like Widgets and others. I wouldn't use anything else.

But where it comes to simple, and perfectly valid user requests and feedback, it's almost as though if it's requested they will double down on not doing it.

They also refuse to let users complete repeating tasks early despite committing to fix that years ago on Twitter.

 

[Joseph C]

They also refuse to let users complete repeating tasks early despite committing to fix that years ago on Twitter.

Another good one. They have been promising that for many, many years now and they rarely promise anything. The years roll by and despite them actively maintaining the app, these features remain unimplemented.

It is so baffling that they refuse to implement simple but very important functionality. It's not like people are asking for major new features like Collaboration or something either. It's basic stuff that should already have been implemented.

 

[threeseed]

I fail to see a real difference to the iPadOS Apps on most of these Vision Pro optimized apps like it’s still just a floating 2D window like what is the difference? The transparency effect? Bigger buttons?

It's a bit hard to be super creative when you don't have a real life device to test on.

Simulator can only take you so far.

 

[frou]

I absolutely love Things and have been using it for like 15 years straight (so as well made as the app undoubtedly is, there's also a deep familiarity factor. It's a great feeling to know an app inside out).

And I'm not even going to tack a feature request gripe onto this comment!

It surprises me a bit that they haven't moved to subscription pricing, but judging by its chart position (currently showing as #10 Top Paid App overall in the Mac App Store) I guess they are going with the if-it-ain't-broke-don't-fix-it philosophy.

 

[Ubuntu]

Things is a great app but with some of the most stubborn developers of all time.

I've gone back as far as SIX years ago on Twitter to find the first time a user requested the extremely simple but useful feature of showing Tags in-line on iPad (the new Vision app is also lacking this). They constantly say they'll add a +1 to any feature request but these +1s clearly go into a bin along with a "Thanks for letting us know you'd like this" response.

They appear to have a form of pathological demand avoidance where it comes to implementing basic features and seem to wear this as a badge of pride. Other minor annoyances include their refusal to adopt the post Big Sur macOS icon shape like EVERY other app out there. Like why?


View attachment 2344331

The app is very, very well made and the devs always update religiously to support new OS features like Widgets and others. I wouldn't use anything else.

But where it comes to simple, and perfectly valid user requests and feedback, it's almost as though if it's requested they will double down on not doing it.

Whoah so it works fine on iPhone but not on iPad because of the separate app? That's ****ing ridiculous, especially when the iPad app is purchased separately.

 

[DFZD]

Such a great app but Apple Reminders kind of made it redundant for a lot of casual users.

 

[dumastudetto]

I absolutely love Things and have been using it for like 15 years straight (so as well made as the app undoubtedly is, there's also a deep familiarity factor. It's a great feeling to know an app inside out).

And I'm not even going to tack a feature request gripe onto this comment!

It surprises me a bit that they haven't moved to subscription pricing, but judging by its chart position (currently showing as #10 Top Paid App overall in the Mac App Store) I guess they are going with the if-it-ain't-broke-don't-fix-it philosophy.

I think Things 4 will be subscription. It's just been a very long-time coming, and they didn't want to stir controversy by tacking on subscriptions to v3.

 

[Marbles1]

It's a bit hard to be super creative when you don't have a real life device to test on.

Simulator can only take you so far.

Fair but every app we've seen so far is like this. It's the iPad version of an app floating in the air.

I guess this is good because you can have multiple windows around your head, but it's not a '3d interface' or anything fancy like from Minority Report.

 

[orbital~debris]

Things is fabulous and truly excellent software.

I use Things on iMac, iPad, iPhone, Apple Watch (and HomePod via Siri). Love that Cultured Code have developed for Vision Pro as well. Looks really nice, and should be great to reduce the disconnect between the list and the task itself, a little.

 

[arobert3434]

So just superimposing the window on the real environment? Innovative. Now if I could, say, look at my shed and see a list of things I need to do in the yard, or look at my desk and see today's meeting schedule, then we'd be getting somewhere.

 

[Timo_Existencia]

So just superimposing the window on the real environment? Innovative. Now if I could, say, look at my shed and see a list of things I need to do in the yard, or look at my desk and see today's meeting schedule, then we'd be getting somewhere.

Cool idea

 

[Yujenisis]

I’ve been crossing my fingers and toes for Things 4 to improve calendaring to the point where I can kiss Fantastical’s ludicrously expensive subscription to the curb.

There’s few app developers who I think can truly reinvent the iOS calendar. C’mon Cultured Code!

 

[chucker23n1]

Things is a great app but with some of the most stubborn developers of all time. [..] They appear to have a form of pathological demand avoidance where it comes to implementing basic features and seem to wear this as a badge of pride.

Well, stubbornness does make for good product management. If they accepted and prioritized every user suggestion, the end result would be a shapeless blob. You differentiate by saying no to things, and by prioritizing.

 

[Diopter]

They appear to have a form of pathological demand avoidance where it comes to implementing basic features and seem to wear this as a badge of pride.

This is a really odd assessment. I've seen no evidence that they have a fixation on, or are proud of, avoiding user requests. Just because they didn't include your pet features doesn't mean they aren't listening to their users.

A recent example of responding to user feedback and adding a "basic feature" is that when they implemented support for Interactive Widgets (on day one!), some users requested the ability to disable the interactivity so that you couldn't accidentally check off a to-do, and... they promptly added that! Another recent example that's specific to iPad is that people wanted to be able to toggle the visibility of later tasks in Areas and Projects, and they added that too (via Cmd+Shift+E).

A more major and longer term example would be that lots of users had for years wanted Markdown support in task notes, and Cultured Code added that! (with a very nice implementation) Another very frequently requested major feature was support for adjusting the app's text size, and they added that too (with the ability to follow the system's Dynamic Type size setting or to override it in the app).

Maybe they just have a clear idea of how they want their apps to work instead of adding every little thing people want? Maybe there are downsides to your requests that you haven't thought about but which they've already prototyped and think need more work?

Cultured Code are also one of the most consistent developers in adopting Apple's new platforms and platform features every year, despite the apps having so far been one-off purchases without a subscription (even though their superior syncing service totally justifies a subscription all by itself, in my opinion, and I would happily pay for one if they ever introduce it).

In fact they're usually among the first developers to add support for new OS features to their apps. This year, I think all on release day, they: had a totally rewritten Watch app ready for watchOS 10 using SwiftUI to match the new look and behaviours (among other features like now having direct-to-cloud syncing on the Watch app), supported the watchOS Smart Stack, updated all the Widgets on iOS, iPadOS and macOS to make them Interactive Widgets so items can be checked off without having to open the app (including Desktop Widgets on macOS), implemented support for Lock Screen Widgets on iPadOS, added support for the new StandBy interface on iPhone (including support for Night Mode), and now they're launching - again on day one - a native visionOS app.

And users didn't even have to ask for all of these new features, they were just ready to go... on day one!

 

[Schnegg]

Cultured Code has a great app with Things, however I will not buy it unless they add collaboration.

 

[ignatius345]

I’ve been crossing my fingers and toes for Things 4 to improve calendaring to the point where I can kiss Fantastical’s ludicrously expensive subscription to the curb.

I highly recommend BusyCal as an alternative. BusyCal does not have Fantastical's level of polish, but from what I can tell it does everything Fantastical does, without the subscription software rental pricing.

The main draw for me is that it will let you look at an absurd number of days/weeks if you have a screen large enough to do it -- the most of any calendar app I've been able to find.

Here's basically the entire month of February in week view (minus weekends) on my work account:



That said if Cultured Code developed a calendar app I'd buy it immediately.

 

[chfilm]

So just superimposing the window on the real environment? Innovative. Now if I could, say, look at my shed and see a list of things I need to do in the yard, or look at my desk and see today's meeting schedule, then we'd be getting somewhere.

Yeah!!!! That’s the stuff that we need! I loved the timer example in the wsj review!

 

[chfilm]

Cool idea

I guess you could just create multiple windows of lists of things over the according items. Otherwise it would require a fundamental rethought of how apps work, away from the classic iPad app approach that Apple is currently pursuing.

 

[noannualfee]

Cultured Code has a great app with Things, however I will not buy it unless they add collaboration.

This and the ability to attach photos to line items.

 

[chucker23n1]

I guess you could just create multiple windows of lists of things over the according items. Otherwise it would require a fundamental rethought of how apps work, away from the classic iPad app approach that Apple is currently pursuing.

Apple isn't pursuing that. visionOS apps can place multiple objects all over your place, and remember their positions as well.

 

[kgphotos]

I highly recommend BusyCal as an alternative. It does from what I can tell everything that Fantastical does, without the subscription software rental pricing. BusyCal does not have Fantastical's level of polish, but tons of functionality and much more affordable.

The main draw for me is that it will let you look at an absurd number of days/weeks if you have a screen large enough to do it -- the most of any calendar app I've been able to find. Here's basically the entire month of February in week view (minus weekends) on my work account.

View attachment 2344387

That said if Cultured Code developed a calendar app I'd buy it immediately.

I use BusyCal also. Great app with a lot of customization features. Beats Fantastical IMO.

 

[Silverado]

Nice. But does one have to buy yet another Things app or can we use the iPad version on the AVP?