1Password 3.9 *without* moving to App Store version?

olivers

Hi,



Yes, I read the FAQs - but it seems you avoided this particular question. Or otherwise nobody has asked it before. Here goes:



If I have an existing version 3.8 license and I want 3.9 (and later, of course), is it my only option to move to the App Store version?



Thanks

Oliver

khad

Welcome to the forums, Oliver! Thanks for taking the time to contact us.



We have actually answered that question in depth. From our "[url="http://support.agilebits.com/kb/1password-38-for-mac-from-agilebits-website/is-it-possible-to-transfer-my-existing-license-into-the-mac-app-store"]Is it possible to transfer my existing license into the Mac App Store?[/url]" support article:



[color=#000000]A number of folks have asked us if there is a way to transfer a 1Password license purchased directly from AgileBits into Apple's Mac App Store. It certainly would be awesome if Apple provided a way to transfer licenses. Unfortunately, [b]Apple does not allow license transfers into (or out of) the App Store at this time.[/b][/color]



[color=#000000]Some particularly savvy folks have suggested that we could provide codes for existing customers to redeem on the Mac App Store. Alas, Apple only provides developers a very small number of codes, and we can't request extras for the media, refunds, or even customer support. (Although it would probably prevent us from ever eating or sleeping if we tried to distribute so many codes to so many customers.)[/color]



[color=#000000]There are a couple very important things to keep in mind.[/color][list=1]

[*]Presuming you, valued customer, are a 1Password 3 license holder and you purchased your license directly from AgileBits, the version of 1Password in the Mac App Store is essentially identical to the version of 1Password you are already using. There is no reason to purchase 1Password again. How nice is that? The version of 1Password on the Mac App Store is not an upgrade. It is just the same app in a different store. You might want to think of it like buying an album from the iTunes Music Store and Amazon's MP3 Store. If you buy the album in one store, you don't need to purchase it again from the other one. You've already got the music you want. Rock on!

[*]If you do decide that you would like to purchase 1Password again on the Mac App Store anyway, it will not be in vain! All Mac App Store copies of 1Password come with a free upgrade to 1Password 4 when it is available.

[/list]

[color=#000000]In short, you can either wait to jump on the Mac App Store bandwagon when 1Password 4 comes out, or take the dive now and get the upgrade free when 1Password 4 is released. If you decide to wait, you won't be missing out on anything for now with your current copy of 1Password 3.[/color]



[color=#000000]We hope that helps explain the situation a little bit better and allows you to make an informed decision — the best one for your particular situation.[/color]



If we can be of further assistance, please let us know. We are always here to help!

olivers

Hi Khad,



Thank you for your comments. You will notice that they don't exactly answer my question, but I've read around a bit and found enough other details to satisfy me for now.



Let it be said though that I don't appreciate having to pay full price again for version 4. Especially since your price tag is not cheap, and is even more expensive now in comparison to typical prices of App Store products. Let's be clear about this: going to the App Store is a choice you made, and the main benefit of it is on your end, in the much enlarged audience you have through it. One of the reasons why the App Store has turned out to be such a great success for Apple is because content there is cheap and people don't think long before buying something even just to try it. They've even managed to get by without trial versions so far, on the strength of the cheap product prices! On the other hand, the reason they can keep prices low like that is because for a software manufacturer who's been selling Shareware before, the audience size is just so much larger, they can happily accept lower prices and still make lots more money. Sorry to put it bluntly like this, but bringing an existing product to the App Store and keeping the same price point as before (plus no major version upgrade pricing!) is a way of ripping off your customers, especially the ones who've been with you for years. I've seen enough products going to the App Store in recent years with vastly reduced price tags, to support the point I'm making here, however subjective it may be.



I know there are always two sides to every story, and I'm on both sides myself in the software market. I just want to make sure both sides are quite clear to you, as I see them.



Oliver

Chris100

I think the question Oliver was asking was if there is a future for the website version. The FAQ's answer a lot of questions about Web vs. MAS and such, but never answer that question directly.



I almost bought the 3.8 website version a couple of weeks ago as part of the cross-platform bundle, but as luck would have it, I found a post somewhere in these forums where an Agilebits employee stated that 4.0 would be MAS only. (Now I cant find it).



I think it would be useful if the FAQ were to be ammended to clearly state:

Starting with Version 4, AgileBits will only sell and maintain the Mac App Store version.



Many Mac folks, if offered a choice, avoid MAS versions (see for example [url="http://www.marco.org/2012/07/26/mac-app-store-future"]this blog post[/url] from Marco Arment.) So knowing this is the direction would be helpful to first time buyers.



PS: 1PW is the best!

khad

There are big benefits to purchasing apps on the App Store: ease of installation, centralized updates for all App Store apps, no license key to keep track of, etc. Everyday users benefit the most from this since it's pretty easy for geeks like us to install, update, and manage license keys. That said, if the question is “Will 1Password 4 for Mac be available exclusively on the Mac App Store?” then the answer is, “Maybe. However, it is too soon to say for sure as nothing is set in stone.”



1Password 4 for Mac will be a paid upgrade. If you essentially "pre-purchase" it now on the Mac App Store you get to use the current version 3 "free" until then. Otherwise, you can wait to purchase it when it is released.



No release date, distribution channel, or pricing for 1Password 4 for Mac has been announced at this time, but with the launch of 1Password 4 [b]for iOS[/b] we will be offering the new version at a discount of [i][b]more than 50% OFF [/b][/i]to celebrate and help folks migrate. We explained this in [url="http://email.agilewebsolutions.com/t/ViewEmailArchive/r/C2D99450779781A3/C67FD2F38AC4859C/"]our most recent newsletter[/url] if you'd like more details. I can't promise anything specific for 1Password 4 for Mac, but I hope the 1Password 4 for iOS introductory sale price and our track record of [b]only a single paid upgrade in [url="https://agilebits.com/onepassword/mac/release_notes"]1Password's entire six year history[/url][/b] speaks clearly to our commitment to treat our customers fairly.



The one and only paid upgrade was back in 2009. Yes, that's not a typo. That was three years ago, when the iPhone 3GS and OS X Snow Leopard were the latest and greatest to come from Apple. <img src='http://forum.agilebits.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />



I'm sorry I don't have more details about 1Password 4 for Mac, but it is too early to say anything with certainty. We'll likely announce more details about 1Password 4 for Mac in our newsletter when we have them. If you're interested, you might consider [url="https://agilebits.com/company/newsletter"]subscribing[/url].



Right now we're focused on getting 1Password 4 [b]for iOS [/b]out the door, so it would make much more sense to come back to questions about 1Password 4 for Mac after that, but please let me know if there is anything else I can help with in the meantime.



Cheers!

Chris100

Thanks for that info, and by the way i was not trying to argue against MAS. Just pointing out that some people avoid it.



I am fully in favor of paying for an upgrade every couple of years for software I like and use. 1Password definitely fits that category. I want you guys to get paid for your great work!



I hope that in the near future, Apple figures out how to allow developers to do upgrades through the App Store and Mac App Store.



In the mean time, I think you have come up with the best possible solutions -- free upgrade to V4 on MAS, introductory pricing in iOS app store, etc



Keep it up. I am in it for the long haul with you guys.!

khad

Upgrades in the App Store would be very interesting, in the meantime we're delighted to give [i]everyone[/i] who purchases 1Password 4 for iOS during the introductory sale the "upgrade price". (In fact, it is an even larger discount than our historical upgrade discount.)





We genuinely appreciate your support, Chris. Thanks so much!

A884126

I do not want to be the bad guy here but if I understood well 1Password 4 for Mac might be only available on MAS.



As Apple does not authorize licences transfert, actual owner on the 3 version will have to pay full price to migrate to version 4.



If this scenario will happen then I will belong to the customers group who will refuse to pay again 50$ for a new version without a discount price to upgrade.



I am not mentioning the IOS apps where I will have to pay twice 8$ for the iPhone and the iPad.



A total of 66$ is getting pretty expensive, even for an application that I really enjoyed.



From a marketing perspective it would have been much better to offer a discount bundle (Mac, IOS iPhone + iPad) for owners of the version 3.

olivers

Sorry I haven't replied before. Thanks for the information, everybody, and I appreciate your reasoning for the App Store version. However, when it comes down to it, it's all about the price - and yes, the App Store actually has much to do with my expectation in this regard, because it has reduced the average price level of software a lot these past years.



Right now, the App Store version of 1Password sells at £34.95. That's the same amount in GBP that I paid in USD back when I first licensed 1Password - at current exchange rates that's roughly 1.6 times the amount. You're correct I only paid for an upgrade one time in between, that upgrade cost $19.95. Now, if you want another $19.95 from me for the next major version, fine - no problem. Right now, as much as I can tell, you're asking roughly $50 instead, and that is a problem.



Perhaps you're trying to say, with all the fluent prose about the iOS release version 4 <g>, that you will have an introductory price for the Mac version 4 when it comes around, and perhaps that will in fact be close to $19.95 or equivalent in GBP, rendering this whole discussion moot. But just in case that's not what you're saying, I'll add my vote to A884126's comment! I do believe in paying for software I use, and 1Password is certainly one of the more important tools I have. So I won't expect to get it for $3.95, like many of the tools the App Store offers. But I do want to see my loyalty rewarded, and myself respected as a long-term customer.



Thanks for listening

Oliver

khad

[quote]As Apple does not authorize licences transfert, actual owner on the 3 version will have to pay full price to migrate to version 4.[/quote]

Ful price is a relative term. "Full price" on the App Store just means the current price. If there is a sale then the sale price is available to everyone. What we have done with iOS v4, for example, is to provide a 50% OFF sale to celebrate and help folks migrate. I can't promise anything specific for Mac v4, but a debut sale clearly would not be unprecedented for a new major version of 1Password. All of this is speculation. If there is no great sale when 1Password 4 for Mac is released, please feel free to bring this up again at that time. <img src='http://forum.agilebits.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />







[quote]From a marketing perspective it would have been much better to offer a discount bundle (Mac, IOS iPhone + iPad) for owners of the version 3. [/quote]

This is simply not possible. Apple does not allow bundle pricing across App Stores. iOS v4 is a universal app so I guess that "bundles" iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad apps into one, but there is no way to bundle a Mac app with an iOS app or vice versa. Hence the sales.



[quote]Perhaps you're trying to say, with all the fluent prose about the iOS release version 4 <g>, that you will have an introductory price for the Mac version 4 when it comes around, and perhaps that will in fact be close to $19.95 or equivalent in GBP, rendering this whole discussion moot.[/quote]

Indeed. <img src='http://forum.agilebits.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=';)' />



Nothing I've written should be construed as a promise or guarantee of anything in the future, since the future hasn't happened yet and anything could happen between now and the time that 1Password 4 for Mac is released. The truth is, though, no single major version upgrade to 1Password on any platform has occurred without a fantastic sale to show our appreciation for our customers.



Cheers,