Omnigroup Gives us Goodies for iOS7

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By Lionel Gibbons

If you’re an iOS fan — like me —  you probably spent (wasted?) a bunch of time today updating your iDevices and playing with the new features of iOS7. If you’re a productivity junkie — also like me — you’re probably feeling pretty guilty about spending so much time on activities of questionable productivity.

Fortunately, the good folks at The Omni Group have provided a way to both enjoy the new iOS7 and increase your productivity.  They’ve introduced three updated versions of their iOS apps that any productivity fan will want to check out.

OmniFocus 2 for iOS7 (iPhone)

First, they’ve released an all new version of their powerhouse task manager app, OmniFocus. OmniFocus 2 for iPhone has a completely new look and feel that fits right in with the colorful iOS7 environment. If you’re already an OmniFocus for iPhone user, switching over is simple. It uses the same database format, so all your critical todo lists and projects will still be at your finger tips. But now they’re wrapped in clean, white iOS7 UI goodness. There isn’t a new version for the iPad yet, but I expect that will be coming along at some point too. 

OmniOutliner 2 for iOS7 (iPad)

OmniOutliner actually preceded OmniFocus in the Omni Group’s product portfolio, and remains one of the most popular — and most powerful — outlining tools for the Mac and iOS today. The recent addition of the OmniPresence cloud service, which syncs your data between iOS devices and the Mac, has greatly increased the usefulness of OmniOutliner for iOS. It’s another great productivity and information organizational tool to have in your arsenal. I use it for all manner of structured list making now. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to get the new OmniOutliner 2 for iPad to sync up with the OmniPresence server yet, but I chalk that up to day one glitches. I’ll keep trying.

OmniPlan 2 for iOS7 (iPad)

I have no connection to The OmniGroup, and therefore have no insider information, but I suspect that OmniPlan is less popular than the other two apps released today. It’s a full-on project management tool akin to Microsoft Project, and therefore has less widespread appeal and applicability. However, if you have a need for real project management, and happen to me a Mac user, you may want to do yourself a favor and check in to OmniPlan for the Mac. Now with OmniPlan 2 for the iPad, you can leave your Mac behind, and bring those beautiful project plans with you wherever you go. 

If you want to learn more about it, check out Omni’s blog post on their iOS7 plans. 

So What’s the Catch?

OK, so that’s the good news. What’s the bad news? None of these are free upgrades. Even if you already own the previous versions for iOS, you’ll still need to pay full price for the new versions. Booo, right? Well, yes and no. The Omni Group is a small, independent developer that has been providing world class software to the Mac and iOS community for years now, and they deserve to earn a living. Considering what some of the big guys charge for upgrades (think Microsoft Office or Adobe Creative Suite), the Omni Group isn’t asking much. If I have to pay for major upgrades to keep them producing the software I rely on to accomplish what I need to do in my work (and my life), the so be it.

What say you?