∞ Omni Group: Why they only develop for Apple and not Windows or Android

One of the most respected developers in the Apple community is Ken Case from the Omni Group. If you’ve wondered why some developers only make apps for Apple, Case has the answer for you.

[ad#Google Adsense 300x250 in story]I’ve talked to a lot of developers, even at Apple’s recent Worldwide Developers Conference, and asked them why they didn’t develop for other platforms. The answers all pretty much echoed what Case said tonight.

“Are there other successful platforms out there? Certainly! Could we make more money by bringing our software to those platforms? Maybe. But I don’t think that software would be any better than what we’ve already made, and it would distract us from improving the software we’ve written,” wrote Case.

A developer since the 1980s, Case said the goal of the people at the Omni Group was not to make as much money as possible, but rather make the best software they can.

“So, just as I chose twenty years ago to focus my attention on the tiny NeXT platform (which sold fewer systems in its entire history than Apple’s iPad sold in its first weekend), we’ve now chosen to focus our collective attention on what that platform has become — Apple’s Mac OS X, iPhone, and iPad platforms — platforms where we feel we can make our software the best it can be,” wrote Case.

http://twitter.com/Moeskido Moeskido

Call me partisan, but I have to admire devs who have NeXT cred.
- http://www.jphotog.com Hrunga Zmuda
  
  You bet! I’ve always supported Omni. And I hope that as the Mac App store gets more popular, there’s an education version of the store. Because the Omni apps for Mac are way less expensive for education customers. But then, as long as they sell it outside the Mac App store, we’re good.
Anonymous

I’m a registered iOS developer, and still teaching myself the language.

And I agree with Omni.

I want my software to be “the best.”

I also think Apple has by far the most elegant development environment, as well as by for the best ecosystem.
Anonymous

So in short, it comes down to what developers feel would be the best use of their resources. Good for iPad users…
Ross Rubin

While i appreciate his position, I wish they would staff up and expand platforms while keeping quality high. I would love to see a cross-platform version of OmniOuliner.
Anonymous

This guy has my vote – developing for the best user experience.

Well done Case.
http://mangochut.net/ mangochutney

I’m not a developer and I agree with Case’s sentiment, but from a business perspective he shouldn’t limit his efforts on just one platform; meaning that he should keep looking for the next promising platform.

Say webOS becomes a hit among consumers and in business, he shouldn’t dismiss it, just because his company is successful on iOS and OS X.
Anonymous

Ok…I’ll say the Emperor has no clothes! To ME I’d say they know there is NO WAY they could command the prices they charge on Windows. For all of their apps there are MANY more price competitive alternatives under the Windows platform and few to none on the Mac. Any resulting price cannibalization on Windows would of course effect their Mac revenue number.

Personally I’ve never understood their pricing model which seems to go for unit price versus unit volume but that’s their choice! My point is that it won’t work on Windows.
- http://mangochut.net/ mangochutney
  
  There’s a simple explanation for their business model and it has to do with consumer surplus. In most cases it’s favourable for a company to sell their products at a higher margin to fewer customers than otherwise.
  
  Willingness to pay for quality, is something found seldom in the Windows software market.
  
  But just out of interest, what products in the Windows sphere were you talking about?
- http://twitter.com/ecclespaul Paul Eccles
  
  Visio by MS costs $249 for standard, $559 for pro. Omnigraffle costs $99 for standard, $199 for pro.
  - http://mangochut.net/ mangochutney
    
    Dang, I completely forgot about Visio. My mother used to like working with it.
http://www.splasmata.com Terra

Nice. My husband needs to work on some kind of standard response to this same question. He was introduced to someone at a BBQ recently, with standard small talk he said what he does for a living, and the person said, “You should develop for Android.” Its weird…if my husband was a math teacher I doubt anyone he just met would say, “You should try teaching History.”
- http://www.theuniversalsteve.com Anonymous
  
  “My husband needs to work on some kind of standard response to this same question.”
  
  How about something along the lines of “I prefer to develop for a platform whose users are willing to pay for software.”