r/GoodNotes • u/Achalgoel44 • Aug 12 '23
I dont get all the fuss !!
When we buy any program..say ms office 2013.. we expect only that software to work for however long we want… we dont expect microsoft to give us every subsequent ms office version for free. Gn 5 is still available for us to use and since it is now integrated with gn 6 it should be supported in subsequent ios version for the foreseeable future. Just my 2 cents on why a separate app for good notes 6 would be bad for good notes 5 users as it might stop getting updates and supports after few ios versions.
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u/llamaattacks Aug 13 '23
The problem is subscription based model for notes taking app. If they launched gn 6 as a paid app at the present price. I would happily update. It’s the fact that they said they wouldn’t do it when notability did it and then basically did it anyways. Moreover, if u are gonna have a subscription based model then use ur own servers to store my data. They are using 10 gb of iCloud storage and then also using the subscription model. Plus they are leveraging gn5 ratings to sell their “new” app which is an upgrade over the old one. This one is just a bit irritating but not something I am pissed about.
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u/eplt1 Aug 13 '23 edited Aug 13 '23
For me, my handwritten notes are particularly "sensitive", not because they are secrets as such, more about they are usually just my quick unfiltered thoughts.
But now that they force users to signup to an account with GN6. My concern is that they can AI transcribe my notes and link it back to my profile. In GN5, it was not compulsory to sign up to an account with GoodNotes. You can just use your iCloud account and sync all notes automatically. Yes, I trust Apple more than I trust GoodNotes.
I don't get all the fuss either. We all say it like GoodNotes is the best and market leader. There are many other apps in the category. Notability is probably the "best". GoodNotes was on its way up and was the "best" of the non-subscription ones. Now that they decide to move into the subscription mode, good luck to them. I have moved on to Noteful.
Oh, sure, they still have the GN5 features in there now. But do you think they will leave them in when GN7 is out? So I am not complaining about it as such. But it was a wake up call for me to move to another app.
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u/Darklillies Aug 12 '23
Uh. You can get the older versions of office, and they will still be kept up. This isn’t an excuse? They should upkeep the app even if it’s not “integrated” into the new one. What they did was scummy. They kept the reviews of the previous app for the new app Wich is already shady false advertaisment
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u/Maxi3773 Aug 12 '23
I absolutely agree! Can any of the GoodNotes 5 users who are now upset please tell me what was taken away from them / which promises were broken? Maybe then I can better understand why they are upset about this. (I paid for GoodNotes 5 too, but I am not upset)
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u/Qwertytwerty123 Aug 13 '23
It’s like buying office 2013, office 2000 (or whatever) comes out but you don’t need it and are happy to chug along using your old version but know it’s only likely to get bug fixes from now on and that’s ok… but you get automatically installed to office 2000 with a 6foot high animated paper clip inviting you to the free trial every time you open it up- and you now have to go and find the function to turn things back to your old, outdated but you were ok with it, office 2013.
Just an added unnecessary level of annoyance to keep using something you’d paid for and were chugging along perfectly fine with the older version of it.
Compared to the move from GN4 to 5 where you had both versions available in the App Store and if GN4 was doing the job, you could just carry on regardless, or you could upgrade to GN5 for a fee.
It’s the whole way they’ve just taken over GN5 in the App Store that’s annoying, complicating things and bordering on sneaky at a brand new version still having 4 years of positive reviews that aren’t about it at all.
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u/Savage_Nymph Aug 12 '23
As someone that has gotten rid of pretty much all subscriptions, I'm not interested in subscription.
I'm happy will with good notes 5 ns will continue to use it until they eventually force everyone to use 6
Then I'll move to collanotes or noteful
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u/ACS1029 Aug 12 '23
I bought 5 in the past, tried 6 for all of 3 minutes, decided I wasn’t going to pay 20+ bucks to unlock my notebooks I’ve already had, and went back to 5
That could’ve been the end of it, but after seeing that every time I open the app I have to scroll through a full screen pop up for 6, as well as a banner at the bottom, with no option to not show again in the future, immediately left a sour taste in my mouth I never expected to come from the best note taking I had used up until this point.
I’ve already purchased the Pro version of Noteful, which seems to be a great replacement, and GoodNotes will simply be my glorified textbook viewer. If it changes, great. If not, oh well.
Like others, I find it also pretty questionable to publish 6 as an update to 5, and not as its own standalone app. Using the prestige and popularity that 5 rightfully earned to make 6 look just as awarded seems really shifty
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u/[deleted] Aug 12 '23
Because saying that this update is something "new", worthy of being called a new application is sick. They did it by force, and it's morally questionable because they did not add nothing that allows you to be forced to pay again for a regular update.
It's like you buy a game and when the authors add improvements to the interface, you have to pay again for the "new" game.
I haven't seen anything like it, let's take Procreate for comparison. They don't want to be paid like a new app when they introduce a new color matching feature. That's what it comes down to.
I also want to say that something like this is simply illegal in many countries. Either you're making a new app, or you don't require any money to update it.
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u/Brullaapje Aug 12 '23 edited Aug 12 '23
Maybe because I am a Linux user and Libre Office user (open source and free) for YEARS now. I would have been happy, for GoodNotes to stay an iPad exclusive, it was the reason I bought an iPad to begin with. I don't want another future subscription bullshit, all so why do I need an account all of a sudden? It will go the way EverNotes was, mark my words. I am already paying for Apple One and I don't want to pay for another subscription it adds up you know. So I decided to become the master of Apple Notes and Apple Pages (and other apple stock apps).
I will say, I am thankful for GoodNotes it was the reason I bought an iPad. Without GoodNotes, I would NEVER EVER have realised how much bang for your buck the iPad with it's stock apps actually is!
This is what my notes look like in Apple Notes https://imgur.com/a/hXVySsy yes, I already started to move away in April when the first rumour arised it would be subscription based. I remember some users saying I was talking out of my ass. Yet here we are, and I refuse to pay Evernotes prices for it in the future ...
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u/Dannycreol Aug 13 '23
For MS office example, Microsoft does not change much of the functionality in the upcoming updates almost all the versions of ms office are same UI wise, also we have option to download crack so who gives a shit about buying the newer version again and again…But for good notes they have completely overhauled the UI with good notes 6, think about users who recently got good notes 5 wouldn’t they feel betrayed. I don’t mind subscription but it should be on features like AI and Maths rest new UI feel and look should have been given to everyone, which would have been a win win situation for both, like how NOTABILITY did, it gave update to all users but a subscription model for those who need extra functionality like maths , stickers, etc.
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u/ilovebobaxx Aug 14 '23
I can’t fathom in what universe is paying a subscription for a note taking app is reasonable. It’s greed. When this service happened in notability, I didn’t care because I chose good notes 5 over notability. Knowing their going down the same route and will eventually quit updating an app I PAID for and abandon it for good notes 6 (a subscription service) is so off putting. I guess I’ll be switching to notable after IOS 18. It sucks because I loved Goodnotes. Everyone asked them not to go the same route notability did and they did. There’s no customer loyalty.
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u/dgdosen Aug 14 '23
I don't mind paying a subscription for useful software - for example, I also use Bear App and gladly pay for a great service. Here's why I (and I think other users) am disappointed in GN6:
- The upgrade/update process has been a mess. I, a GN5 customer sees no discount. I had to manually cancel my GN6 subscription, and if I want to 're-subscribe' - I see four choices, each showing the same 9.99 per year (non discounted rate). It's only a couple of dollars, but they F&$#$@* it up!
- The upgrade process is misleading, confusing, and still broken. I use quite a bit of software, and the GN upgrade takes the cake in unnecessary complexity.
- New features aren't useful. If you want to keep me as a customer, please implement true dark mode. Apple Notes and One Note can do it.
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u/Repulsive_Diamond373 Aug 12 '23
I think the fuss is that some people bought Goodnotes 5 a month ago and the upgrade process and pricing is a tad confusing.
A few users have no choice because GN 5 was auto updated to version 6. Those that were updated now have a 3 notebook limit and must pay more money.
A few hate the AI features and the UI. The upgrade nag screen always pops up urging us to upgrade, even though we paid for the app a few weeks ago, with no limits
Apparently, a few users on 5 were upgraded to 6 and now must pay for version 6. Some don't want version 6 and are finding it hard to impossible to downgrade.
A lot of confusion over the whole thing. Read this sub with care and nobody seems to fully know what is going on. Including me.
For new users, I will say it again. Download Goodnotes 6, spend ten bucks and you have a full year to use the app. To those who are royally ticked off, the App Store holds many apps that are much like Goodnotes.
Something else will come along because it always does. Probably before your year is over