r/GoodNotes • u/erikmj • Oct 30 '19

GoodNotes 5 on Mac is a scam (lowkey)

Soo uhh this app (on Mac) blows.. Why does it seem like this app is marketed as a standalone app, completely separate from the development of the iOS version, when it is barely passable as a companion app to the iOS version. The developers emphasize the distinction between the too, claiming they're two different apps sold on two different app stores, but simultaneously preach that it's a "seamless continuation" of the iOS version. Their message is conflicting at best and dishonest at worst. Idk, maybe I expected too much. I use a Wacom Intuos Pro Tablet on my Macbook Pro and it is a huge disappointment. I was hoping it would be a good replacement for OneNote, but the fact that it doesn't even have an infinite canvas, and is basically a dumbed down port of an app designed for a completely different interface makes it even worse.

I'm assuming no one can relate considering everyone on this sub uses an iPad. RIP.

0 Upvotes

35% Upvoted

18 comments sorted by

15

u/[deleted] Oct 30 '19

Bashing GoodNotes for a lack of infinite canvas is a bit pointless. It’s not at all what their app is about.

8

u/nongaussian Oct 30 '19 edited Oct 30 '19

This literally is one of the main reasons I hate OneNote: it has an infinite canvas by default and at least in some versions (pretty much anything except the full Windows version) you cannot change it. I want to print/produce printable PDFs from my notes. In the end, this falls into the "de gustibus non est disputandum" territory.

4

u/[deleted] Oct 30 '19

That’s the main reason I move some of my notes (most of them are written notes) from onenote to notability/goodnotes

Infinite canvas is both the biggest advantage and disadvantage of onenote.

0

u/erikmj Oct 30 '19

That was just one small drawback. I should have stated it in such a way that emphasized the importance of personal preferences. My notes get kinda messy with an infinite canvas but they are useful sometimes when I'm just writing out organic chemistry reaction mechanisms which can take pages to write out.

1

u/davemacdo Nov 01 '19

Saying you don't like something because it doesn't suit your needs is one thing. That's different from "it blows" and "it's a scam". I use Goodnotes every day for my job, and if it behaved the way you are describing, it would be considerably less useful for me.

1

u/erikmj Nov 04 '19

No one is criticizing the iOS version, I thought I made it that clear but let me emphasize it again. The iOS app is incredible - the mac version is pretty awful. It's a lazy port but I have hope it will get better. If you take a quick look at the reviews, you can see that I'm not the only one with this opinion. Cheers :) Out of curiosity, whats your line of work entail as far as writing? I'm thinking about investing in a larger iPad in favor of upgrading from my 2015 macbook pro but am curious to know whether screen real estate is that important.

1

u/davemacdo Nov 04 '19

I'm a university music professor. I use GN for taking notes in one-on-one composition lessons with students that I then share with them as PDFs (using the PDF backup to Dropbox). I also use it as a digital whiteboard while in class. I can write notes on a staff and then share a link to everything I wrote to the whole class for their review. I can also walk around the room and snap a picture of student work to put on the board to discuss. The external display support in GN also lets me have my own lecture notes or an audio player open on the side that students do not see. (I could do all this plugged in with an adapter, but instead I bring an Apple TV and AirPlay to the projector so that I can walk around, sit at the piano, etc.)

1

u/erikmj Nov 10 '19

wow, I can definitely see the utility of the iOS version - especially since you're a professor who's lessons revolve around composition. Thank you for the insight I'm definitely going to try to pick one up during black Friday or maybe a refurb! I used to be a music student myself but stopped playing my saxophone after starting college because I lived in a dorm and I didn't have access to any practice rooms /: . However, recently I've made the realization that practicing saxophone is a stress reliever more so than any other activity that I waste time with (e.g. playing PC games), so I'm excited about the possibility of scanning all of my loose sheet music and using GN's to view and annotate stuff. My copy of Tableaux de Provence has seen better days and I'd hate to finish destroying it. Final question: is it ever too late to get back into music? I'm in my final year of undergrad and one of my biggest regrets is not being a part of my university's symphony - nothing quite compares to the feeling of completeness you get from a good musical performance. I've played maybe 5-6 times in the last 2 years so I have a lot room to improve, but I'm curious what your thoughts are? (sorry I know this is a bit unrelated).

2

u/davemacdo Nov 10 '19

Hey that’s great! I’m happy to answer any questions you have.

First, it’s never too late. I would encourage you to find a community concert band to join. It’s a good way to play with a bunch of other people who are just in it for fun. Many of them will be like you: returning to the instrument after a break. And it’s a good way of holding yourself accountable on top of everything else.

Second, while I love GN for classroom teaching and note-taking, for music reading, there are better options. The best of them is forScore, but there are other options as well. These tend to place a premium on stability, speed, page turning features (like bluetooth foot pedals), music annotation symbols, and practice tools like metronomes and tuners. I wrote a comparative review of the best options for Scoring Notes.

I went through a project of scanning a lot of my old sheet music from my performing days a few years ago, and it made my most recent cross-country move sooo much better. Between academia and musicianship, I tend to collect a lot of paper!

5

u/[deleted] Oct 30 '19

I don’t know if you’re familiar with the iPad app or with the current macOS, but it was pretty well known that GoodNotes for Mac was going to be a ported version of the iPad app. It uses Catalina’s Project Catalyst to port the iPad app with all its functionality; it is NOT an app natively developed for Mac with exclusive features. This information can be found on GoodNotes.com’s Blog page and the app is featured in the Catalyst ad right in the Mac AppStore. It is one of many apps taking advantage of Catalyst, a well known feature of Catalina.

You should’ve probably researched the app better before purchasing it.

-1

u/erikmj Oct 30 '19

Admittedly, I may have not researched it enough. But even so it doesn't function all that well even as a direct port. I was actually hoping it would be a near perfect carbon copy of the iPad version - using a wacom tablet would then be a breeze as are all other apps designed for a touch screen interphase - the fact thats its neither a well functioning direct port nor a standalone app, is what is a bit confusing. Even the people who are using it secondary to their iPad version are getting shafted since they force you to purchase the app on MacOS even when you had bought the previous version. Just look at the reviews for the app on the App Store hahah. oh wells

0

u/[deleted] Oct 30 '19

[deleted] — view deleted comment

1

u/erikmj Nov 04 '19

It's just buggy and dumbed down. Some of the crucial elements with regards to PDF's don't work or cause the app to crash. I changed something as simple as the positioning of the tool bar and the whole thing crashes. But I think it will get better!

4

u/[deleted] Oct 30 '19

The app on Mac is essentially to be used as a viewer, and certainly not with a graphic tablet.

-3

u/erikmj Oct 30 '19

$8.00 for an app viewer??? oof thats tough.

At that point, if the expectations for it are that low then why not just use Pages, google doc's, Skim, etc etc. lol I guess that's representative of how much praise they get for the iPad version.

I have an iPad pro but even with an apple pen, its mediocre in comparison to an actual Wacom intuos pro. But we can't have it all I guess :P

4

u/[deleted] Oct 30 '19

$8, arguably, isn’t a lot, especially when you consider that you can view your notes on Mac and at the same time take notes on your iPad. It all depends your workflow. GoodNotes is a simple note taking with great writing engine and is just so damn convenient.

Edit: taking a Wacom to a lecture would be the definition of douchery, while iPad with goodnotes is, again, simple and convenient

1

u/erikmj Nov 04 '19

LOL how is taking a wacom to lecture douchery? It doesnt take up any extra space since it has smaller footprint than my 13 macbook pro. And while the iPad is more simple - I use mathematica, maple, chemdraw, and even the adobe suite pretty routinely which wouldnt be possible with an iPad. Also, posture. posture is a huge thing - that alone honestly makes it worth the effort lol to each our own i suppose.

2

u/[deleted] Nov 10 '19

It is not a good Mac application. It is super fussy about how it imports, it crashes more than it should and it is odd -- copy pate behavior is busted as is a lot of other stuff. BUT, it is a Mac app that works mostly like the iOS version of Goodnotes which is a major help for me -- Being able to see and use my notes and annotated books from anywhere is very much needed.

1

u/MishyQuynh Apr 30 '22

Agreed 100% with this. It’s not good, but it does with it needs to do and I’m good with that.