Waiting for OmniFocus 2
Version 2 of OmniFocus, my task management application of choice, debuted late last week at Macworld. I can’t wait to give it a try! Unfortunately, there is work yet to be done and it isn’t quite ready to ship to the public. From the Omni Group blog:
We use an iterative development process at Omni, so our next step is to ship a private test release so we can get feedback from customers on how well it’s working in practice. Based on that feedback, we’ll update our design and ship another private test release (and invite more people into the test pool), and the cycle begins again. How many times we repeat that cycle depends on how long it takes for us to feel like we’ve achieved our goals for the release.
Once we finish those rounds of private testing, we’ll post a wide-open public test release for anyone to download from our website, and finish up some of the other hard work of writing documentation, translating the app and documentation to other languages, and submitting the app to Apple for App Store review. Usually this final stage takes 4–6 weeks—at that time, it should be much easier to accurately project a ship date.
Yesterday Ken Case, Omni Group CEO, gave a bit more information regarding the release timeline, explaining that the private test likely won’t start before March.
There’s no need for me to discuss what’s new in OmniFocus 2 here, since this has already been done elsewhere. If you’re interested in learning more, you should begin by visiting the Omni Group blog.
After than, read what others have to say. In no particular order:
Preview of OmniFocus 2 for Mac | Sven Fechner
Looking Forward To OmniFocus 2 | Michael Schechter
The Omni Group’s Ken Case On OmniFocus 2, OmniOutliner 4, And More | MacStories
Omni Group’s Ken Case on OmniFocus 2 and the origins of the app | TUAW
First Look at OmniFocus 2 | Shawn Blanc
First Thoughts on OmniFocus 2 | Aaron Hockley
Also, sign up to test the pre–release version of OmniFocus 2.
Not an OmniFocus user? Omni offers a 14–day free trial period. Give it a look. If you decide to buy you’ll receive a free upgrade to OmniFocus 2 once it ships.