NetNewsWire dissapointment
I purchased NetNewsWire back when it was not part of the NewsGator group and have been very pleased with it.
The other day I received an email stating that my premium NewsGator membership was running out soon, and by renewing I would continue to get updates for NetNewsWire.
I found this kind of strange. I’d already purchased NetNewsWire, and I expected to receive minor updates for free without further payments being necessary. I can understand having to pay for major releases but when I bought the product there was no ‘subscription required’ clause mentioned that would indicate I would have to pay $20 per year for updates.
So I replied to the email, asking for clarification. The response I got confirmed what I thought. In order to receive any kind of updates, I needed to subscribe to the premium NewsGator service for $20 (USD) a year. The reply I received talked about how the $20 also includes a syncing service and allowed me to sync any number of other NewsGator products like FeedBurner.
None of that ‘extra’ stuff meant anything to me. I use .mac to sync my feeds, I don’t use FeedBurner or any other of the NewsGator services. So basically I would be paying $20 a year to receive updates to a program I had already purchased, including minor updates.
This seems ridiculous to me and I am kind of annoyed as I purchased NetNewsWire before it moved to NewsGator, when the whole ‘Premium subscription’ bullshit didn’t exist.
So I am left with an app that I will no longer get updates for. Looks like I will be ditching NetNewsWire soon for some other alternative. One that isn’t controlled by a company that is only interested in pimping out its subscription based services.
Very disappointed.
friday, 7 december, 2007 12:30 MYT
then why does this site say this:
Q: What will current NetNewsWire users get out of this deal?
Brent: Here’s what we have planned. Existing NetNewsWire full-version customers will get a free 2-year premium subscription to NewsGator Online. This subscription will include access to NewsGator’s online platform, including synchronization with NetNewsWire and other premium features. This will also include all updates to NetNewsWire for two years. All this will be available as of the next release of NetNewsWire.
Q: Oh no. Does this mean NetNewsWire is going to become a subscription product?
Greg: No. We are in the process of re-working the way we sell all of our products, based on the huge amount of feedback we’ve gotten about the subscription models. I’ll say it here one more time – starting with each of their next releases, NewsGator Outlook edition, FeedDemon, and NetNewsWire will all continue to work after your subscription expires; however, as long as your subscription is active, they will have access to enhanced features and functions available via the NewsGator Online platform. I’d be more clear, but we’re still working out the details…but we’ll be forthcoming with more information as soon as we have it ready.
,` )
And after the 2 years….. it goes to the subscription model.
Sure the application works fine without paying for the subscription service, but you get NO updates at all, not even minor updates.