What To Expect Next From Sync


N4TE_B

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Thanks everyone for your comments. I just want to clarify that there are no plans for ads in Sync. Just because a good portion of Sync will be free to use does not mean that it will be subsidized by ads.

 

The debate on perpetual software licenses vs software subscriptions is interesting. Some key customer advantages to a subscription model is lower entry prices, no surprise upgrade charges (especially for new OS support), an no add-on to get technical support. With perpetual licenses, in many cases, "pay once" is mostly a myth. It's just less deterministic as to when the upgrade charge will come.

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I think the bigger concern would be if you use a feature of pro and your sub expires. Then you lose that feature.

With a owned license that will never happen.thappen.the trade of is that your version may go out of date or need upgrading in future with the release of newer is and stuff.

Thats why I think a owned kicense plus upgrade service would be best. People pay price the software is theres. Throw in a yesrs free updates. And then offer a sub sevice for updates atop.after that year.

The people can opt to subscribe and always stay up to date but won't lose any existing functionality if they don't.

I think thats what worries people. If pro has supportnfor supernhuge directories with a on demand download service will that accesd be lost when sub expires?

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Thanks everyone for your comments. I just want to clarify that there are no plans for ads in Sync. Just because a good portion of Sync will be free to use does not mean that it will be subsidized by ads.

 

The debate on perpetual software licenses vs software subscriptions is interesting. Some key customer advantages to a subscription model is lower entry prices, no surprise upgrade charges (especially for new OS support), an no add-on to get technical support. With perpetual licenses, in many cases, "pay once" is mostly a myth. It's just less deterministic as to when the upgrade charge will come.

 

Glad to hear about the no ads!  Lower entry price is (debatably) great when it's a $1500 multimedia editing suite or even a $350 set of very complex and de-facto standard office tools, but is that really going to be a barrier to entry for a file directory sync tool?  If your competition is the well-entrenched Dropbox, and your big selling point is that there is no third party cloud dependency it really seems like it's shooting yourself in the foot by then introducing a monthly or reoccuring fee - getting away from monthly fees seems like a major reason why people would consider your product over Dropbox in the first place!

 

As for upgrade fees, I dropped Parallels because I got sick of paying for a Parallels update that was necessary every time an OS X update came out, so thats also a tough line to walk.  I couldn't be happier with 1Password more however, they have been great about providing additional functionality without constantly squeezing more money out of existing customers, I sing their praises to other people every chance I get and many people I know are now happily using their software.  This model has worked out well for them, they seem to be dominating their market, people love them and they are probably doing very well with sales.

 

Rob

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Personally don't see a big issue with the yearly subscription model although the price point may need a bit of tweaking to gain a foothold in the market. Yearly subs will hopefully ensure future innovation and product maturity. I'm pretty new to the party having only recently started using btsync so have not experienced as much as other beta users.

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

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I would have preferred a one time payment with no version upgrades (although would expect bug and security fixes, just not new features) to the subscription model.  However I am good with the subscription model.

 

What disappoints me with the release of 2.0 is the 10 folder limit on the free version.  1.4 allows unlimited folders, I would expect the free 2.0 to do so as well - especially since we were told no features would be taken away from the free version.  Well broken promises are a bad way to try and move free product to a paid product.

 

Since the beginning I've evangelize Sync and have spent a long time explaining why Sync is better than Dropbox, et al, and defending it against detractors (especially the open source crowd) with this is decision though I am going to have reconsider my recommendation, and take more serious looks at alternatives.

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I have been reading all this with interest and a taste of distain.

In general, I agree that BTSync has broken promises with the capabilities of its current release 2.0, but that is nothing new. Even in development many feature requests were promised and never delivered (even a year after the promise). The sad part is that this time BTSync has now taken away something people have become accustom to. This is typical marketing/political methodology to make people pay for things they previously had not instead of instilling a feeling of having to do without.

Is it ethical? I guess that all depends on everyone’s own tolerances, but I am of the school that you say what you mean, and do what you say. Everything else just lessens who you are, be it a person or a company.

As for the price structure, well… First, I do not believe in a subscription based program. A subscription based service, yes, but a program… no. I know companies need a revenue stream to continue, but a subscription is a bad move. Providing tech support is one thing, but in my experience, the only tech support questions I have asked have ended up being short comings of the software, not my laziness to find out how to use it. $40/yr to point out shortcomings in the software is a bit absurd in my view. That being said, would I buy the program, if reasonably priced, yes I would.

As far as future development, that is a mixed bag. Some of us just need a simple platform without limitations to use. Think of Windows OS, the bells and whistles are nice, but how often do you really use them, and how much of an added cost is put into the software for things people really do not use. I would think that perhaps different levels of bells and whistles could be had in different levels, say Free, Lite, Full, and Pro versions.

I see that there is also some limit to mobile devices; however I cannot seem to find it in the product description. Same holds true for the folder limitation.

As for epounds (VP of Sync) neophyte comments

“10 active folders is a lot of syncing activity and we feel that those who need more capabilities will benefit much from Sync Pro”

Folders are a function of structure, not a function syncing activity. Changing files defines the activity. Forcing people to restructure their data to fit the confines of the program is a huge leap backward. This should not be a limitation (at all).

I also realize that being just one person, my comments may not hold very much weight. I have hopes that the voices of the masses will account for something and that BTSync will rethink its current undertaking and not screw so many people that have helped them up to this point.

There are many other options out there in various stages of development from full blown and established to just getting started. I am hoping I do not have to go through selecting another program as I thought I was done based on the previous promises made by BTSync, and now broken.

Time will tell…

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I have been reading all this with interest and a taste of distain.

 

...

I also realize that being just one person, my comments may not hold very much weight. I have hopes that the voices of the masses will account for something and that BTSync will rethink its current undertaking and not screw so many people that have helped them up to this point.

There are many other options out there in various stages of development from full blown and established to just getting started. I am hoping I do not have to go through selecting another program as I thought I was done based on the previous promises made by BTSync, and now broken.

Time will tell…

 

I think your observations are pretty spot on.  As epounds pointed out, the idea of "owning" software really is a misnomer in that all software must be a living entity simply to keep up to date, so the idea of buying once and never buying again is rarely accurate.  But that perception of permanence represents one end of the spectrum, while a forced subscription for software - not service - is the other end of the spectrum.  Pricewise, they just put themselves in a pretty unpopular position.  And I have yet to hear them articulate an argument on how this is beneficial for the customer.

 

I'm having trouble reconciling where they think they fit into the market and their business model.  Clearly Dropbox is what they are aiming at.  The biggest advantages of Dropbox are the large existing user base - which makes it easy to share files with other users as they are likely to be existing Dropbox users, and simplicity of use.  Downsides to Dropbox are questionable security and high reoccurring subscription costs.

 

As I see it, BT Sync has a large and difficult hurdle to clear (user base) to achieve anything remotely close to critical mass, and the only way to do this would be by attacking Dropbox on it's shortcomings.

 

By relying on BT Sync managed tracking servers and a similar "just trust us" attitude to Dropbox, they don't really show a significant advantage on the security argument.  They also have to clear the hurdle of being associated with BitTorrent, which has shady connotations due to the large use of BitTorrent for software piracy and content theft.  So who to trust, Dropbox or BitTorrent?  Kind of a toss up, neither one has a good reputation.

 

By making it $40/year subscription based, yet not offering any cloud storage as Dropbox does, they really aren't winning the cost argument either.

 

And for the vast majority of casual users the free Dropbox limitation of 2 GB is far less restrictive than 10 folders, so they just lost that argument as well.  Especially considering the benefits of Dropbox - mature cross platform support, a web client, cloud based backup.

 

So what exactly is BT Sync, just a niche product for people with large quantities of data to backup who don't like the cloud?  Too bad, seems like a missed opportunity to me.  I'd love to ditch Dropbox, but they just talked me out of it.

 

Rob

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