What’s the rationale behind spending resources on a web app instead of doubling down on what makes Bear unique?
I’ve been a subscriber since the beginning. Bear has always delivered on its promise: the best note-taking app in the Apple ecosystem. That focus is why I pay for it.
A web client that can’t match the native experience isn’t a feature—it’s a distraction. This shift makes me nervous.
Aiming to expand the customer base in order to generate additional resources ?
The web app is aimed at users who not only use an apple device, but who, for whatever reason (e.g. work), are dependent on using windows pc’s and need to access their data there or on someone else’s ac. If I’m not mistaken, the original wish of some users was to have a native app for Windows and Android.
I don’t need the web app at all. But I really don’t know why I should be concerned about its existence.
Not to speak for OP (or indeed the devs), but a factor of concern is Bear’s small team working on projects that aren’t the “legacy” Mac and iOS apps — and what that might mean for future development timelines. The lack of news or updates on Panda since the web app arrived are also concerning for me, as I’d been very much looking forward to that coming out.
If you have been here since v1, you know that the team takes an extreme time to think things through and develop a polished product. We have been waiting two years for v2, when it seemed nothing happened. The web version had been promised for at least as long: now it’s getting here.
What I mean is that the team always gets to what it promises. It takes years though. That’s the name of the game. I trust Panda will come. It might be a year away though, maybe more
I understand it’s frustrating. I have been here myself. But this the way they do things, and in the end, it delivers a stellar product. I think Bear Web’s point is indeed to broaden the customer base by allowing people who can’t access Macs at work still work on their notes (OmniFocus has the same thing), which helps retaining them as customers. If that sustains Bear’s business, even though I’m not a user of the web app, I’m happy. Bear 2 is in a very good spot right now and I don’t personally experience major dealbreakers. So I’m happy for them to focus on a money maker if that helps make the whole thing last, and wait for the next native thing.
The web version imo is less about split focus and more about building a universally accessible piece of software. It’s important that when you’re not on Mac, you want universal access to your notes from any machine with a browser.
For me, the web app could make it possible to share my notes via web links. That is important because I need to share content with my students, and I keep updating it.
Native-first doesn’t mean native-only. I’m glad the devs have delivered on a (near-perfect, in my view) web companion app.
What do you mean by that? I really like the web app but it is still using my iCloud account and there is no sharing of whatsoever.
It’s not possible yet, but if I remember correctly, the devs have said it could be possible in the future.