CWFII

You two nailed it. Management is ultimately responsible for direction, marketing and delivery. With V1, I was very patient and understanding. With V2, I expected more, especially given the build up. Upon arrival, it really feels like Serif overpromised and underdelivered, while adding dismissiveness to V1 customer concerns for good measure.

Thanks for the insight. Space is a premium for me, so prefer the laptop. Thanks for clarifying. I will definitely take a look in person. Appreciate your insight!

Thanks for this. I prefer a laptop with the ability to connect a large external monitor. Is that an option with the Macbook Air, M1 or M2?

Considering the jump to Mac. What is a good entry Mac platform for a hobbyist who uses the Affinity line?

Again, so what? The discount is the same for everyone who wants to take advantage of it. I do not understand why that should bother anyone. Approaches companies take with their customers do, in fact, make a difference to their customers for a variety of reasons that vary in importance from one customer to the next. This forum includes numerous takes, from pricing to development choices, that some users value more than others. That said, thanks for the civil discussion. I appreciate your perspective.

Freakin' Windows! I'm getting a Mac! 😜

That does not change the fact there is no discounted upgrade path for existing users relative to new users.

Wait. What? That seals it for me; no sale here! 😁

Many users believe they should pay a lesser price to upgrade to a new version rather than pay for the new version outright. That's not controversial. Serif made a business decision that tries to toe the line between traditional upgrade and subscription mechanisms, confounding many V1 users, some of whom might perceive that as discrimination. I don't believe that to be the case, but understand the perspective. Agree it is not universal and that subscription models are totally different and loathsome to many. Serif's upgrade policy is clear: everyone, including prior version users, will pay full price for the major upgrade. That seems to be the issue with many voicing opinions here.

That's a fair statement. At least one poster mentioned providing existing V1 users with a greater discount than new users. That's neither controversial nor unusual.

Not unexpected, but understood. Thank you for clarifying!

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, regardless of whether or not others deem said opinion ridiculous. That's one way to frame it. Another: existing V1 users felt discriminated against based on the lack of a deflated V2 upgrade price for existing customers. It works both ways.

What was the logic behind not doing a public beta? In addition, should users start posting issues in those relevant forums now, or wait for Serif to release the latest beta version?

If you know any company that fixes all bugs before moving to the next version. I would love to know. Please read again what I wrote. I never said anything about fixing all bugs before moving on to the next version. Serif stopped working on known bugs AND knowingly pushed those bugs in V2. Again, pls show me one company who does it? I don't understand this question. Serif is not the first company to launch a major upgrade and underwhelm part of its existing user base. Serif chose to not conduct a public beta prior to release that would have given existing V1 users a chance to help with its development and identify add-in incompatibilities prior to release. Did Serif's in-house beta include V1 third-party add-in developers in the mix? If you want to really see it as a subscription model, it's a subscription model where the app cost about 0.4 to 2 USD per month per app and you can use it as long as you want after paying!! As opposed to ~20 USD per month and you can't pay , you can't use it even for a minute... can you notice the difference? The difference is clear. What has been glossed over is Serif's decision to summarily abandon V1 with no notice to existing users prior to V2 release. Transparency means a lot to consumers. Had Serif indicated during V2 development that (a) they had stopped working on V1 bugs, (b) would stop supporting V1 with the V2 release, and (c) would not provide existing V1 users with a favorable upgrade path that rewarded consumer loyalty, the customer response would be markedly different. Yes, they are not making the existing users feel special by discriminating against the new users with inflated price - but that's how they are actually doing making it balanced - if you are the 'most loyal' and using affinity apps from the beginning and you got the discounted price you have been essentially paying about US$ 0.4 per month ( USD 30 for 72 months ) where as if you just got it last month you are paying more and more - upto USD 50-60 for one month* (although I read on one thread here that Serif is upgrading the licenses to V2 for free if you got it very recently). So this "most loyal" discount was reflected in the V1 price when V1 users bought V1 and used V1 for a period of time prior to V2 release? This logic makes zero sense. Most reputable software companies who do not use a subscription model provide a discounted upgrade path for prior version license holders as a reward for their loyalty. This price differs from the price offered for new users buying the new release. Serif chose not to do this. Note this is not about a particular price level; it's about Serif's chosen approach. That said, I do appreciate Serif taking care of recent V1 purchasers; that's the right thing to do.

This is a true story that occurs every day in stores across the U.S. like Kohl's (https://cs.kohls.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/88/~/price-adjustments). It's called a price adjustment policy. This appears to be what Serif is doing for customers who recently purchased V1, which I applaud. As for your reframed story... One could return the coat bought yesterday for a refund - provided it was not damaged - and buy the new coat today at the discounted price. Appreciate the irrelevant sarcasm. Kudos on the Lennon reference!