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All of us have been waiting ever since Affinity Publisher was announced, so we have all been waiting exactly the same length of time, regardless of which operating system(s) we use. ;)

 

Mac users are waiting for a macOS version since the announcement in 2014 and Windows users for a Windows version since the announcement in 2016. "Exactly the same length of time”?

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Mac users are waiting for a macOS version since the announcement in 2014 and Windows users for a Windows version since the announcement in 2016. "Exactly the same length of time”?

 

Windows users who followed Serif's foray into the Affinity products knew what was going to be created. While there were no absolute promises that the Affinity products were to be brought to Windows, anyone who has dealt with the Plus line betas "knew" that Serif had two basic choices: Bring the Affinity line to Windows or drop PC development altogether as the Plus line was way past adding true functionality to without breaking things and fixing certain legacy bugs.

 

Which one of those two choices seemed more reasonable? So for Windows users who assumed that the Affinity line was to be brought to Windows, we have been waiting just as long.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I have now bought PagePlus X9 to see if I can find a workflow with AD, AP and PP until publisher is ready...

 

 

Same here. And for the same reasons. I appreciated your workflow comments.

We are keeping all the text source and PDFs and hanging in for APu, and realist there will be no PP compatibility for the project files. it's pretty hard to pass up the legacy price for PPX9 when compared to VivaDesigner or ID.

 

Michael

------
AD 1.7.1, AP 1.7.1;Hhave ADW, Serif PagePlus X8 and X9 on an old PC
iMac Retina 5K, 27 inch, Late 2015, 3.2Ghz i5, 8GB 1867Mhz DDR3, AMD Radeon R9 M380 2GB; 1TB HDD, macOS Mojave 10.14.5

Wacom Intuos 5 Pro (wireless - without lagging).

Visit my site: TechniSmart (when I ever find time to work on it)

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Their priorities should be to develop products that keep revenue flowing into the company. If they do not do that, the company will go out of business & everybody loses.

 

They have said the Serif line was no longer doing that. The Affinity line is. End of story.

R-C-R, I agree with your above statement. I found this thread when searching for "business model", and this was the closest hit. It's a terrific discussion and was reluctant to break in until I saw your above comment, which speaks directly to my questions... 

 

Affinity only charge for major revisions, i.e. 1.x, 2.x, etc, (which I will gladly pay for); they sell ADW (which I love btw) and the promised APW, then apart from a yet-to-be-announced release of APu (5 years in development), what else is there to keep Affinity growing and bringing in revenue as you said above?

 

I am using PPX9 for now and will commit to APu when it is released. Such a late bloomer in the DTP market is bound to have real advantages to get users to switch, so I wonder what is the Affinity business model? 

 

Michael.

------
AD 1.7.1, AP 1.7.1;Hhave ADW, Serif PagePlus X8 and X9 on an old PC
iMac Retina 5K, 27 inch, Late 2015, 3.2Ghz i5, 8GB 1867Mhz DDR3, AMD Radeon R9 M380 2GB; 1TB HDD, macOS Mojave 10.14.5

Wacom Intuos 5 Pro (wireless - without lagging).

Visit my site: TechniSmart (when I ever find time to work on it)

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"While there were no absolute promises that the Affinity products were to be brought to Windows..."
Oval, on 13 Dec 2016 - 02:26 AM, said:
.
Mac users are waiting for a macOS version since the announcement in 2014 and Windows users for a Windows version since the announcement in 2016. "Exactly the same length of time”?

 

Yes... 'Exactly the same length of time'... Actually Windows users have been waiting longer. Windows users familiar with development-related statements (myself included) knew very early that Affinity products were being developed for both platforms, not from the 'announcement in 2016'. The 2016 'announcement' was a commercial for the masses unfamiliar with common publicly available information.

 

Serif planned to release Affinity products, first for Mac, then for Windows from conception, not later in the development cycle. From the earliest Affinity days there are Serif statements explaining this.

 

The Affinity product line has been designed around key approaches and philosophies... Common file format, cross application and platform (OS) functionality and compatibility, application core being exactly same between platforms (i.e. layer model in application design architecture), released first on Mac then on Windows, and more. It wasn't that the Mac Affinity products took 5 to 6 years to develop, where the Windows Affinity products took 1 year. They were developed from the same core code base, with interface and OS layers developed for the specific operating systems. Windows Affinity applications were not an after thought or 'now that we know Mac people like this, lets make a Windows version to see if Windows guys like it too' nonsense.

 

Key to success of the Affinity product line and as a viable adoption choice for many designers and related organizations & departments is to have the products available on both Mac and Windows, and be cross compatible.

Serif knew this from conception, and explained it upon earliest Serif Affinity public announcements.

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Well, no, actually. When Affinity Designer beta was first offered for the Mac, there were rumblings on the old Serif forum about if the Affinity line would come to Windows. the Serif response was tentative. That was well before anyone "knew" that the Plus line would die. (Not that many didn't see the handwriting on the wall...) It took a while before Serif committed in writing that there would be Affinity applications for Windows. (But again, not that many didn't "know" they would.)

 

There was finally an official announcement, but it was after we all knew about the Affinity line.

 

I would argue that the key to the Affinity products' success wasn't just about cross-platform compatibility. They also needed for Adobe to do what they did: kill-off perpetual licenses (except for a couple products that still have perpetual licences anyway). The hype they built (and was bought into by a larger community) also contributed to a general "excitement" concerning the products. Serif also needed the early success that AD brought in order to justify Windows development regardless of any wishful thinking about a then eventual Windows line.

 

Serif absolutely was dependent upon the Affinity products being successful on the Mac before committing to killing off the Plus line. Once the Mac versions became the selling success--and equally important, the public and professional perception of success--then it made sense to kill off the Plus line and supplanting it with the Affinity line. But not before then, hence no public commitment as far as we were concerned on the former forum (that would be the forum before C+).

 

I also believe that there are definite areas that I do not understand the hype concerning AD. It's almost like people were overlooking its defects just to get away from Adobe. AD has progressed since its release, that much is true. But I still do not consider it ready for prime-time in aspects that are important to me. Not to say I haven't cranked out some paying work from it, because I have. But there are times I will port the drawing out and finish it in another application that I can rely on the PDF output from and vector output is important.

 

But hey, that's just my perception(s) and remembrance. And that perception/remembrance plus ¢10 use to be able to buy a cup of coffee...

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  • 4 weeks later...

Really getting fed up now lol. Been waiting since Photo was in beta.... and really want Publisher and hopefully some more cool apps like a posh apple video editor, etc and then Adobe is screwed, we are all happy and Affinity makes more money and more things. I think the Windows version is why this is pushed back but come on guys please give us publisher, you've got the logo, been delayed even an Alpha would be neat.

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I think the Windows version is why this is pushed back but come on guys please give us publisher, you've got the logo, been delayed even an Alpha would be neat.

They have explained several times that the Windows development team is separate from & addition to the Mac one & that development of the Windows versions has not delayed anything on the Mac side.

 

Alpha software can be unstable, causing crashes & data loss. In the alpha stage of development only a few features may be working or even present. There are several other reasons commercial software developers almost never release alpha versions to the public, a major one being that they don't want to give potential competitors any help in getting their products to market first.

 

I am sure we all would like to see Publisher released ASAP but we should be realistic about it. An early release of an inferior, unfinished product benefits no one & would almost certainly damage Affinity's growing reputation as a serious alternative to Adobe.

All 3 1.10.8, & all 3 V2.4.0 Mac apps; 2020 iMac 27"; 3.8GHz i7, Radeon Pro 5700, 32GB RAM; macOS 10.15.7
Affinity Photo 
1.10.8; Affinity Designer 1.108; & all 3 V2 apps for iPad; 6th Generation iPad 32 GB; Apple Pencil; iPadOS 15.7

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Well he has a point - Wasn't the beta promised end of 2016? It is really getting annoying that it is pushed back all the time.I don't want to get one of the more expensive alternatives for Mac - But when I can't wait any longer then the train has left for Publisher for a long time for me 8(

Mac mini M1 / Ryzen 5600H & RTX3050 mobile / iPad Pro 1st - all with latest non beta release of Affinity

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Well he has a point - Wasn't the beta promised end of 2016?

I think they have learned that it is better to under promise & (if possible) over deliver rather than the other way around....

All 3 1.10.8, & all 3 V2.4.0 Mac apps; 2020 iMac 27"; 3.8GHz i7, Radeon Pro 5700, 32GB RAM; macOS 10.15.7
Affinity Photo 
1.10.8; Affinity Designer 1.108; & all 3 V2 apps for iPad; 6th Generation iPad 32 GB; Apple Pencil; iPadOS 15.7

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  • 4 weeks later...

There is also CorelDraw and Xara as alternatives for DTP.

 

The same as you said Word is for video.

All the latest releases of Designer, Photo and Publisher (retail and beta) on MacOS and Windows.
15” Dell Inspiron 7559 i7 Windows 10 x64 Pro Intel Core i7-6700HQ (3.50 GHz, 6M) 16 GB Dual Channel DDR3L 1600 MHz (8GBx2) NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M 4 GB GDDR5 500 GB SSD + 1 TB HDD UHD (3840 x 2160) Truelife LED - Backlit Touch Display
32” LG 32UN650-W display 3840 x 2160 UHD, IPS, HDR10 Color Gamut: DCI-P3 95%, Color Calibrated 2 x HDMI, 1 x DisplayPort
13.3” MacBook Pro (2017) Ventura 13.6 Intel Core i7 (3.50 GHz Dual Core) 16 GB 2133 MHz LPDDR3 Intel Iris Plus Graphics 650 1536 MB 500 GB SSD Retina Display (3360 x 2100)

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  • 3 weeks later...

IMHO, you are getting close to alienating many customers who have been loyal to Serif for many years (I have been with you since PP3) and by your activities or rather lack thereof, driving them to other software.

No one relishes the long delay and I don't disagree with your analysis but it seems a bit of hyperbole to say that designers are turning against Affinity because they lost focus on Publisher. Let's be reasonable. I enjoy and use the products that they do offer A LOT. I also enjoy QuarkXPress - which is really rocking it pretty hard in the latest versions. The 2017 includes some nice photoshop-like features which are pretty sweet.

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Yogi9409,

I can feel your frustration but please stick along for a little longer.

Judging by the quality of the Affinity Photo and Affinity Designer, Affinity Publisher should be worth waiting for.

Hang on in there mate.

Regards

+1

------
AD 1.7.1, AP 1.7.1;Hhave ADW, Serif PagePlus X8 and X9 on an old PC
iMac Retina 5K, 27 inch, Late 2015, 3.2Ghz i5, 8GB 1867Mhz DDR3, AMD Radeon R9 M380 2GB; 1TB HDD, macOS Mojave 10.14.5

Wacom Intuos 5 Pro (wireless - without lagging).

Visit my site: TechniSmart (when I ever find time to work on it)

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Well he has a point - Wasn't the beta promised end of 2016? It is really getting annoying that it is pushed back all the time.I don't want to get one of the more expensive alternatives for Mac - But when I can't wait any longer then the train has left for Publisher for a long time for me 8(

The beta was initially promised end of 2015.

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Affinity Designer already supports multiple pages, inserting images, character/paragraph styles, and tab stops, with the extra bonus of symbols and all the drawing/illustration tools at hand. You've got the basics of an awesome DTP program right there!

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Affinity Designer already supports multiple pages, inserting images, character/paragraph styles, and tab stops, with the extra bonus of symbols and all the drawing/illustration tools at hand. You've got the basics of an awesome DTP program right there!

 

No, AD has the capability of multiple art boards. Art boards are fundamentally different from pages.

 

AD's current implementation of text styles and swatches, along with missing features of page layout software, would make any document beyond a simple brochure onerous to create in comparison to an efficient page layout application.

 

AD is, in short, not even close to the beginnings of an "awesome DTP program."

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Affinity Designer already supports multiple pages, inserting images, character/paragraph styles, and tab stops, with the extra bonus of symbols and all the drawing/illustration tools at hand. You've got the basics of an awesome DTP program right there!

 

Completely confusing and unusable.

If A-team is going to implement into Pub --  :(  :(  :(

All the latest releases of Designer, Photo and Publisher (retail and beta) on MacOS and Windows.
15” Dell Inspiron 7559 i7 Windows 10 x64 Pro Intel Core i7-6700HQ (3.50 GHz, 6M) 16 GB Dual Channel DDR3L 1600 MHz (8GBx2) NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M 4 GB GDDR5 500 GB SSD + 1 TB HDD UHD (3840 x 2160) Truelife LED - Backlit Touch Display
32” LG 32UN650-W display 3840 x 2160 UHD, IPS, HDR10 Color Gamut: DCI-P3 95%, Color Calibrated 2 x HDMI, 1 x DisplayPort
13.3” MacBook Pro (2017) Ventura 13.6 Intel Core i7 (3.50 GHz Dual Core) 16 GB 2133 MHz LPDDR3 Intel Iris Plus Graphics 650 1536 MB 500 GB SSD Retina Display (3360 x 2100)

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I am also expecting Publisher, but if the Dev Team hasn't shared any more news about it it's either:

 - They are having trouble with some parts of it.

 - They are trying to develop as much valuable features as possible.

 - They are willing to polish it as much as possible to make the Beta available. True, it's a Beta for correcting parts of it, but that doesn't mean you can slack off as a developer.

 

Whichever the reason, I believe they are doing their best. It's true that we pay for the license, but it's not like we can scream and beat the Publisher right out of them. I'd like to have it, at least the Beta, but I feel confident that the Team will deliver. ;)

 

Community: Hope all of you guys the best. If we support Serif now, we will witness the growth of something good for the creative industry, but it takes time and wise decisions. It's not something that comes out of thin air.

 

Team: I'll be here when you share Publisher with the world.

 

Best regards!

 

P. S. 1: Also, I want the Affinity Photo Workbook.

 

P. S. 2: Also, I want the DAM.

 

P. S. 3: Patience is a virtue.

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Community: Hope all of you guys the best. If we support Serif now, we will witness the growth of something good for the creative industry, but it takes time and wise decisions. It's not something that comes out of thin air.

 

Team: I'll be here when you share Publisher with the world.

 

Same here. But I have the feeling, that a clear roadmap would put things in perspective for everyone, and threads wouldn't be growing like this one. I'm sure they have their solid reasons, uncertainities in development, why they don't give an exact date (or a broader one, like Q2 2017 e.g.) for the APu release, because expectation management can be quite hard. For me at least it is. :)

MBP 15" + iPad Pro 10,5"

macOS High Sierra 10.14 | iOS 13 | latest Affinity Photo & Designer & Publisher (and Betas)

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