Bill Myers

You've said this in another thread as well. You're welcome to state your view, of course. I'll just say that I am a "deeply invested legacy customer" who would leave rather than pay anywhere near that much. Neither of us has enough data to know whether you're right; I'll just tell you that my gut says $50 a month would price Evernote way out of the market for both existing and new users. Of course, I'm not sure how much value there is in this discussion. Bending Spoons isn't charging that much and hasn't indicated they will try. And only time will tell whether their current price structure will be successful in the marketplace or not.

Yeah, I don't know how anyone can read that article and not understand that the majority of Evernote's U.S. and Chile employees were simply fired. Unless that article got it wrong, Luca Ferrari was pretty explicit about that. First, and most important, I feel bad for the poor souls who lost their jobs through no fault of their own. I hope they're able to find new jobs and not suffer much disruption in their lives. It's tough. I've been through it myself. Second, I hope for the sake of us customers that the knowledge transfer prior to these mass firing was effective. I've seen plans to create strategic "efficiencies" go awry because things that look good on a balance sheet or accounting report don't reflect some things that are more difficult to quantify but are nevertheless real, such as the effect of the knowledge and experience that often goes out the door when workforces are "trimmed." I'm a big believer in giving credit where credit is due. If @Ian Small's leadership was instrumental in achieving big things, I guess he deserves credit. Still, I doubt he was able to accomplish any of these things by himself. I think it's likely that many people at Evernote contributed not only hard work but also ideas without which these things would not have been possible. My fear is that Small was handsomely rewarded when investors cashed out, but that others whose contributions were vital but who were too "low" in the hierarchy were "rewarded" instead with the loss of their livelihoods as the result of this mass firing. It's a dominant pattern in capitalist economies right now, but that doesn't make it morally right or a sound business practice.

I guess I would add that none of the features the OP feels are necessary are of interest to me. Which isn't to say that one of us is wrong and the other right. But think about it: regardless of whether multiple users want certain features, the question is how many current and potential customers want them. Is it 20%? 40%? 80%? And let's say it was 40%. How many of those 40% would actually make buying decisions based on those features? How much would they be willing to pay? Would it be enough to justify the development costs to make them happen? My point is that I know Evernote has deprecated certain features I loved, has not developed some I'd like, and is adding some I don't care about. I can't expect them to cater to me, and I can't assume that even if others agree with me that there are enough of us to justify the costs Evernote would incur. So I've decided to find the things Evernote can do that are useful to me and work around the things that are not. If the equation gets out of balance, I can leave for another solution. No bitterness, no rancor. It's all just business. There are more important things in life. Like hoping that somehow, some way, the people of the Ukraine can know peace again. That is something I can't control. But for whatever it is worth, I pray for it.

First, I want to say that I truly empathize with your situation. If you're in the Ukraine, you're facing something I never have. Living through a war must be awful. Still, you seem to have some space in your life for a discussion like this, so I'd like to chime in. As others have pointed out, you're getting irritated with users in a user forum for not having the kind of insight that only an executive-level person and Bending Spoons would be likely to have. How would any of us know what direction they're heading? How would any of us have access to any more information than you do? All any of us can know is what Bending Spoons has stated publicly. The only thing I'll add is that you complained about something that you feel Evernote can't do, which opened up the topic, and others chimed in about what the tool can do in that regard. How is that not a useful discussion in a forum that is primarily intended to be a place where users provide information to other users? Even if it's not of interest to you, someone (like me) might find it worthwhile. You might find it less stressful to accept that in public forums where you're not an admin, you can initiate a conversation but not control it. And maybe also accept that even if certain responses aren't what you're looking for, they are nevertheless coming from people with good intentions who are trying to be helpful.

I'm not trying to start an argument, but I'm genuinely curious: is our "data" about the number of people leaving Evernote based on what's being said in this forum or is there some outside information I'm unaware of? I ask because I wonder if this forum is subject to the kind of "response bias" that survey researchers have to be aware of. This refers to the fact that there is a certain type of person who will answer surveys. Those who don't can't accurately be counted because... they don't answer surveys. I can't speak for anyone else, but I'm the only person I know personally who participates in forums like this. So even if 500 people post here to say that they're leaving, it doesn't necessarily mean that there is an avalanche of people leaving Evernote. There may be a silent majority out there who just go about their day and don't post here about whether they're staying or leaving. Again, if there is a source of additional information I'm unaware of, that's a different situation. But if it's just forums like this, I'd be wary of trying to read the tea leaves based on those of us who are in that minority who post in places like this. I'm also not sure why some people feel a need to take satisfaction in the thought that a software company that has angered them will fail (I'm not saying that's you, @gazumped, because I don't think it is, but it seems undeniable there are a few people posting in this forum who do). If something Bending Spoons does with Evernote upsets me, I'll leave. I don't feel the need to "get satisfaction" by watching them fail. I'll have improved my own life by walking away from a situation I don't like. I don't need anything else. Before I get pilloried as being an Evernote or Bending Spoons apologist, I have my own concerns about the direction they're heading in. I recently upgraded my subscription from personal to professional, mainly because I have a use for pinning multiple notes to my home screen. I upgraded on impulse (it's in my nature to act impulsively from time to time) even though I had misgivings about the pricing. In my view, the price differential between personal and professional isn't really justified by the few additional features and benefits that professional has over personal. My concern is that if enough other people see things as I do, this could hurt Evernote's market position in the long term and result in my losing a solution that I still mostly like, even though they've had some pretty egregious technical problems of late. But I don't feel the need to label Bending Spoons as "greedy" as some have. Bending Spoons cost structure may require them to charge what they are in order to have a chance of being profitable. Especially with their recent investments in RTE and AI. Or they may just not be doing a good job of reading the market. In fairness, not that long ago I was the type of person who needed to feel that a company that "wronged" me was suffering as a result. I've given up the need for schadenfreude. Sometimes companies have good intentions but poor execution. I hope that's not the case with Bending Spoons and Evernote. But if it is, I'll just walk away and save my emotions for something that matters more than cloud-based note-taking software. YMMV.

I wish I got that reference. I haven't watched Ted Lasso. I'm not cool enough for this thread, clearly.

You get to express your opinion, but others have the right to disagree. That's the way of the world. A little while back I canceled my subscription and subsequently received an offer to re-up at a pretty big discount, in exchange for a one-year commitment. That took some of the sting out of the price increase, so I rolled the dice and took the offer. Hey, it's not the riskiest risk I've ever taken. I started learning about Bending Spoons and started to feel optimistic about them and the potential they could take Evernote somewhere. But they seemed to stumble out of the starting gate. The price increase combined with the recent issues some have had with data loss and the performance issues I and others are experiencing don't give me the warm and fuzzies. But decades ago I remember reading some advice that really stuck with me: do your worrying before you place your bet, not after. For better or for worse, I'm along for the ride for about 10 more months. Yes, this. Vote with your dollars and your feet. "Violated" is... pretty strong language. I doubt anyone is going bankrupt over Evernote's new pricing. And it's not like this service is as vital as running water or even reliable broadband service. Other than using Apple Notes for shopping lists, my wife doesn't use notetaking software at all, and she is very organized and lives a pretty good life. If things don't get better, or if Bending Spoons takes Evernote in a direction I don't like, I may leave at the end of my subscription. But I guarantee you I won't be posting to announce it, because in the end none of the people at Bending Spoons or the users in this forum will be emotionally impacted by my decision. And I'm OK with that. In fact, I think it would be a little creepy if anyone was that emotionally invested in whether I choose to stay or leave.

Hey, circling back to thank everyone who chimed in. I picked up some good tips. I started using tags for organizing and found I liked that better. I'm looking forward to getting to know Evernote better, and happy to know there's a supportive forum I can turn to for help.

I know I promised others the last word. But upon reading your post, I have to say... I think you're right, and I was wrong. Defending things to the bitter end is one of my flaws. @NightStalker, I'm sorry I attacked you. It was a cultural misunderstanding, but one that was exacerbated by my actions. Rather than accusing you, I could have asked you what you meant. I'll try to learn a lesson from this. Again... I'm truly sorry. To everyone participating in or reading this thread, I apologize to all of you as well for hijacking it. Like I said... I know I broke my promise to let someone else have the last word... but I'm a big believer in admitting when I've been wrong. I am pretty sure I was wrong here. Now that I've properly (I hope) apologized, I really will let someone else have the last word if they'd like it. I'm pretty sure I've used up all the words anyway.

I was speaking in shorthand in hopes of finding an off-ramp from this topic. Not because I'm ashamed of anything I've posted -- I'm not -- but because I think this has gone well past the point of being remotely productive. Bending Spoons is headquartered in Milan, Italy. That's what I meant by their "country of origin." But you're right. The company was founded in 2013 in Copenhagen, Denmark. According to this web site, it was founded by four Italian engineers and one Polish designer: https://viewdifferent.io/portfolio/bending-spoons/ I'm going to take @NightStalker at face value when they say they didn't mean to imply that Bending Spoons is tied to organized crime. But calling them a "greedy Italian mob" (accepting that @NightStalker simply meant by that "a group of Italian people") implies there is something about being Italian that has anything to do with their business practices. Beyond the fact that we don't know the nationality of everyone who works at Bending Spoons, it is utterly irrelevant to the topic at hand. I would've hoped that in 2023 we'd have demonstrated that we were beyond a need to label people in such a fashion, but here we are. If voicing my feelings about this makes me "woke," I'll wear that label proudly. I'd rather stick to my values than to be liked by everyone. I'm happy to risk being booted from the forum if that's the price I need to pay for not keeping silent about this. If anything useful has come out of this flap, it's that it has prompted me to learn more about Bending Spoons. It appears they are considered by many to be one of Italy's premier technology company's, and actually pretty renowned beyond Italy's borders. They've accomplished a lot. I have a better understanding of how Evernote fits into their business model. Rather than seeing them as an "Italian mob," I see them as a group of people organized into a company with an entrepreneurial spirit. If their business model is mainly to acquire apps, develop them further and make money off of that, more power to them. I have no idea why that would be seen as inherently shady or greedy. Microsoft does it all the time. Moreover, I don't know where this fear that they will "dump" Evernote comes from. As far as I know, Bending Spoons is not a private equity firm. I'm unaware of them selling any of the apps they've acquired. I'm not sure how they could do it by "milking" them (i.e. price gouging) anyway. If Bending Spoons drives too many users away, what company would then want to acquire Evernote? If by "dump" someone means they'll just kill Evernote, that makes even less sense. They're pouring money and resources into sync, RTE, AI and other features and functionalities. How would they recoup their investment if they just killed the product in the near term? Again, it all comes down to this: Evernote's new pricing is now public. If you find it unacceptably high, or you don't like Bending Spoons' business practices, or whatever, you can leave Evernote for another product. Or you can stay with Evernote and be miserable, and express that here. I don't know why anyone would take that option but it's not my life to live. Anyway, I've probably said more than enough. I stand by everything I've posted but I feel like nothing I've written requires further buttressing. If someone else would prefer to have the last word, they're welcome to it. Take care, all. Hopefully the next time I use the forum, I can focus on learning more about Evernote as I am not close to "expert" level at that.

I'll take you at your word that this was a cultural misunderstanding and for that much, I apologize. But Bending Spoons' country of origin isn't important to this discussion and I'm not sure why you felt the need to bring it up. We know they're an Italy-based company but it has no bearing on their pricing.

According to this article, they've developed more than 20 apps: https://www.morningfuture.com/en/2020/11/13/bending-spoons-immuni-start-up/ Also -- it doesn't seem as though they make a secret when they acquire a product. They issued press releases when they acquired Filmic Pro and Evernote, for example.

Thanks. I guess the reason I brought it up again is that they came back and didn't address the remark. I felt a need -- rightly or wrongly -- to say something about that. The thing is, in fairness to @Dave-in-Decatur, the experience @NightStalker relayed with Filmic Pro is interesting (and it's unfortunate therefore that @NightStalker couldn't see fit to decouple it from the slur). I did some web research and everything I learned is consistent with what this poster stated. At one time, Filmic Pro was offered as a perpetual license. Bending Spoons changed it to a subscription model and it appears the price increase was steep. There was some online chatter about this, but I don't think that is always an accurate barometer of market sentiment. People like me who enjoy posting on forums like this are not the norm (ahem). There was also some confusion about the pricing, and whether Bending Spoons was actually honoring the advertised pricing. I can't verify whether that's the case because Filmic Pro is not a product I would use, so I'm not going to attempt to subscribe to it just to scratch an itch for knowledge. I actually have concerns as I stated above that Bending Spoons might be pricing Evernote out of the market. But I cannot and will not say that is due to "greed." I don't know their cost structure or what they need in order to make Evernote appropriately profitable. I'm not going to make a moral judgement because I lack the basis to do so. As I've stated before, I'm just hoping Bending Spoons does well with Evernote. It wouldn't be catastrophic if I had to change to another note-taking app, but it would be annoying. I'm actually trying to learn how to leverage the solution more, and not less. And I have tried a couple other solutions that didn't bang a gong for me.

LOL! I appreciate you. But -- I don't want to keep repeating myself either. Bending Spoons has increased subscription pricing for Evernote. People are either comfortable with that or they're not. If they're not, I don't think they should pay it. If people are unhappy enough that they want to leave for another product they should absolutely do that. I'm one of those people who doesn't think Evernote is perfect, but I like it enough to stick around. I hope the product sticks around so I can do that.

Fair enough. I'm disappointed that I seem to be the only one who feels a need to call this out, but it's not up to me to decide how other people respond to something. And I've got enough life experience to recognize when I'm just swimming against the tide. I think it would be best for this thread to carry on without me. I'll just wish everyone the best and leave it there.

I don't mean to pick fights because I think you are one of the most reasonable voices in this forum... but I don't think using anger over app pricing to justify an ethnic slur (while conveniently omitting the fact that an ethnic slur was used) is ever "reasonable." I think it's the very definition of "unreasonable." So I can't join you in your appreciation for @NightStalker. I also would point out that without a history of Bending Spoons "milking and dumping" products (I did a little web research and couldn't find anything about Bending Spoons ever having done this), I'm not sure where a concern about this is coming from. Scaring oneself with nothing but one's own prediction as evidence to support one's fear is like a dog chasing its tail. Here's the thing: I did some web research about Filmic Pro. When Bending Spoons acquired the product they did radically alter its price structure. There was some negative feedback that I saw, but without any solid data I can't say whether they lost a significant amount of market share over the move or if their competitors gained it. It's possible they're pricing it out of the market. I just don't know, and I don't think any of us can know that just yet. I do wonder if Bending Spoons is pricing Evernote out of the market. It's now the most expensive app in its category that I'm aware of, by far. I think that might've been the case even before Bending Spoons raised the prices. And based on what I know of the competition I have to question whether the market at large will perceive enough value to sustain Evernote at this pricing. if not, that would be a bummer. I'd hate to see the Evernote product go belly up, because I like using it. But like I said in earlier posts, I've already placed my bet. I'm signed up for 12 months. So I'm not going to sweat this. I still like Evernote better than the competition, warts and all. I'll hope for the best, but with a contingency plan if things go south. As for @NightStalker, I'm sorry but I'm not letting the "Italian mob" remark go. I think the decent thing to do would be for them to admit their error and apologize, rather than coming back here and trying to pretend they didn't say such a thing or acting as though it's justifiable. As I said before I think the least we can all do is stand up for our fellow humans. Nothing -- and I mean NOTHING -- about app pricing justifies a hateful remark.

BTW, I should clarify something just because there's very little that can't be misconstrued by those with a tendency to misconstrue things. I think criticism of Evernote and Bending Spoons is fair game in a user forum. As I've said in a prior post, good companies pay attention to user feedback across all available channels. It's just this over-the-top anger that I can't understand. I actually have had questions myself about whether Bending Spoons is pricing itself out of the market. I just don't feel the need to decide that for myself. I'll decide what I will or won't pay. The larger market will decide the company's overall success or failure.

I love how you conveniently left out that you called them "the greedy Italian mob" (emphasis mine). And don't bother editing your original comment, I already quoted that in a prior post. I don't care what your experience with Bending Spoons has been. There is no justification for using ethnic slurs. Not ever. Period, paragraph and end of story. If you're the sort of person who believes your anger over mobile app pricing justifies smearing an entire people with a vicious stereotype, you would be well-served to engage in some self-reflection. I doubt you will, but you would be well-served by it. I also love how you predict Bending Spoons will do something and then offer as evidence... your own prediction that they'll do it. That's called circular reasoning and it doesn't make a lot of sense. I used to sell software for a living back when the dominant model was to pay for perpetual licenses. People seem to forget that back then companies would "sunset" older versions of software to force customers to upgrade. The justification was that it cost money to support older versions of software, and I suspect there's some truth to that. But the fact is that software developers are profit-driven enterprises. If people pay once for a product and then buy nothing else, eventually the developer's revenue dries up. That's not a sustainable business model. I personally don't mind subscription software. I find there is an advantage to receiving patches and upgrades automatically. I do feel certain companies are charging perhaps more than is reasonable. I'm free not to pay their prices. Their overall success or failure, though, will be determined by market forces and not me personally. I'm OK with that. If you feel that Bending Spoons is charging too much for something then by all means do business with someone else. That's the beauty of a free market. If Bending Spoons' pricing is out of whack with the market, that market will punish them for it. You don't need to worry about doing that all on your own with angry posts in a user forum. As for expressing hate for an entire group of people because you're upset about mobile apps, that's just nuts. If you can't see that, I feel badly for you.

OK, for anyone who is interested, Agile Tortoise, the company that develops Drafts, answered my question in their forum. The Drafts integration with Evernote "no longer works reliably." According to them, "Evernote has been breaking things…again." (I have no opinion on whose responsibility this actually is. I'm just relaying what they said.) If anyone is interested, here are links to relevant threads in the Drafts forum: https://forums.getdrafts.com/t/does-prepend-append-to-evernote-still-work/14276 https://forums.getdrafts.com/t/new-evernote-api-limits/14230/3 This is definitely a bummer. I hope this issue will be resolved soon. But at least I now know it's a known issue and not user error on my part.

@PinkElephant, I don't know what "entering access data" means. For this to work in the past, I had to give permission to link Drafts to Evernote. I don't know if that's the same as things as you're talking about. I appreciate your desire to help but I'm getting the impression you're not familiar with the Drafts app for iOS, and you're just speaking in general about what tends to work or not work from a technical standpoint. Again, I'm grateful for the insight but I'm hoping someone in this forum is familiar with Drafts and can give me an answer about whether that app's integration with Evernote still works. Perhaps this isn't the right place in the Evernote forum for that question. I had thought "integrations" would be the right place to post this question, but if this section of the forum is about the technical complexities of integrations, maybe I need to post this question elsewhere. Anyway, I also asked this question on the Drafts forum in case the Evernote forum isn't the best place to get an answer. Again, I appreciate you but you're speaking to a technical layperson.

I appreciate the insight but I don't know how Drafts currently does it. I know the difference between API and scripting, but I'm not familiar with how Drafts works under the hood. I'm just not that technical. I was hoping someone in the community might know whether this is a feature Drafts still supports if the introduction of Evernote v10 broke that feature in Drafts. I also created a topic in the Drafts forum but posted here as well to increase my chances of finding out. Thanks.

Does anyone know if the latest version of Drafts still supports the ability to prepend or append to an existing note in Evernote? I hadn't used that feature in quite awhile -- it might have been as far back as before v10 was unveiled. I tried it today and no luck no matter what I did. I'm not sure whether it's user error on my part of if the feature is no longer supported.

I've been lurking in this thread. I don't have a lot to add other than that I'm happy to see that Bending Spoons is in my view not living down to the expectations of some people in this forum. The company is delivering improvements I actually care about, and I like the communication that's flowing. I can't speak for anyone but me, but I'm pleasantly surprised.

Since August 2013.

Whoa. I just tried RTE. I love it. I wish I had some more substantive feedback but right now, that's all I've got.