Hi, because the moderators decided to lock the thread about discontinuing Android developmentI wanted to address something that was touched on briefly towards the end of that thread which I think is very important.
Lars wrote the following:
we decided to discontinue Cubase iC Pro For Android due to the fact that the current available solution does not match the high standards we have set ourselves
and Guillermo also wrote:
Is the app no longer working in your system, not even the new version?
Now I’d like to say, I really believe both of these gentleman are genuine in their concern for their user base. I’m not here to bash them. That being said though, I think there is a large disconnect with SB in regards to both of those statements from them.
First, when you say Android 5.0 development does not match the high standards you have set for yourself, it shines a VERY bright light on your development regarding IC Pro. You have a rather expensive app that people have invested in that has seen NO development as far as the end users are concerned in more than a year and a half. To this day, I still can’t even work in bars and beats which to me does not in any way reflect “high standards”. Graphical issues when using templates with very high track counts? Check. No way to automatically connect to your sequencer even when it’s been set up previously? Check. Random connection issues when no settings have been changed? Check. Along with a host of other glaring deficiencies. This app is in no way “Pro”. I’m sorry to be harsh here, but as someone who has worked in software development in the past, there is no argument I can see that can be made on SB’s behalf that this is Pro software designed for Pro users. it just isn’t. It’s like using a very immature beta version that has promise but just isn’t there yet. Furthermore, due to the severe lack of updates for this app, it’s clear this software is not a priority for SB. Now this may be no fault of the programmers, but unfortunately that is the reality. When you don’t update your software, address bugs or make any effort to add features that users have been asking for (like bars and beats for instance) a couple YEARS after you’ve released the software, that reflects very badly on SB and gives the strong impression SB is not concerned about this paid software or the “Pro” user base that this app is supposedly designed for. When you add in the fact that both Logic, Digital Performer and Presonus have similar apps with the same functionality or more and are free to use, it makes SB look that much worse.
Second, regarding the statement Guillermo made about whether the Android 5.0 version was working on the user’s system, there is a very large point being missed. It’s not about whether a port of old software to Chrome works (and by the way that certainly is not a “new” version) - it’s about what that “solution” says to your user base. For any pro user who is investing in an app like this, we want to know that the app is going to be useful, stable and maintained. Because we are thinking long term. Just like when you build a computer and you want to get 4-5 years out of it, we want to invest in software that we are going to be able to use down the road. Because if we can’t, there’s no point even bothering with it. Budgets are tight, schedules are tight and we live in a day and age where people who make music for a living lack two things: time and money. So, I’m not going to invest my time and money into a product that I think isn’t being maintained. I had high hopes for IC Pro until month after month went by without any updates or any mention of addressing issues or missing features. Then when SB announced they were discontinuing Android development, that sent a strong message that this product is not worth investing in long term. It means SB is unwilling to put in the resources needed to maintain this app. It also means there’s the possibility they abandon the iOS side of things down the road too if they hit a snag. I’m using a very complex Lemur setup which works perfectly fine in Android 5.0. Much more complex than IC Pro. They don’t seem to share SB’s concerns regarding Android 5.0. If there were huge windows 10 issues, would SB just abandon development of Cubase or Nuendo or would they make the effort to get those issues resolved? Unfortunately, we can’t all stay on Android 4, or Windows 7 forever. We can’t always downgrade software or keep running old hardware. That’s reality.
So the issue here is SB due to several factors listed above is making it clear IC Pro is 1) not Pro and 2) not a priority for SB. And due to the fact that we all paid a very high sum to invest in IC Pro, I think the overall sentiment is none of us are going to make this kind of investment again with SB. So this just isn’t about Android development being discontinued. That was just the cherry on top. Lack of updates, no concern for user requests, basic functionality missing that other developers have in their free versions - the list goes on. If you want to win us over, don’t talk about your “high standards” or your “beta” solutions. Update your software. Address bugs. Add user requested features. And maintain it - don’t abandon it because you hit a snag. If you can work with Microsoft you can work with Google and address these issues in Android 5.1.x or 5.2. Just like you have to always do when you develop software. That’s what you guys signed up for when you released this software. And if you didn’t want that, well, you shouldn’t have bothered to release something you call “Pro” software. Any software release is basically a contract between the developer and the user. And if you break that contract by not holding up your end of the bargain - updating the software, adding features, addressing bugs and deficiencies - don’t expect us to jump to enter into another contract with you by investing in future software.
Sincerely,
A guy who for better or worse relies on Steinberg software every day to make his living