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Freeform is a Game Changer
- Thread starter Deedeekay
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I understand your point, I just don't think it's as strong a point as you think it is.
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It seems like Apple took a page from Zengobi (George Browning's) Curio app for Freeform, or perhaps OmniGraffle without the window dressing and extensive stencil library, or even OneNote (which is surprisingly satisfying on an iPad Pro with Apple Pencil). Curio offers about a hundred times more features, though, and of course at a notable cost.
The Freeform icon does look like it was designed by a complete amateur, sadly. Wonder if Apple will address this.
The Freeform icon does look like it was designed by a complete amateur, sadly. Wonder if Apple will address this.
Yeah, I mean, it’s not like Apple staked their entire business model on ease of use and convenience…
What makes it some much easier to use than any other interation of this type of tool though? Be specific.
The controls are largely similar to every other app out there.
Apple didn't even implement the two finger tap to undo.
The pencil doesn't benefit from any sort of tilt recognition to alter the brushstroke.
The app is limited to Apple devices which leaves the ability to collaborate somewhat limited.
Pinching to zoom on the iPad is hit or miss and often takes two attempts to actually zoom.
And other tools like FigJam and Miro are basically just as latency-free despite being wildly more powerful.
Where is this game-changing ease of use you're talking about other than the fact that they preinstall it on your device?
*Edited for readability. And typos 🫠
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There was a great app called inkBook by Mage Software, which even had handwriting recognition as well, but when Apple discontinued support for the Ink framework in macOS 10.15 Mage ceased development and they never did port it to the iPad.
Freeform is exactly the type of app I’ve been waiting for to replace it.
EDIT: Heh, I see they even used the term ‘free-form’ in their description “a free-form, ink enabled note taking app”.
Freeform is exactly the type of app I’ve been waiting for to replace it.
EDIT: Heh, I see they even used the term ‘free-form’ in their description “a free-form, ink enabled note taking app”.
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You say you get the point and yet prove with every response that you really do not get the point.
And at this point, we're going in circles and I've lost interest in you.
Maybe explain your point better. All you've done is quote snippets of my replies and tell me I don't get some point that you're apparently incapable of making.
Oh, also, to add to my previous list: you apparently can't even doodle/freeform draw on the Mac version. Why? Who knows. I haven't tested that myself though, because the app isn't available without updating my OS. Such ease of use, right?
They will tweak it, but I think Pages/Numbers/Keynote will end up with a similar design in the next big OS updates. Productivity apps are moving in the direction of just being a file browser and editor.
Sliding 3 fingers left/right is undo and redo (universal across the ios platform)
Thanks for the tip, tried it right away and it works... somehow. Because it also pans the canvas.
Double-tap-to-undo is universal across the drawing apps and Apple should adapt it IMHO.
As a freelancer working between various large creative departments, this is the problem I see with it.
Some of the note taking aspects of Notability are clunky, but the audio tie-in? Love scrubbing audio and being able to go from specific moments right to my notes. That would be hard to dispense with.
At any rate, I think you’d want one board per class not per semester. I’ve worked with immense collaborative whiteboards and they get unwieldy fast without good lensing. You spend a lot of time organizing the canvas or drawing big signposts to find things.
Freeform feels a bit 'meh' to me. It was clearly an easy development as the underlying code is that of iWork (right down to the use of the same shapes/glyphs), yet I can't help feeling that apps like this demonstrate why designing for a touch-input first then has its drawbacks when being ported to the Mac - in particular, the sub-menu systems of right-clicking and pop-ups are not in harmony with other Mac apps.
I've no doubt Apple will add more features in the future, but at the moment it just feels like an app that requires a 'pencil' to get the most from it, otherwise I'm not sure what Apple was trying to achieve on the Mac when there are much better alternatives.
I've no doubt Apple will add more features in the future, but at the moment it just feels like an app that requires a 'pencil' to get the most from it, otherwise I'm not sure what Apple was trying to achieve on the Mac when there are much better alternatives.
Freeform is a huge game changer for me. I will be using it a lot. I wish it had come out years ago.
That's another reason why I love Freeform.
These web tools like Fig thing just feel janky to me personally.
With freeform, the pencil and the iPad, its an extension of my mind.
thankfully I don't have to deal with windows people. so single platform is perfect for me.
+1
I'm using Freeform for my personal notes/sketches... and don't need to share with anyone ;-)
It did, it just didn't have an Apple logo on it. Which I guess matters to some people.
Before anyone screams that I'm being a meanie: there's clearly two groups in this thread. Those who are (lucky?) enough to exist within a single ecosystem and have never had a need, or a requirement, to match different software to needs in order to collaborate in a diverse group. For those people, great, FreeForm is the digital whiteboard-like app for you. In that case it's not about capabilities, it's about platform.
Then there's group two who use digital whiteboard software professionally. Putting brand allegiance ahead of a laser focus on what you need to use and do in order to satisfy the requirements of your job or a client's request is not a great way to make money. In that case, FreeForm needs to compete against the six thousand similar solutions that already exist. It either proves its mettle or it doesn't. That it's Apple's entry into the space is meaningless.
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Rather than the Apple logo, the Apple eco-system-integration matters to me
Rather than the Apple logo, the Apple eco-system-integration matters to me
I (gently!) disagree. There have been several examples in this thread of other software that integrates across MacOS, iOS, and iPadOS (and other OS's and environments, even). OneNote is an example, there are many others. If integration was paramount, other choices already existed.
To be fair, most other solutions are a far bit more complex (and capable, as a result) than FreeForm. There's a low barrier to entry to using FF, and that's worth a lot. At least at the beginning. The trouble with most Apple-only software is once you quickly outgrow it... then what?
Oh wow, I didn’t even know it had an apple logo on it, but I am in a group of people that’s 100% Apples eco system, and nothing else matters to me lol.
And, I will definitely use it as a whiteboard with loom videos to send people, even examples on YouTube, but the apple logo won’t be a problem for that at all. I even like it personally. The brand aspect doesn’t affect me in that way at all.
Different strokes for different folks.
I wouldn’t hesitate to use it to present to something more serious, like a live event or board meeting or something either. But I see where that would be a problem for others.