iBrewmaster2

[iBrewMaster]

HopRodGR,
I couldn't have said it better myself! That really sums up everything. If you're new to iBrewMaster, you're getting more now and getting it for less. For existing users, we need to earn your business for iBM2. We have added a lot of new features such as the pitching rates, calculators and water profiles that you mention. And, yes, we have some things to nail down, no doubt, and we will have the hatches secure very shortly. If we haven't earned your continued business yet, I have no doubt that we will as we continue to expand these options, take suggestions and implement new ideas!
Cheers,
Joe

 

[Ragtop232]

Joe -

Again, I personally have issues with the way you've chosen to implement your new/upgraded version of iBrewMaster2. And as I said before, it's not really about the money, but principles. I have purchased almost every iOS app dealing with brewing that's available. I do support vendors that support the home-brewing community. However, I'll use BeerAlchemy2 as an example, I purchased v1 and when they released v2, they had an in-app reminder to update to v2 for 4.99 for existing users. How they did that, I don't know, but I have the receipts to prove it. I'm not an iOS app developer but a Mac application developer. Your parallel to MS Office isn't correct either, they give existing users upgrade pricing of which you surely are not. I bought your app in Dec 12 for 14.99, but now all of a sudden to get IBM2, I get a special price of 17.99. Hmmm, I'm still scratching my head on that upgrade discount.

Joe, also you are NOT obligated to give anyone upgrade pricing on your intellectual property, but to not do so is strongly against industry standard. And as you so elegantly stated, you are not obligated to add new features to your software once someone purchases it. As a matter of fact, I don't think you are obligated to fix bugs after the sale.

If your business model works, fine, but for me, I will not support it and ultimately the market will dictate your success or failure.

Jim

 

[iBrewMaster]

Jim,
That may explain some things as you don't strictly have to go thru Apple with Mac applications. You are free to distribute them outside the Mac Store. Since you are not an iOS developer, this may be what has led to your confusion on the matter. In either case, I agree that the market will dictate our success, and so far it is looking very good!
Thanks again, and good luck with your endeavors!

Cheers!
Joe

 

[CBelli]

I fly sparge as well and the original app always calculated my fly sparge volume correctly. As a matter of fact I was blown away at how accurately the default settings calculated my strike water temp and volume and my fly sparge volume. I always hit 75 to 80 percent efficiency relying on IBM software. Now that I downloaded the new version, I will see when I brew this Sunday if the new version is as perfect as the old.

Well I must be doing something wrong.... I even contacted support and they gave me a 15 step work around?

I would love it if you would possibly PM me with a screenshot of where this is? cause I'm baffled

 

[dustin489]

Well I must be doing something wrong.... I even contacted support and they gave me a 15 step work around?

I would love it if you would possibly PM me with a screenshot of where this is? cause I'm baffled

If I attached the image correctly it is a screenshot from the original version telling me how much volume of sparge water was needed to meet my preboil volume. I set the temp of 170.

 

[dustin489]

Well I must be doing something wrong.... I even contacted support and they gave me a 15 step work around?

I would love it if you would possibly PM me with a screenshot of where this is? cause I'm baffled

For good measure here is a screenshot from the new version. I hope this helps?

 

[reuliss]

Joe,

It seems to me that there might be an easy way to satisfy everyone. Why not make the app a free trial for, say, two weeks, after which point the user has to pay your price or no longer use it? This way everyone can decide for themselves if there is enough extra value to justify your asking price.

 

[kosmo]

Hi All,
I've just bought iBrewMaster2 for my iPad.
It has crashed a few times whilst playing with the recipe section, ... I hope this does not happen when I start using it for brewing a batch. I've contacted iBrewMaster Support a few times via email but have had no response.

Has anyone else experience slow response times from the iBrewMaster Support Team?

BTW ... as of today it has been 1 week with no response.

cheers
Ian

 

[Retrofit]

I typically get responses same day. From memory, there is a bug- if you don't have something with the water or mash plugged in- it can't save an incomplete profile and crashes. I thought there is a notice when you open it. Sort of vague answer, but that could be it. I'll play with it. If I can remember more I'll come back and chime in.

 

[kosmo]

Hi Retrofit,
Thanks for the post reply. I just received a response from iBM ....
"Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. We do have a new version that should drop before x-mss. We are very committed to resolving all issues, continually introducing new features, and making iBrewMaster the best brewing app out there."
Hopefully this will kill my bugs
cheers
Ian

 

[FlyDoctor]

Has anyone had inaccuracies related to OG calculations? If I am formulating a new recipe, I typically put int he yeast after the grains. I have noticed on more than one occasion that when I add the yeast - the expected OG changes (drops). I don't see any errors on my part, but who knows. If I remove the yeast, the OG does not revert to the higher number. I'm stumped.

 

[reuliss]

I haven't noticed this but will pay attention next time. Have you contacted the developers with this issue?

 

[Keyes88]

I still can't import my old DB from version 1

Is there a needed file format or something I'm missing?

 

[miguy96b]

I recently contacted customer support on this app and just got a rather interesting reply in return...

Briefly before I post our conversation I will point out I bought this app shortly after it was released and I really did have high hopes for it but after their incredibly negative response to my feedback I'm done with their product.

Here was my initial feedback. Sure it wasn't the most kind of feedback but I'm not sure it warranted the response it got...

On Jan 11, 2014 at 4:14 pm <[email protected]> wrote:

With the most recent update you pretty much broke the iphone version. I can't even see what I'm typing here. Additionally I can't change my equipment profile so that I can get a proper mash temperature. Additionally, I can't actually import a backup on my iPad (this could be fixed if you'd just use iCloud like normal developers). Also the iPad is wonky too. I can't actually change the god awful color scheme on that device. There are numerous more problems as well. I have stuck with this app expecting it to function as advertised but as it stands I am going to have to pursuer a refund through Apple or through other means and report this app as never functioning how it says it should.

Here was their response:

On Jan 13, 2014, at 12:54, The iBrewMaster Team <[email protected]> wrote:

Go get your refund from Apple Scott, cuz we don't need your badgering comments about "being normal developers". Perhaps you could be a normal person who knows how to integrate with society instead of being an who feels it's appropriate to go throwing around such comments.

You have no idea what you are talking about or what broke what, and I would have been glad to explain it to you had you been a normal human being, but quite honestly, we don't want users like you so please pursue your refund with Apple.

While you're at it, ask them how many things their iOS7 broke when developers recompiled for it. Take a minute to search the internet on thousands of developers complaining about what features Apple broke in their compilation system for iOS7. And perhaps research how to be a normal person.
Helpful? Click to give The iBrewMaster Team thanks!

And just for fairness sake here was my response I just sent them.

I sure hope your kidding with this drivel. I purchased your product very quickly after you released it. I have contacted your customer support and worked through an iCal problem with you. I've patiently waited for the promised features. Unfortunately, we are still left with an incomplete product that we paid nearly $20 for. Additionally, instead of working on basic features you go and goof around with color schemes? Are you kidding me? How in the world does that make sense to prioritize something that isn't broke?

Here is the problem, it appears as if the developers only half attempted to create a quality product that you could push out and ride on the coattails of your previous successful release. This is an incredibly pathetic and thinly veiled money grab if I ever did see one.

Additionally, I truly hope you are kidding with whining about Apple breaking their compiler system. That is an incredibly weak excuse. A company, any company, should not be attempting to pass off their short comings onto another company. Let's put it this way: if they broke THEIR software so bad why are other developers not releasing severely broken products. Sure they might complain about it but they make do with what they were given.

Needless to say, your snide comments back without even a simple explanation other than it is not your fault tells countless stories. Maybe you should do a little bit of google searching and realize that your product is not faring very well and all of the problems and suggestions I made have been hashed out repeatedly. Of course the biggest and apparently most offensive suggestion was to use iCloud which if you did a google search I'm sure you would find is the most common method for backing things up as well as for multi-device integration.

Lastly, so you are not surprised I will of course be pursuing a refund as of now and I will also be posting this conversation to the internet with a buyer beware. Please understand that I truly had hoped that your product would improve overtime but it has not and now I can see why.

Regrettably,

Scott

I hope all of the bbcode works as I'm doing this from my phone. I'm not posting this so much as to flame them but more as a buyer beware. Of course YMMV when it comes to dealing with this company and their product but I for one have given them as many "chances" as my patience would allow.

 

[miguy96b]

And just for good measure just as I posted my previous message I got this email:

Hey Scott,
One of my user support employees came to me with your e-mails and her response. While I certainly understand her knee jerk reaction to these of the term "normal developer", I still do not condone her response and will certainly address it. I will look further into this situation and get back to you shortly today.

I truly apologize for her overreaction, and wanted to let you know that I am currently addressing the issue and reviewing the e-mails.

Thank you,
Joe Cannici
President
iBrewMaster, Inc.

 

[241]

Wow miguy96b, what a horrible, snarky response. Your first email was not all that negative either.

iBM2 is a mess. Unfortunately it has been since it was released. I have many of the same issues as you in it - can't see what you're typing, constant crashing, can't change the fugly appearance, etc. It's a shame because iBM1 still works perfectly, though I no longer use it either.

 

[FlyDoctor]

I have to disagree - the original email complaint was pretty obnoxious. It comes across quite attacking without recognizing there are humans on the other side. Of course the reply is unfair as well

 

[miguy96b]

I've attempted to respond twice now with the app crashing both times. Here goes try three!

Since my initial post the president has personally apologized, acknowledged the programs problems and road mapped the planned fixes. The CSR, whom I've worked with extensively has also apologized.

As to whether the initial feedback was obnoxious that is for you to decide. I will point out those of us who bought the app a year ago at release for $18 expecting to be able to do what the product said it could do in the features were sorely disappointed. Most of the features didn't work or were not implemented yet. Then over the course of this last year the company seemed to break more basic features when trying to add other nonessential functions such as color schemes. I'm guessing your either not an early adopter of this software if you are even a user at all. If you are then I commend you for not getting frustrated with this software over the course of this last year like I and so many other users have. When I first contacted the company last year I worked through numerous correspondences to help get some of the functions working. But after a year of not even getting some basic functions like equipment profile editing to work on my iPhone I felt they needed to know how broke I, one of their initial supporters, felt their software was. Could I have changed my word choice? Sure. Would it have had the same impact? No one knows but, whether the initial feedback was "obnoxious" or not it registered with the companies president and he has acknowledged that there are some issues and he agrees with how frustrating it is for them and their customers. He also personally offered me a refund but I declined after he explained to me their future roadmap for the software.

On another note I've since began to speak with Mr. Cannici on strictly personal matters and have found he is a very approachable customer focused individual and I look forward to discussing more non-ibrewmaster topics with him.

 

[FlyDoctor]

I am an early adopter - owned ibm1 and bought ibm2 the first week it was available. I agree entirely with the complaints/concerns about the software, I just disagree with your language. No need to be rude as I'm quite sure the people on the other end of your email had no desire to make a bad product. As I said, I agree that the product is lacking - just said agree with the approach.

 

[BassBeer]

Glad I never upgraded. IB1 has everything I need and works perfectly

 

[fenix424]

I'm frustrated since I want to upgrade to have the dual-functionality, but I already have iBM 1. If I buy iBM 1 on my iPhone, will I be able to go back and forth on my iPad?