Panic today announced the launch of Transmit 5, the newest version of its popular Mac-based file transfer app. Transmit 5 is a massive update, introducing an improved UI, new features, additional servers, and a Panic Sync feature.
According to Panic, everything from the core file transfer engine to the "Get Info" experience was entirely rethought, overhauled, and improved, for an even better file management experience.
For those unfamiliar with Transmit, it's designed to allow users to upload, download, and manage files on local and remote servers, turning file management into a simple drag-and-drop affair with a clean easy-to-use interface. Transmit 5 works with FTP, SFTP, WebDAV, and S3, and it connects to Backblaze B2, Box, Google Drive, DreamObjects, Dropbox, Microsoft Azure, and Rackspace.
The new version of Transmit also features Panic Sync, designed to offer a quick and safe way to sync sites and keep Panic data up to date across all apps and devices. Panic Sync is part of another major change - Transmit 5's absence from the Mac App Store.
Panic will not be releasing Transmit 5 in the Mac App Store, which, the company explains, is due to its inability to offer a demo through Apple's storefront. "This allows us to distribute a demo which we think is extremely helpful for people considering Transmit," reads an FAQ on the blog post announcing the release.
Panic says the company plans to "constantly re-evaluate" the Mac App Store and hopes to return at some point, presumably if Apple introduces a wider range of features for developers, such as free trials and demos.
Transmit 5 is priced at $35 for the next week, and after that, the price will go up to $45. There is no upgrade discount for customers who have purchased an earlier version of Transmit, but those who purchased Transmit 4 after June 1 can get a free update.
A free trial is available from the Transmit 5 website for those who would like to try Transmit before making a purchase.
Top Rated Comments
Q: What if I just bought Transmit 4?
A: We’ve got you covered! If you bought from us after June 1st (or maybe even a little earlier), grab your Transmit 4 serial number and go here. ('https://panic.com/transmit/upgrade.html') If you bought from the Mac App Store in that timeframe, please send us an e-mail and we’ll help you out.
With that little bit in the parenthesis, I would reach out to them and see if they'll make an exception for you...
Me, I'll just continue to use the command line. While we still have one. :D
And Panic should look how the Omni group deals with AppStore. I really like their free download and in-app purchases.
Have you not been to an Apple Store? They still have software on the shelves. It is still a thing.
You may be selling just fine without the App Store. That's awesome. Go you. Keep it up. What I've seen in my own experience is that while we sell several million in software a year through out own site, the addition of the App Store means ADDITIONAL sales. More on top of what we'd see selling on our own site alone. Seems you're willing to turn away that additional revenue stream and that's fine. But many of us are seeing huge benefits from diversifying out distribution and finding additional sources of sales.
You're looking at the cut Apple takes from a funny angle. With modern software distribution it costs you nothing to give away a copy of your software. If you sell 1 copy or 100 or even 10,000 copies, the cost to you as a developer (producing that product) is the same (yes there is some additional support cost and a few others but the price is practically the same. Because of this, if you can sell additional copies through the App Store which you wouldn't have on your own site, even that reduced profit is all profit. If you get $70 instead of $100 per copy you sell through them, that's still $70 more than you would have had without them and it costs you nothing additional to sell that extra copy of your software.
It sounds like you're happy with your sales and making a stand to not use the App Store is important to you. That's great. There are however thousands of other developers out there happy to give Apple a small cut because it means sales they never would have had without being listed in the App Store and it makes them far more money.
Their 30% works on the iPhone because there's no way to sideload apps but on the Mac it doesn't work that way.