There's a ton of great development going on right now. Just when I felt I had finished spending money on memo books or pens or apps, a new product gets launched. This is an awesome problem to have.
If you have a shot at the Omnifocus 2 for Mac beta, you're probably as excited as I am. The app looks like a 2014 app and it syncs seamlessly with the iPhone client. I'm loving it so far. If you're a Things person, there's something in the pipeline that may tickle your whimsy as well.
There's no excuse for not downloading the Reeder 2 for Mac beta. There are some missing preference features at this point in time, but the elegant experience is second to none. And this is the first beta release. Really impressive.
Although Dispatch is a great email client, it's far too powerful for my needs. As a result, I've switched back to Mailbox on my iPad and iPhone. And it's coming to the Mac. I couldn't be a happier camper.
On the iOS side, the hype continues to build for Marco Arment's podcast app. Overcast is anticipated by just about every podcast listener out there and I'm interested to see what Marco has dreamed up next.
And, without doubt, my most anticipated iOS app is an iOS-7-ified Tweetbot for iPad. I'm sure it will look a lot like the iPhone version and this can only be good news. Like everyone else out there, Tweetbot 3 for iPhone is my most used app and it will take that crown on my iPad as soon as the iPad version is released.
I'm not an expert, but I personally think public/semi-private betas are the best way to promote apps these days. I think highly exclusive private betas have a high-risk-high-reward potential: the probability of an app going viral is smaller but the rewards could be far greater. On the other hand, extensive testing periods for the general public allow for potential customers to get a really good understanding of an app before making a purchase decision.
I find myself buying apps more often after I've tried them out for a lengthy period of time. Jumping in full-board always deters me slightly and my purchase decision is made reluctantly rather than excitingly. But that's just me.
Whatever the case, this is a really exciting time for some great Mac tools.