iPhone App..no NBG1951 available...disappointment

Luuk Dondorp
Luuk Dondorp Member Posts: 353 ✭✭
edited November 21 in English Forum

What a disappointment..just bought an iPod Touch, installed the Logos iPhone App..works fine and looks good...but it seems that the dutch NBG1951 bible is not available. Only the dutch Statenvertaling (comp KJV). 

A great disappointment because the NBG1951 bible is the translation I use most and especially for my personal time with the bible.

I hope it will be possible to make it available for me on the iPhone. I have it in my Logos 4 library on my computer.

Can someone tell me something more about this. Thank you in advance. 

Luuk

 

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Comments

  • Philip Gurgel
    Philip Gurgel Member Posts: 76 ✭✭

    That's not the only book missing, in fact about 2/3s of the total Logos Library is still missing from the Iphone.

    That includes the most used English speaking Bible (the NIV). 

    It was a big disappointment to many of us who upgraded right away, thinking we'd have full use of our libraries on our iphones/ipod, only to find out that the books we use the most (including the Bible we use the most) was missing.

    One would think that Logos would have been able to work out a deal with most of these publishers in 4 months (since it came out at the beginning of November last year), especially for the books they know that are used frequently by the majority of their users. 

    I'm a huge fan of just about everything the Logos company has done, but their tardiness on getting permissions for these books is inexcusable IMO.

  • Mark Barnes
    Mark Barnes Member Posts: 15,432 ✭✭✭

    You mean there's "only" about 3,500 resources available on the iPhone, which they gave you mobile access to without asking for another bean? Inexcusable!

    This is my personal Faithlife account. On 1 March 2022, I started working for Faithlife, and have a new 'official' user account. Posts on this account shouldn't be taken as official Faithlife views!

  • J.R. Miller
    J.R. Miller Member Posts: 3,566 ✭✭✭

    One would think that Logos would have been able to work out a deal with most of these publishers in 4 months (since it came out at the beginning of November last year), especially for the books they know that are used frequently by the majority of their users. 
    Hi Philip, I don't know that I have made your acquaintance on the forum before, but welcome.  FYI, I am a church planter and started working for logos about 4 weeks ago in ministry development (I visit churches and conferences to demonstrate Logos).  So from an outside perspective this might seems like a simple thing, but those more familiar than I with the publishing world will tell you that what Logos is doing is no small task.  As a matter of context, Logos has been in negations with some publishers for 10 years and still have not reached deals (not related to the iPhone, of course but just to publish books).  Logos is now working to negotiate rights with all of our publishing partners.  There is not one "standard" contract though because each publisher has their own set of criteria / royalties they expect in return.  To get these books on another platform at no additional cost to the user, is quite complex—I am glad it is not me having to do all those negotiations.  Anyway, just thought you might like to know.

    Peace and Blessings

    My Books in Logos & FREE Training

  • Friedrich
    Friedrich Member, MVP Posts: 4,772

     As a matter of context, Logos has been in negations with some publishers for 10 years and still have not reached deals

     

    well, it probably just turns off the publishers when Logos "negates" them.  no wonder they have not reached any deals . . . [:P]

    I like Apples.  Especially Honeycrisp.

  • J.R. Miller
    J.R. Miller Member Posts: 3,566 ✭✭✭

    well, it probably just turns off the publishers when Logos "negates" them.  no wonder they have not reached any deals . . . Stick out tongue
    See, that is why I am not in charge.. it is the little details like that that make a difference LOL :-)

    My Books in Logos & FREE Training

  • Kevin A. Purcell
    Kevin A. Purcell Member Posts: 3,405 ✭✭✭

    well, it probably just turns off the publishers when Logos "negates" them.  no wonder they have not reached any deals . . . Stick out tongue
    See, that is why I am not in charge.. it is the little details like that that make a difference LOL :-)

    It might have something to do with them looking at your avatar and not wanting Mennonite, pipe smoking, ball players either.  I know, you are sipping on a straw. And I'm big boned. [;)]

    Dr. Kevin Purcell, Director of Missions
    Brushy Mountain Baptist Association

    www.kevinpurcell.org

  • Roger Feenstra
    Roger Feenstra Member Posts: 459

    which they gave you mobile access to without asking for another bean?

     

    Well, sort of true Mark.  They aren't necessarily asking for another bean, but the idea behind a retailer giving someone something is to lead them to buy something. It's called a "loss leader."

    Elder/Pastor, Hope Now Bible Church, Fresno CA

  • Philip Gurgel
    Philip Gurgel Member Posts: 76 ✭✭

    Yeah, it's somewhat disingenuous to say it doesn't cost anything.  Having mobile access to my library was one of the biggest reasons why I upgraded packages back in November instead of just downloading the free base program.  Now, I like some of what I got with the upgrade, but the Iphone program was a huge reason for my doing the upgrade.

    I even had access to the NIV on the ipod for a day or two, before they frustratingly pulled it because of license issues.  Leaving me very disappointed, as one of my biggest reasons for wanting the mobile option was to be able to do my Personal Bible Study wherever I might be, and for my PBS I don't want to have to resort to using a different translation then the one I use for preaching and teaching. 

    So, in one day it went from extremely useful to me and totally worth the money, to almost worthless for what I hoped it would do for me.

    Now, I understand that certain licenses may take a while to get.  But seriously, getting permissions for NIV has to be priority #1 for Logos.  It is, most likely, the most frequently used book in the whole program.  And they have to recognize that the longer they wait on this specific license, the more it is going to disappoint the customers they have, and likely turn off potential customers to products such as Olivetree.  

    And if it's a matter of needing a few extra dollars per customer, how many of the customers on the blog have suggested being willing to pay for the digital rights again if it means access on the iphone?  I know I would pay $5-10 if necessary.

    I understand that Logos has to be concerned about their bottom line, but when it's a book this important and this frequently used they have to consider expedience for the sake of their customers even if it means not squeezing every possible penny out of Zondervan.

    I know that at this point I've made a personal decision as a frustrated customer to express my displeasure with my wallet on this issue by not spending any more money on Logos books until I see the NIV on the iphone.

  • Michael Robinson
    Michael Robinson Member Posts: 49

    I'm with you PhilipGurgel. I ummed and arred for ages before shelling out for the upgrade - and also for the Tyndale OT and NT commentaries, looking forward to having them on my iPhone. Big disappointment that they and other IVP works are not available. I have access to NIV, NBC, NBD, IVPNTC and a plethora of books on Laridian (or should I say L*******) who guarantee that once you buy a digital book through them it is available at no extra cost on whatever platform you buy. They may not have as many books available as Logos, but if they can negotiate a deal with the key publishers, I don't understand why Logos can't.

  • Terry Poperszky
    Terry Poperszky Member Posts: 1,576

    They may not have as many books available as Logos, but if they can negotiate a deal with the key publishers, I don't understand why Logos can't.

    I just took a look at their website and they have maybe 100 titles total and you can't understand why Logos (who already has 35 times that many available on the iPhone) is taking longer to get your favorite books authorized?

    I can't understand why you can't understand. Frankly I don't think you are trying very hard. [:O]

    Personally, I am waiting for NA27,  but it isn't a big deal, I can make do with the Byzantine text if I had to, even though it definitely isn't on my preferred list.

     

     

  • Philip Gurgel
    Philip Gurgel Member Posts: 76 ✭✭

    Yeah, but it isn't the number of texts that really matter.  Logos likes to go on and on about offering 4k books on the iphone.  That's great, but if those are 4k books that are not ones frequently used by their customers it means absolutely nothing.  The numbers in my mind are meaningless.  What is meaningful is quality of books, not quantity, and in that respect Logos' program falls far short.

    I was one of those original followers of the iphone app when they were posting teasers of it on their mobile website.  And it's one of the reasons I upgraded on day one.  I was actually very happy with it right away as I had access to the NIV.  Until a day or two later when they pulled the NIV because of license issues.

    Now, Logos has done a very good job, in my opinion, on being very upfront about communicating well in regards to their PC program and the MAC program.  But there was no communication in the leadup to the release of the Iphone app that suggested that we wouldn't have access to the NIV.  And it was equally frustrating to have it for a day, and then have it dropped. After all of the buildup, and the really exciting first day, it was a huge letdown.

    But, I figured that Logos recognized the importance of getting that resource back up and running, afterall, the forum here almost instantly had a number of people complaining about losing NIV.  Certainly, a responsible company would recognize that their customer base was disappointed by the loss of perhaps the most frequently used book in their library.  Certainly, a company that markets itself as Bible software, would recognize the importance of expediency in getting the most commonly used Bible back on their program in short order.

    Yet, that hasn't happened.  And it really is disappointing.  And while I love their software on the PC, I have lost a lot of faith in this company to recognize the priorities of their customers, and to go about serving their customers' best interests in a timely manner.