An Open Letter To Bob Pritchett (and the Logos Staff)
Bob,
I'd like to say thank you. Thank you for caring about us as customers enough to develop a business, and a business model that will be sustained for, in my opinion, many decades forward. Anytime one invests in a new medium of technology there is a concern over how long that new medium will be useful and last over the long haul. For instance how many people still purchase, and play 8-track tapes? This is certainly a greater concern when it comes to a medium like books and publications. I'm please to see that with Logos 5 I won't have to worry about Logos phasing out and my investment be lost in a few short years.
I've noticed many complaining on the forums about the upgrade pricing and how they feel "extorted" by Logos. I see it another way. I have only been a Logos customer for a year now, but my initial investment was an expensive one. However that investment, financially speaking, wasn't great enough to keep Logos afloat for decades to come. You can't pay someone a thousand dollars in 2009 and expect them to live off the profit of that purchase in 2012. You must create more means of income for yourself and your employees. You have done that with the Logos business. But you've also insured that as we purchase these upgrades you can continue to employ, develop and expand the brand and "ecosystem" for a while longer. That means I can continue to use and benefit from my Logos library all the longer.
Furthermore, I don't believe many understand that Logos is, at it's top end, a professional application and library. Logos is to a pastor what Final Cut Pro is to a film editor. Those professional applications are costly. You've greatly enhanced the product as well and added more books to our libraries that will help us. This is a win-win. Graphic art professionals have to spend similar amounts of money to upgrade their essential software for upgrades and etc. to their features. I say this because I've seen you being knocked for doing what a similar software company, such as Adobe, Microsoft or Apple would do. I guess some people just don't understand the business side of things.
So I want to sincerely and genuinely thank you for thinking of your customers as well as your employees and your business. I've seen other software companies that do not have this forward thinking mind on their pricing and software development and I fear that they won't be around for the long haul because they have not invested, and asked their customers to invest in the future as well. I for one am glad to be investing in the future of Logos with my upgrade purchase. Thank you for being concerned with the long-haul.
A Very Pleased Customer,
Jeremy Writebol