Evernote: From an Uncertain Future to an Exciting New Chapter

“Every note ever written—at any time, in any place” was the audacious premise behind the creation of Evernote, a note-taking app conceived by Stepan Pachikov in 2004. The potential of this innovative hub of notes captivated many, even when it was initially restricted to Windows PCs.

The game-changer for Evernote arrived in 2008. With the appointment of new CEO Phil Libin, Evernote became one of the first third-party apps available for iPhone, resulting in a dramatic surge in its user base and solidifying its status as a leading light in the tech sphere. This rise to prominence was acknowledged in its 10th-anniversary celebration in 2018.

However, recent developments saw Evernote’s forward momentum wane. In an unexpected development, Evernote was sold to Bending Spoons, a developer based in Milan, in November. The move triggered substantial layoffs and a complete shift in operations from the US to Europe, raising concerns about Evernote’s future viability among its users.

Evernote’s image suffered a blow when problems arose with its typically reliable audio-recording feature. This hiccup led many users to switch to Notion, another note-taking platform, and to use Evernote primarily for storage of old notes.

Following these developments, a significant number of users began to import their notes into Notion and cancelled their Evernote Personal subscriptions. This marked a clear shift away from Evernote, stirring a wave of nostalgia for what was once a cherished tool in users’ digital armory.

But it may be premature to write Evernote’s epitaph. The new owner, Bending Spoons, has ambitious plans for the app and could potentially outperform Evernote’s previous management with the right strategies.

Even as Evernote’s future looks uncertain, the powerful proposition that Pachikov made at its inception remains. The idea of a ‘backup of the brain’, the ability to store and access notes forever, is compelling. This brings up an important question about the longevity of note-taking apps – how can one be sure that today’s note apps will still be around decades from now?

Trust in tech behemoths like Google or Microsoft isn’t necessarily safe either. Google Keep’s future is uncertain given Google’s history of discontinuing products. Microsoft’s OneNote, although older than Evernote, has had its own issues with user trust, particularly due to a lack of support for older file formats.

With these uncertainties, some might contemplate going back to traditional pen and paper. However, the practicalities of maintaining physical notes often outweigh the perceived security they offer. Digital note-keeping emerged as a solution to these problems, and Evernote was once at the forefront.

In the current digital landscape, the most prudent course of action might be to choose a platform that offers an efficient and reliable method to export all data. This way, one retains the ability to switch platforms when necessary. While not a perfect solution, it’s a practical step in the fluid and uncertain realm of digital note-taking.

In a recent update on Evernote’s website, Federico, the product lead at Evernote, shed light on the future of the product. Bending Spoons acquired Evernote around the beginning of the year, and they have since been diligently studying the product, customer feedback, and conducting feedback sessions with Evernote users. The objective is to solve existing issues and enhance the user experience with Evernote.

Federico stated that they are focusing on how they can elevate Evernote to a new level of utility for its users. This includes a change in Evernote subscription prices, major product improvements like performance and reliability of synchronization, and exciting new features like Real-Time Editing, AI Note Cleanup, and AI Search.

The new subscription prices, which are listed in detail in the update, are set to increase. This is the first price increase for the vast majority of subscribers in nearly seven years, and during this period, Evernote has significantly expanded its offerings. The decision to raise prices will enable Evernote to increase the pace of development in crucial areas—infrastructure and product development—and deliver greater value to its users, faster.

Evernote is set to roll out major improvements and additions. These include the overhaul of the synchronization system, a recurrent pain point for users, to reduce the frequency of same-note conflicts and make the synchronization of new notes across devices faster. Real-Time Editing, a feature that allows users to edit a note on multiple devices simultaneously, is also being introduced.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be integrated into Evernote’s services in the form of opt-in features like AI Note Cleanup, which tidies up notes, and AI Search, which allows users to ask questions in natural language directly to the Evernote app and receive an instant answer based on their note content.

Bending Spoons, although not yet globally renowned, has a strong reputation in Europe for delivering top-tier products. Over 500 million people have chosen to use their apps, many of whom are paying subscribers. They have a history of acquiring popular products and enhancing them. They promise to work tirelessly to continue this trend with Evernote.

In closing, Bending Spoons has expressed their commitment to making Evernote the most useful app possible for anyone with a passion for personal productivity. Through the innovations they’ve introduced and their promise of more to come, they hope to inspire optimism about Evernote’s exciting future. Their goal is not to fix what isn’t broken but to significantly enhance the Evernote experience.

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Source : https://www.fastcompany.com/90924665/evernote-layoffs-alternatives-keep-notes-forever

Source : https://evernote.com/blog/evernote-pricing-upcoming-features-update/