Transmit: Don’t Panic on Pro iPad Apps

There’s been a lot of talk lately about Panic Ceasing Development on Transmit. It’s once again lead to a bunch of gloom and doom about making a living on the App Store and the future of pro apps on the iPad.

Personally, I think this isn’t about the iPad business model - I think it’s about market fit.

I bought Transmit for iOS. I don’t remember the last time I used it. I bought Transmit for macOS, too, but I don’t remember the last time I used it, either (I think I still have the previous version. The next time I actually run it, I’ll likely upgrade).

In a world with built-in iCloud File synchronization, AirDrop, etc, I don’t need an app like Transmit for iOS. For example, when I publish this blog post (with the above screenshot) from my iPad, I’ll use Working Copy to push to my Jekyll blog via git. Several years ago, I might have used something like Transmit to upload the screenshot. Now, there’s no requirement for such an app.

I think there’s still a market for pro apps on the iPad. I use many of them. I just don’t think there’s a market for a pro app for file transfers.