2016

When I introduced StitchBuddy View as a universal app on iOS, documents of StitchBuddy should become accessible on all devices, for all StitchBuddy companion apps, and without the hassle of iTunes synching. So I decided to look into cloud-based file synchronization.

Back in those days Apple’s iCloud was lacking an official way to access files on Macs or Windows computers, leaving me with its most prominent competitor, Dropbox. StitchBuddy’s file synchronization was introduced in 2013, and despite various fixes and enhancements, there was and still is room for improvement: The synchronization process is quite fragile and especially for high numbers of designs pushed to its limits, so I have considered a redesign for quite some time.

Starting today with version 2.12.0 StitchBuddy for Mac is exclusively distributed via Apple’s Mac App Store, providing an even better user experience: With one click you can download and install the free version, which updates completely automatically. This version offers all functions, but can only save designs up to 1,000 stitches. And if you decide to buy the unlimited StitchBuddy Pro version after your test, registration is only another click away and without delays instantly active.

And no worries for existing customers: In the past all StitchBuddy updates were provided for free, and this is not going to change: Install StitchBuddy’s free version from the Mac App Store, and it will recognize your existing license code and unlock the Pro version with no additional charge. Please be aware that unfortunately I had to remove the function to delete hidden system files from USB sticks as it did not comply with store guidelines, and StitchBuddy requires OS X 10.9 or higher, now.

Apple has just released the new operating system, macOS 10.12 “Sierra”. Unfortunately I had to learn that it doesn’t run on my MacBook Pro, which I used the last 7 years for StitchBuddy’s development, and its replacement will have to wait some more months…

Today I borrowed my son’s computer and was able to test StitchBuddy’s compatibility with Sierra: After a quick check I can confirm that the current version of StitchBuddy works perfectly with macOS 10.12!

For customizaI just released StitchBuddy 2.11 for Mac: This update is supporting new hoops of the embroidery machine Janome MC500e and is introducing a new, flat-styled toolbar with support of Retina displays. So StitchBuddy is looking better than ever on high-resolution displays. More details about changes can be found in the version history.

For several reasons I had to increase StitchBuddy’s software requirement to OS X 10.7 („Lion"): This version of OS X was introduced five years ago, and it became too complex to support older OS X versions anymore. Given Apple’s free update policy for the last years I consider this decision a fair move.

StitchBuddy’s next minor release is coming soon, and while its main intention is support for Janome MC500e hoops, I’m using this opportunity to renovate all toolbar icons of StitchBuddy (Mac): They were only grey-scaled versions of the original images, and didn’t serve well, especially in context of the iOS-style as introduced with OS X Yosemite. Now I’m changing all icons to match Apple’s design: