There has been some speculation about the future of FileMaker over the past 2 years. In the meantime, after numerous announcements on the part of Claris, there were more and more concrete results that gradually became visible. Some things looked promising, in other places there was still a lack of clarity, and some things were less than optimal in implementation and especially in communication.
What was positive, however, was that Claris, after initial hesitation, actively went into dialogue with partners and developers. Gradually, results were presented and feedback was obtained again and again. In the meantime, one can definitely say that Claris has listened and taken the suggestions and concerns of its long-term partners seriously!
Of course, it is not always easy, especially with such a reorientation, to get all the right goals under one hat at the first attempt. It is all the more important that during a major transformation there is room for corrections and a re-sharpening of the strategy.
Now Claris has made some changes: Many suggestions for improvement have been taken into account and the bottom line is that the waiting time and the intensive exchange with the community have been worth it. Although not all goals have been achieved in the implementation yet, it is now clearer than before that the direction is right! Moreover, Claris has already delivered results in some places. The most recently released versions make a solid impression.
And most important: while the new products “Studio” and “Connect” are given a meaningful place in the platform strategy, existing solutions can benefit from the innovations without the need for an elaborate technical migration. The best of the new and old worlds simply grow together seamlessly.
In addition, Claris now gives all existing customers and developers free access to the new tools so that they can prove themselves in practical tests. We can “kick the tires” without any additional licensing hurdles or technical barriers. So things can finally move forward!
Refer to Claris latest announcements from August 2023:
Blog: Claris Product Roadmap
YouTube: Claris Product Strategy Update 2023
Let’s look back at the most important points from last year’s presentation “The Future of FileMaker”. There, we had summarised some issues and wishes from the customers’ and developers’ point of view. We now look at where Claris provides us with answers with the current announcements.
To put it briefly: a lot has been taken into account. Thank you Claris!
Refer to PDF for download (12.6 MB):
The Future of FileMaker – Review and Update 2023.
Blog: The Future of FileMaker – FMDiSC Meeting Oct 2022
Recording of the presentation on YouTube: The Future of FileMaker
FileMaker Magazin: Eine Einordnung – Was sich bei der Claris Produkt-Strategie ändert (in German language)
