Vantage Update and Other News
With the release of ClassiPress 3.1 now behind us, we have dug back into Vantage to see where we are and what still needs to be done.
Dave, Pete and myself spent all of yesterday reviewing where things stand with Vantage and tried to gauge how long it will take to complete. At this time, though, we just do not have a reliable timetable for its release.
While I write that, it feels like I can hear a thousand groans reverberate across the land. We definitely know how much everyone wants to see Vantage in the marketplace. Trust me, we want to make it available to you just as much as you want it – really.
Why is It Taking So Long?
When I joined AppThemes back in March, development on Vantage had slowed to a crawl. There were just not enough resources to work on Vantage, complete ClassiPress 3.1, address support issues and take care of all the other issues that come with managing a business.
Dave and I sat down and spent a lot of time discussing and reshuffling our priorities. At that time, I strongly suggested that all resources be applied to finishing ClassiPress 3.1. It’s a product that people had already purchased and we owed those customers an update. During that period, we did not work on Vantage at all.
A New Framework
Now that we have completed CP 3.1, we are moving most of our production resources to Vantage. In the process, we are developing a new AppThemes framework and Vantage will be the first new product built from scratch that uses the framework.
The framework will introduce new features and make AppThemes products more robust and more secure than ever before. Building Vantage on this new framework will make it a better product when we do release it.
A New Team
We have also had an influx of new blood added to the team. We already announced the hiring of Pete Mall and we’re happy to reveal that we have added two more members to the development team.
The new team is helping to transform the way we make our products. They are experienced WordPress core contributors that know the space well.
That means Vantage will not only be the most advanced application theme on the market, but also built by some of the best WordPress developers around.
So What’s the Plan?
Vantage 1.0 has a definite feature set. We have had the new team members review code and make recommendations. We went through the Ideas Exchange and will be including some of the suggestions. We know what we are building, we just do not have a clear time table yet.
I know you want some answers so I will give you my best guess. Vantage will not be ready before October. I can’t say if it will be ready in October or November – it might even be December. If it goes past January, I’ll eat a banana slug. That’s about the best I can say right now.
I will be pushing the team as much as I can and will give everyone updates along the way. I appreciate your continued patience and look forward to giving you more good news soon.
Thanks,
Shannon
Comments (51)
I cannot wait to have a look at this when it’s up!
Very interested!
Thanks
Paolo
I bought classipress a while back and COMPLETELY because of Vantage took your offer for an upgrade to a developers license… Had I know this thing has been in “development” for the same amount of time as cold fusion and has delivered the same results I would likely have reconsidered. I really really really hope this thing comes out while WordPress is still in use and I am not in a nursing home 🙂
We appreciate the patience everyone has had with us. As mentioned in a recent post, we are adding some talented new members to our development team and look forward to producing more frequent updates with more new products coming out on a regular basis – long before You hit Your golden years.
Yea Me too! Please hurry!
I’ve been scouring the web for professional looking WordPress business directory themes. I’m so glad I found your site because it looks like Vantage will fit the bill. I can’t wait for it to be released!
Are you able to advise if it is still on track to be available before the end of the year?
I’m currently using another WordPress directory script on a couple of directories and have a couple of more directories I want to set up. I would like to wait for yours. The other one does not have the ability to provide coupon codes. It does have the ability to update the theme from the control panel with two clicks and I was wondering if yours will be able to do that also.
@Phil, yes we still plan on having the beta ready by the year. There are plans for a coupon module but it may not be in the first release. Yes, we’ll have easy theme updating just like how WordPress updates work.
Thanks. I will wait but I really need a coupon module! The ability to provide a discount or pay a commission to an SEO firm is the only way to make any money with a directory site. I set up very sophisticated affiliate software, but it’s too complicated and coupons are extremely easy.
Discussion is closed.