Apple subsidiary FileMaker, Inc. has announced the end of its Bento database application for OS X. FileMaker’s official announcement, verbatim:
FileMaker, Inc. is increasing its focus on FileMaker Product Line software. Thanks to the ease of creating iPad and iPhone solutions, our customers’ use of FileMaker on iOS is growing rapidly. Our increased focus will create an even better experience for these customers.
As part of our sharpened focus, we will stop further development of the Bento consumer products.
Bento for iPad, iPhone and Mac will continue to be available on the FileMaker Store, and the App Store and Mac App Store, through September 30, 2013.
We will provide technical support for Bento products through July 30, 2014.
We thank you for your support of Bento. We know that many Bento customers will be disappointed.
FileMaker Pro, our powerful yet easy-to-use business database software, will be appropriate for certain users of Bento for Mac. We encourage Bento for Mac customers to visit our “Is FileMaker Pro Right For You?” page to understand the differences between Bento and FileMaker Pro and to download a free trial of FileMaker Pro.
Read the Knowledge Base answer for more information on the Bento transition here.
Source: FileMaker, Inc.
Related articles:
FileMaker releases Bento for iPad – April 2, 2010
Sales of Bento for iPhone and iPod touch top 100,000 – December 8, 2009
FileMaker: Bento downloads top 250,000 mark – March 18, 2008
FileMaker previews ‘Bento’ personal database for Apple’s Mac OS X Leopard – November 13, 2007
I tried to like it, but other than a Christmas Card list, I just couldn’t really find anything I wanted to do with it. I missed the abilities of Access to create forms with automated and connected fields with macros/VBA. Maybe FMP has more scripting ability.
If you like Access, you’ll love Filemaker.
I too tried Bento, several times. Even had training at the Apple Store on it, but it was simply too much work in creating templates and entering data to be useful. If I didn’t have to enter data directly, I basically wound up doing things twice just to have it in Bento. Just not worth the time.
Oh boy. I run my 3 man LAW OFFICE on Bento. Those of you here who say Bento “is not enough” probably never fully explored how double jointed Bento can be. On it I keep: 1- All case notes, 2- client contact info, 3- hot link direct to client folder, 4- invoicing, 5- trust account, 6- office checkbook, 7- trust checkbook, 8- to do list separate for each client, 9-launcher for legal forms. 10- launcher for all my fax cover sheets (45+), 11-employee hours, 12- milage, 13- various accounting items and spreadsheet uses, 14- also use it a calculator with paper tape, 15- track office expenses.
$49. AND IT HAS REPLACED MANY HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS OF SPECIFIC SOFTWARE, and you can make a nice looking database in just a few minutes.
It is not “flat” nor “pretty flat” its a relational database with “one level down.”
My next project is to do employee payroll on it.
I only briefly tried Bento, but from what I saw this is no massive loss. It somehow seemed overly simplified yet at the same time too complicated to bother using.
It was hampered because a reasonably capable application would have cut into sales of FileMaker Pro. It was obnoxious eye candy that never did enough to warrant even trying. I always felt my time with Bento would be wasted and I never found any evidence to the contrary.
Maybe it’s time for Apple to disassociate itself from FileMaker. Or bring FileMaker Pros pricing in line with the rest of its productivity apps. $300 seems a bit pricy in this day and age.
As a FM developer, I was never sure of the purpose of Bento. Apparently others did not either. I’d rather they center all resources on enhancing FM as it is a great product with some deficiencies, particularly speed, that need to be improved.
As someone who wanted to file things rather than being a full time programmer, I used Bento exclusively. Some of us just want to get work done rather than devoting our lives to programming!
Try HanDBase. You can do some really sophisticated things with it. It is not to be compared with Access or FileMaker though. It’s strength is in more functional DB management and a great forms option.
Ridiculous. I use Bento on OSX not iOS – and I don’t want to try to learn to migrate thousands of files to a new system.
HanDBase was recommended as a very good DB app where the workflow is primarily on the mobile device. DDH Software has both Windows and Mac desktops, but the Mac desktop pretty much sucks. Instead, the developer has provided an X11 cross platform Handbase desktop app that works essentially like the Windows desktop except on Mac OSX. My opinion? It works, but adds an unnecessary level of complexity to working with your Handbase files. I’ve suggested to David Haupert repeatedly that an iCloud or Dropbox interface is sorely needed. He just hasn’t pulled the trigger.
If you need robust desktop DB applications, then Access or Filemaker are better choices than Bento. Filemaker has a mobile app. Both are overly complex and way over the top pricewise for normal mortals, which is why no enthusiastic recommendation for them will ever ever grace my lips.
HanDBase for OSX does not exist!
I just checked. It does exist.
http://www.ddhsoftware.com/handbase_mac.html
I wouldn’t classify a very limited function version as ‘existing’
“The HanDBase Desktop for Mac is more limited than the Windows version but does allow for basic editing of databases so they can be re-installed to your device.”
It barely works. Mostly just a decent sync tool for consolidating and storing you databases on a local computer. The X11 app mimics the functional PC desktop, but creates a very messy workflow. NOT recommended to anyone that doesn’t have masochistic tendencies!
Bento is better off being in Steve Jobs’ grave. It was worse than useless.
Actually, it worked very well for my use. I used it solely as a contact database to manage groups and print labels to stick to postcards. Oh well, looks like I’ll have to move to FileMaker Pro.
It used to really irritate me when companies discontinued software.
PageMaker
Adobe GoLive
ImageReady
iMovie
But, I learned that it’s all part of the process.
Bento was a simple database application that would have fit rather well with the iLife suite, had Apple taken over the code from Claris (after all, they do own them).
It looks like people just don’t have a need for a simple database product, especially with Google Docs offering out there (with the web-enabling of the spreadsheet with online forms).
Bento was a fundamentally handicapped app. After attempting to migrate some of my HanDBase stuff to Bento I came to realize it was a pretty flat file manager in OSX and almost unusable in iOS due to a very limited and uncomfortable UI in iOS. For about a year I used Bento on my MacMini as a reporting app, dumping HanDBase files into Bento because HanDBase’s reporting capabilities were inferior. Finally gave that up as too much work for too little benefit. Ultimately, for standalone use on iOS, nothing else, that I’ve tried, compares to HanDBase. That includes TapForms.
… like ALL the iWork apps! Sorry, Predrag, I think you meant iWork, rather than iLife.
BJT, the idea behind all the iWork apps seemed to be to have non-Pro apps for non-Pro uses. Pages cannot do a great many things a Word expert feels are needed/useful, but works exceptionally well for lighter-duty work. The same with Numbers – it may not be up to doing the book-keeping for a Fortune 500 business but it can certainly handle our integrated, multi-generational household. A little rethinking of Bento and it could fit in with those other household-level players. While FileMaker is a superior database product, who needs to hire a DB-manager to keep track of their silverware, their kid’s soccer team, or the details of next summer’s vacation!
So … Apple? How about you bundle it with iWork, at the iWork price, and do just a little feature-creep on it. It’s not like you’ve done a huge amount of work on iWork ’09, other than adding the iCloud interface.
I’m discontinuing FileMaker. Bento and Bento for iPad users told to look at FileMaker Pro. Sorry FM, my fingers are still burning from the last time.
Agree. I am angry enough to drop Apple for Microsoft computers.
To which MIcrosoft-branded computers do you refer? Surface RT? Let me know how that works for you.
Bento was crippled so it wouldn’t eat FileMaker’s lunch. A bad move for customers.
So much for the investment in Bento. Is Apple offering an upgrade from Bento?
Yea, you can get it for just $180 instead of $300! Aren’t we thrilled?
And then learn the complicated process of transferring your files!
So someone who has limited needs for a database now has to spend $190 and take a year long course in database programming. Screw you Filemaker!
Bring back HyperCard!
I held on to ClarisWorks for as long as I could specifically for the database feature. When I moved to Lion and CW ceased to work I moved to Bento and it seemed to do everything I needed. I think there really needs to be a consumer level database program that is simple to use and inexpensive. I’m sure this is wishful thinking but perhaps this means that Apple is considering adding a Bento-like component to iWork.
I miss Claris Organizer that was sold to Palm and became Palm Desktop. It was far more functional than Apples idiot proof address book.
Maybe they are discontinuing Bento as a stand alone product and incorporating a version of it into iWork ?
iWork certainly needs a database and Filemaker is too fully featured to give away as part of the iWork package. Bento sounds about the right sort of performance level.
I love those who comment “I didn’t use it so I’m glad it’s gone?” Can you say “It’s all about ME!”?
No, but you sure can.
I am speaking for Bento users. Guess you flunked Empathy.
It’s more like “I bought it and couldn’t use it.” I guess some of those bugs will now remain unfixed unto eternity. Bento’s layouts consisted of trendy color schemes which made the contents unreadable. It couldn’t handle events more than a few years old, making it unusable for health insurance records. Its frequent crashes were a big topic on its forum. I used it for a Christmas card list, and it didn’t even do that very well. I’m glad it’s gone, but I feel too ripped off to contemplate giving more money to FIlemaker. Lame-ass amateurs.
I miss HyperCard. :/
Notice the disclaimer on the FileMaker site. “Bento can do some things that FileMaker can’t.” And if you migrate to FileMaker, those features will be lost.
I sense … anger…
But seriously Tflint, you can still use Bento. FileMaker not supporting it doesn’t stop you from using it. What you loose down the line, is development. And yes eventually you’ll upgrade to hardware or OS which no longer supports it. But that happens. I miss ClarisWorks, Freehand and Pagemaker, but they are gone. FileMaker have at least given you warning, rather than going bust…
Shame – I use it as a design work trafficking program with a custom made database.
Thanks very much, not even a free or heavily discounted cross-grade offer to FM?
Does anybody know of a free database solution I can use going forward?
I used HyperCard extensively and loved it! Now I use SuperCard.
I find Bento extremely useful and I store tons of information in my database. Most importantly all my userIDs and passwords which can be encrypted and hidden with the database password protected. I don’t know any other easy to use DBMS like Bento; Filemaker sure isn’t from my past experience. I’m really upset with FM for abandoning Bento.
NOT a bright move killing Bento.
It is a great intro for databases and allows rapid development. What a shame.
I never found FMPro difficult to do simple DBs quickly. Now if I want to start a whole new business, I would get a pre-packaged system from a developer.
Lots of templates exist from both FM & developers that get you going fast and you just change a few things to make it work with your details you need.
Independent developers are available to help with more complex tasks if needed.
I do FMP development. But Bento is so quick that it is nice. Also nice for prototyping.
OMG, this is terrible.
I love Bento! I use almost it every day for a number of very useful personal things. It was cheap and gave “the rest of us” a very easy to use, quite powerful database.
What a shame!
Lotus Notes is one of the cheapest databases around.
It is flat file and not real easy to use but there are a number of free packages out there for common tasks and some good templates included. For a small to medium business or home use it is a good product on a budget with a lot of functionality.
Works on Macs and most platforms.
The more I’ve think about this the madder I get. I just sent Filemaker my two cents worth. Here it is:
I just wanted to go on record as one customer who is really angry at you for discontinuing Bento. After years of use and storing a mountain of information in my Bento database you just leave me high and dry? I tried Filemaker and found it too hard to use; Bento was perfect for my needs – a consumer database. Now, I cannot afford Filemaker even if it was easier to use. It will be a long time before I’ll trust your company again.
Let me rephrase that first sentence:
The more I think about this the madder I get. (Sheesh! Pay attention, boy!)
I’ve used Filemaker Pro for years, but it is way too expensive at $300 a seat. I tried Bento as a cost cutting measure but it couldn’t do anything I wanted.
Really all I need is my old Personal Pearl database running on my CPM based Kaypro in 1983. That database did everything I ever needed. Seriously.