After several shouts and customer dissatisfaction including us in a previous post, Skyscape finally changed their iPhone subscription policy and now offers a Standard copy of the books that they publish.
So now you we can choose to buy the product and keep it forever if we choose the standard option.
Previously there was only yearly subscription and after that year the app will vanish! This has provoked anger and extreme complaints from the users, if you read iTunes reviews of their iPhone app [the Skyscape Medical Resources] you will read descriptions like ripped off, scam, conspiracy, and some other very bad wording.
So in response, they added the Standard option just like what they offer for Palm and Windows Mobile.
In their explanation they say that the standard option will not allow for updates after the end of the 12 months, while if we choose the subscription option and we renew in time, we will always get the latest updates.
The digital content of Skyscape ebooks unlike what we used to have in a traditional book is constantly updated, so for example the A to Z Drug Facts will be updated from the publisher on a regular basis and that will be reflected on our Skyscape’s title. However, this is not absolutely true for all of the titles. There are titles that are still static and gets updated only with the availability of new editions.
In order to make a decision on what to buy a subscription or a standard edition, go to Skyscape website then choose the product then click on unique features tab and navigate down to the bottom of the page to see the updates policy of that particular product. Here’s a screenshot of one of the titles;
If the picture is not clear here’s what it says; “Update Policy: Edition-based. New editions are released when the content changes significantly; there is no standard schedule for new editions”.
So the advice here, is that buy a subscription for a clinical tool or an ebook that gets frequent updates but buy the standard edition if it is a static infrequently updated reference [as screenshot above] such as DSM IV, Lab notes, The Red Book, The Harriet Lane, and many many others.
They’ve also made more subscription options so we can choose to subscribe for a shorter periods of time for less money, which is also a good thing.
Thank you Skyscape for listening to us.
Tags: Skyscape
Yeh, having options is great. FWIW – don’t agree with your point that skyscape just offers books. I get updates very frequently for various products i have installed. Previously used to get these through my laptop, now lot more convenient to get wirelessly. have had many updates for a2zdrugs, 5mcc, medstream, acc guidelines and archimedes. some more frequently than others.
like your blog – keep up the good work!
Yeh, having options is great. FWIW – don’t agree with your point that skyscape just offers books. I get updates very frequently for various products i have installed. Previously used to get these through my laptop, now lot more convenient to get wirelessly. have had many updates for a2zdrugs, 5mcc, medstream, acc guidelines and archimedes. some more frequently than others.
like your blog – keep up the good work!
Hi Shawn,
Thank you for your thoughtful comment.
Your point is absolutely valid as far as the clinical tools and therefore I edited the post as you can see above.
However, when it comes to ebooks, Skyscape is not a content provider. They don’t write the 5mcc or the Davis Drug Guide, they just digitize it.
And you know what, these frequently updated tools are mostly provided for free such as Archimedes and CME. So still, we don’t need to buy a subscription!
Next time please provide a valid email address so that we can reply to your comments via email.
Hi Shawn,
Thank you for your thoughtful comment.
Your point is absolutely valid as far as the clinical tools and therefore I edited the post as you can see above.
However, when it comes to ebooks, Skyscape is not a content provider. They don’t write the 5mcc or the Davis Drug Guide, they just digitize it.
And you know what, these frequently updated tools are mostly provided for free such as Archimedes and CME. So still, we don’t need to buy a subscription!
Next time please provide a valid email address so that we can reply to your comments via email.
Thx for your feedback. Just to make sure that I am not dreaming when my resources get updated (:-) I checked the skyscape site and it says that 5mcc, drug guide are updated quarterly, a2zdrugs is updated monthly. since I have used them for quite some time, I know that these products are different than the ebooks. Incidently, I use epocrates as well (who doesnt) but other than the drug information, are they also not licensing 5 minute clinical consult? it just looks like they market the same product differently…
Regards.
Sorry about the typo in the email address – glad i checked the blog again!
Thx for your feedback. Just to make sure that I am not dreaming when my resources get updated (:-) I checked the skyscape site and it says that 5mcc, drug guide are updated quarterly, a2zdrugs is updated monthly. since I have used them for quite some time, I know that these products are different than the ebooks. Incidently, I use epocrates as well (who doesnt) but other than the drug information, are they also not licensing 5 minute clinical consult? it just looks like they market the same product differently…
Regards.
Sorry about the typo in the email address – glad i checked the blog again!
Hi Shawn,
Thanks again for the info. It seems that you are absolutely right. I was not aware of the fact that these ebooks are being updated from their sources and so Skyscape reflects these updates on the PDA/iPhone.
I checked with 5mcc publishers [Wolters Kluwer] and they confirmed the regular updates.
Sorry for the misinformation. You made me revise the whole post and even its title!
So that has been said, then a subscription purchase is valid for some ebooks as well
Hi Shawn,
Thanks again for the info. It seems that you are absolutely right. I was not aware of the fact that these ebooks are being updated from their sources and so Skyscape reflects these updates on the PDA/iPhone.
I checked with 5mcc publishers [Wolters Kluwer] and they confirmed the regular updates.
Sorry for the misinformation. You made me revise the whole post and even its title!
So that has been said, then a subscription purchase is valid for some ebooks as well
I just don’t understand the complication, why not a standard edition with optional updates and upgrades at a discounted price! just like all the world software applications
I just don’t understand the complication, why not a standard edition with optional updates and upgrades at a discounted price! just like all the world software applications
Shawn is correct. Skyscape always mentions about coming updates on their site and i always receive wirelessly. Also, their medalert service is great and one should subscribe it..
Shawn is correct. Skyscape always mentions about coming updates on their site and i always receive wirelessly. Also, their medalert service is great and one should subscribe it..
Will,
you are right. The medalerts service is fantastic. Also the introduction of various subscription period is considerate. I am very happy with the product format of Skyscape and recommend this to all.
Will,
you are right. The medalerts service is fantastic. Also the introduction of various subscription period is considerate. I am very happy with the product format of Skyscape and recommend this to all.
Re: Will and Rich,
the post is not about whether you like the subscription and updates, it is about when to appropriately choose the subscription version!
Re: Will and Rich,
the post is not about whether you like the subscription and updates, it is about when to appropriately choose the subscription version!