/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24775088/Bear2.jpg "Introducing Bear 2: Enhanced Tables, GIFs, and More for Mac and iOS")
Bear 2, the highly anticipated note-taking app developed by Shiny Frog, has officially launched today on iOS, iPadOS, and Mac. This new version brings numerous exciting features to the table. Users can now create tables in their Bear notes, as well as play GIFs, preview links and PDFs, scan documents, add footnotes and a table of contents, and customize their fonts, among other things. Moreover, styling documents has become much easier. Previously, Bear required users to have a basic understanding of Markdown, but now it operates and looks more like a traditional text editor. Having used the beta version for several months, I can confidently say that it has become one of my favorite note-taking apps for Apple devices.
The release of Bear 2 has been a long time coming. According to Shiny Frog CEO Danilo Bonardi, it involved a complete rewrite of the entire app, a task that proved to be much more labor-intensive than the company had initially anticipated. The underlying text editor, named Panda, has been in beta testing since early 2020, and users have been eagerly awaiting the new features of Bear 2 for even longer.
When the first version of Bear launched in 2016, it quickly gained popularity and even won the prestigious Apple App of the Year award for the Mac. Many users, including some from The Verge, switched from Evernote and other note-taking tools to Bear due to its fast, stable performance, beautiful typography, and aesthetically pleasing themes. Unlike other productivity apps that often feel like a chore to use, Bear provided a seamless and enjoyable experience.
However, despite its initial success, Bear still lacked certain features that users desired. Such as apps for Windows, Android, and the web. Consequently, about a year after the release of Bear 1.0, Shiny Frog began working on Bear 2. The team realized that in order to support all the new features they envisioned, they would need to develop an entirely new text editing system. This process took five years to complete.
The highlight of Bear 2 is the ability to create tables within notes. This feature seamlessly integrates tables into the rest of your notes. Shiny Frog faced challenges in building this feature, as they aimed to make tables work natively within the text view. This involved intricate scrolling functionalities and specific search capabilities within the table. Overcoming these complications required building the feature piece by piece, all while ensuring a lag-free typing experience.
Text editing was a crucial aspect for Bear since many of its features revolve around text. The app lacks a separate system for tagging notes and relies on users simply typing hashtags to organize them. Additionally, users can style their pages using Markdown, enabling them to format their notes without navigating through complex menus. Bear’s founding concept was to create a blank canvas where users could freely express themselves through writing. It particularly caters to writers who primarily use keyboards and focuses on providing shortcuts and similar tools to enhance the writing experience.
During the development of Bear 2, the landscape of note-taking apps underwent significant changes. Evernote went through numerous leadership changes, product redesigns, and ultimately, an acquisition. Roam introduced the concept of Wikipedia-style crosslinks within notes, which quickly caught on in other apps. Obsidian and Logseq transformed productivity tools into robust operating systems with extensive plugin stores and developer communities. This led to a segment of productivity enthusiasts exploring the Zettelkasten note-taking method, referring to note-taking as “personal knowledge management,” and avidly designing their own pages on Notion. Some users grew frustrated with Bear’s lack of support for these latest features and the slow pace of the company’s progress.
Nevertheless, most users prioritize a straightforward and practical note-taking experience without the bells and whistles. They rely on tools like Apple Notes and Google Keep or simply send themselves texts and emails. Bonardi is determined to maintain Bear’s usefulness for these users and does not aim to transform it into an overly complex power user tool or a corporate-oriented app like Notion or Airtable. Nonetheless, he believes it’s possible to strike a balance by incorporating extra features to cater to individuals interested in personal knowledge management.
AI is not of interest to Bear at the moment. While tools like ChatGPT have become widespread in the note-taking ecosystem, assisting users in brainstorming, summarizing, and organizing their notes, the Bear team sees it as a privacy compromise. Bonardi is also skeptical about the long-term viability of AI in note-taking, considering the varied and unstructured nature of personal note-taking.
In addition to launching the new app, the Shiny Frog team has been busy migrating existing users to Bear 2 and devising a revised business model. The app remains free to download and use, but certain features like synchronization, search, and export require a subscription priced at $2.99 per month or $29.99 per year. Existing users will continue to enjoy these features at the previous, more affordable price.
Moving forward, Bonardi assures users that major updates will occur more frequently. The new editor in Bear 2 is designed to be futureproof and compatible with various platforms, including the web. Bonardi hopes to release a web application next year, offering access to Bear for Android and Windows users. While the company is considering developing dedicated apps for these platforms, Bonardi also expresses curiosity about the potential compatibility of Bear with Apple’s new Vision Pro.
Having personally used the app during the beta phase, I have been consistently impressed with Bear 2. It retains the simplicity and speed of Bear while offering a wider range of features and improved export and collaboration tools. Despite the plethora of note-taking apps available for Apple devices, Bear continues to excel in providing an exceptional user experience.
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Alex Smith is a writer and editor with over 10 years of experience. He has written extensively on a variety of topics, including technology, business, and personal finance. His work has been published in a number of magazines and newspapers, and he is also the author of two books. Alex is passionate about helping people learn and grow, and he believes that writing is a powerful tool for communication and understanding.
