“Apple has extensively improved its iWork mobile device, Mac and iWork in iCloud suites. We looked at Office for iPad yesterday,” Jonny Evans writes for Computerworld.
“Apple faced criticism when it introduced the current versions of iWork. In response, it promised frequent updates and feature additions. Since then, it has introduced three major and several minor updates,” Evans writes. “iWork is now a credible cross-platform productivity suite that meets the needs of most users while being increasingly compatible with Microsoft Office and better (and more secure) to use than Google Docs.”
“At the price (free) you’d be foolish not to install iWork on all your Apple devices,” Evans writes. “For many, iWork is the only productivity solution you’ll ever need, while for more serious users, iWork is becoming the perfect Office companion for productivity in a multi-platform, multi-device world.”
Read more in the full article here.
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Apple shows Keynote users more love with significant point update – April 2, 2014
Apple updates iWork for Mac, iOS, and iCloud – April 2, 2014
Associated Press: Don’t overlook Apple’s iWork – March 5, 2014
LAPTOP Magazine reviews Apple’s iWork for OS X: A compelling content creation platform – November 20, 2013
Hands on: Using Apple’s new iWork for iCloud collaboration tools – November 15, 2013
Apple releases next-gen 64-bit iWork and iLife apps for OS X and iOS; free with new Macs and iOS devices – October 22, 2013
Its not completely free, only if you buy a new device from Apple. Users with old hardware have to pay for the software.
If you already owned it, it’s a free upgrade.
You mean a free downgrade, right?
… owner, you will have to suffer one … ONE … downgrade. At most. If you did not use any of the features that were withdrawn, you lost NOTHING. Some users, like my wife, lost quite a bit, though, and still has a copy of the old software on her system.
My Pages upgrade has been nothing but UP. My Numbers upgrade has seen mixed reviews … what I now miss is not stuff I NEED – which doesn’t mean I don’t miss it. My wife, though, uses Pages as a playwright. She is not happy with the changes.
So, as you can see, it depends on your usage.
In the area of feature equivalence between the OS X, iOS and web versions of the iWork apps, it was definitely an improvement.
In that some features had not yet been implemented in the new version(s) when released, it was a step backward.
Anyone who really needs the missing features, well, they didn’t lose the older versions, did they? They can still use them until the current set get the features they need. This is very much less of a problem than some would want you to believe.
I love iWork ’09, I like the new versions. Personally my biggest complaints with the new versions center around difficulty finding features that used to be easily found using the inspector. You now have to dig deep into menus. The inspector was great, really didn’t see a need to do away with it. I guess iOS versions couldn’t have an inspector, but I don’t do much in the iOS versions anyway. I’m glad they are more compatible, but I would rather have more full features in the Mac and the iOS versions be slightly crippled if necessary.
Yeah, I can’t imagine even writing a simple letter on iOS, don’t see the point of having to take Pages to the lowest common denominator just because there are lots of iOS devices out there. I own both an iPhone and an iPad, but if I want to fly I will get an airplane, not a glider. Don’t get me wrong both are great and serve their purpose, but iOS and OSX are different tools and each should be used for their correct purpose. Still voting for iWork 09. Text links were actually its most useful feature.
I love Photoshop, but i will not subscribe to it, or any music service. Don’t need Office- I don’t work for the Man anymore.
Huh???
For many, a bicycle is the only transportation they will ever need.
Sorry, but all versions of iWork have less powerful tools than the competition*.
(* competition that shall remain unnamed lest the honest critic be labeled a “troll” or worse by the rabid but immature MDN blogosphere that always has an excuse why Apple is “right” to regularly dumb down their product offerings).
… and yes, I am a longtime loyal Mac user. Pages and Numbers do not, and never did, cut the mustard.
Guess it all depends on how much “mustard” you need? I would guess that 90% of all Office users never use all the “Power” aspects of the Office suite and never will. But, whatever floats your boat. Paying big $ for features never used, seems just a little off to me.
I’ve been watching Long Way Down. To tackle Africa Ewan and Charley are on the best adventure bikes you can get: BMWs. The support crew are in 2 Nissan Patrols. ??? Huh? Why not Land Rovers.? Why get a car that can only get you 95% of the way??
Predictably, the first bad patch of mud has the Nissans stuck, whereas a LR would be through no messing.
Same it is with Office. Smart people don’t get an app that can only do *some* of what the M$ product can.
It’s all I ever use. You have to have 09 to get the free update. But with such a low buy in I just purchased the apps for all my devices and computer. iWork and iHome are the best hands down. Intuitive and fun to create in the development environment for Apples flagship apps is so much easier to use than anyone else’s. Plus, I have never had an import/export issue with a Microsoft document that didn’t take more than 5 mins to clean up. Kudos to Apple!
As one of the Pages 4.3 users who were orphaned by surprise by the new Faux Pages, I can say that “Pages” 5 is a problem, not a solution for profession users. This is the betrayal that converted me from a fanboy to a customer.