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Yep, on Windows machines, too. You can't open anything made on Word 2007 doesn't write for anything before that.

On my MacBook Pro, I was able to open Office 2007 files on Office 2004, AND save Office 2007 files using Office 2004.
 
iWork gets regular updates, some notable ones occurred with the release of Lion.

Upgrades to new versions, however, are less frequent. We'd *like" an iWork (particularly Pages) update, but it isn't drastically necessary at the moment. There is nothing dated or long-in-the tooth about, say, Pages. It in fact does what it's supposed to do spectacularly well and has gotten excellent reception even now, considering the last major upgrade was in 2009.

That being said, I'd certainly be quite happy with a new Pages, for instance, that hopefully adopts some features found in Mellel. But I'm not exactly clamoring for them. Perhaps others are, though.

I'm as much of an Apple fan as anyone, but compared to Word 2011 Pages is garbage. Not only is it lacking many features, but it also has compatibility issues with MS Office. Last I checked we are living in an "Office" world so perfect compatibility is a must.

In fact the whole iWork Office Suite is pretty weak next to Office 2011. Keynote is somewhat competitive against PowerPoint, but Numbers and Pages just are not in the same league as Excel and Word. I hate to admit that Microsoft does something better then Apple, but when it comes to Office Suites there is no comparison.
 
I doubt piracy bothers Apple when you can only run Apple software on Macs anyway. I highly doubt Apple's software-only revenue streams come even close to Mac/iPhone/iPad revenue streams.

The Mac App store doesn't allow Trials for anyone. Apple moved their software under the Mac App store roof. One place to buy, no confusion.

And this is supposed to make us feel better?

Apple is simply in the process of trying to lock the desktop environment as tight as they've locked iOS.

Big Brother, indeed. :(

Only a fanboy can cheer such a move.
 
based on the misguided direction this move seems to indicate Apple is heading



Preventing me from trying the software is essentially severing a major way of my ability to do my homework.

Also, the cheap apps (<$20 say) do not warrant the time investment needed to research it. Best to let me try it and return it if I don't like it.

The move indicates nothing other than iWork and Aperture are no longer available to download as a trial. Any other meanings that come from that emanate from your mind and have little bearing with the truth. There could be an infinite amount of reasons why the applications were removed as trials.

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And this is supposed to make us feel better?

Apple is simply in the process of trying to lock the desktop environment as tight as they've locked iOS.

Big Brother, indeed. :(

Only a fanboy can cheer such a move.

non sequitur.

Apple removing trial software from their website has nothing to do with locking down the OS. People tend to see what they want to see.
 




non sequitur.

Apple removing trial software from their website has nothing to do with locking down the OS. People tend to see what they want to see.

Couldn't have said it better! I have seen this so much on this forum. It is almost like it is reverse psychology trying to milk some sympathy out of Apple to get free stuff.

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Thats because people who purchase software usually don't deal with those issues.

yah, pirating is for kids and PC users. I used to pirate everything I got my hands on even if I didn't want it haha. Ever since I am employed I can easily buy stuff and have no urge to pirate it is a much nicer feeling not dealing with hassles. That is why I got a mac in the first place :)
 
I think you have your answer in Aperture changing from $200 to $80 and Final Cut changing from a $1200 suite to a $300 single program.

That's Apple's new upgrade plan...just spreading the cost out over all versions instead of front-loading the major cost onto the first version you buy.
I get that Apple is trying to avoid upgrade vs. full purchase by selling apps at upgrade pricing level. At the same time, denying existing customers even the slightest discount can discourage many from upgrading at all (who would upgrade otherwise). Perhaps companies of Apple's size doesn't need to care, but revenue from upgrade can be a good deal of money for what ultimately amounts to just a bit of bandwidth.

If Mac App Store wants to capture larger percentage of apps distribution, it would need to offer (1) upgrading pricing model, (2) trial/refund window, and (3) grace period for recent purchase.
 
There could be an infinite amount of reasons why the applications were removed as trials.

The reasons why it was removed don't matter much, not to me, anyway. The way it affects my ability to research the product effectively does.

The way it hinders my willingness to purchase the product should matter to Apple.

I am currently evaluating Lightroom 4 (30 day free trial). Next I will evaluate Photoshop CS6. Then I'll decide whether to buy LR4 or upgrade from CS5. Aperture has just lost the opportunity to even be a candidate.
 
I get that Apple is trying to avoid upgrade vs. full purchase by selling apps at upgrade pricing level. At the same time, denying existing customers even the slightest discount can discourage many from upgrading at all (who would upgrade otherwise). Perhaps companies of Apple's size doesn't need to care, but revenue from upgrade can be a good deal of money for what ultimately amounts to just a bit of bandwidth.

If Mac App Store wants to capture larger percentage of apps distribution, it would need to offer (1) upgrading pricing model, (2) trial/refund window, and (3) grace period for recent purchase.

It would be hard to do that on the MAS though because Apple can hardly ask a developer to refund a customer. Most developers are clinging onto that app money for food. I agree there should be a refund policy but not for everything. All Apple software, yes but only if the 3rd party developer opts for it

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The reasons why it was removed don't matter much, not to me, anyway. The way it affects my ability to research the product effectively does.

The way it hinders my willingness to purchase the product should matter to Apple.

I am currently evaluating Lightroom 4 (30 day free trial). Next I will evaluate Photoshop CS6. Then I'll decide whether to buy LR4 or upgrade from CS5. Aperture has just lost the opportunity to even be a candidate.

poor old Aperture :( If you are a photographer then PScs6 will be a big upgrade.

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Apple really should have a way to enter an Aperture 3 serial number and receive a copy of it in the App Store.

There would be a lot of free versions being given out then :p I think you would have to provide a receipt for them to add it to your purchases list in the app store.
 
I know this is a little off topic but I purchased iWork 09 before I had lion through the trial and then upgraded with the serial number. Now on my new computer I have installed it from the trial but when I try to update it refuses. Any suggestions? I also complicated this by thinking I had to install the app store version. Now I have the app store version of pages and the original versions of numbers and keynote installed. Can I reinstall without losing my templates and whatnot?
 
I know this is a little off topic but I purchased iWork 09 before I had lion through the trial and then upgraded with the serial number. Now on my new computer I have installed it from the trial but when I try to update it refuses. Any suggestions? I also complicated this by thinking I had to install the app store version. Now I have the app store version of pages and the original versions of numbers and keynote installed. Can I reinstall without losing my templates and whatnot?

You can reinstall without losing templates. The templates are located in a separate folder from the application. If you are using an app to completely delete an application make sure you untick the folder of templates, otherwise just drag it to the trash.

For your upgrade issue, you would have to contact Apple.
 
I get that Apple is trying to avoid upgrade vs. full purchase by selling apps at upgrade pricing level. At the same time, denying existing customers even the slightest discount can discourage many from upgrading at all (who would upgrade otherwise). Perhaps companies of Apple's size doesn't need to care, but revenue from upgrade can be a good deal of money for what ultimately amounts to just a bit of bandwidth.

If Mac App Store wants to capture larger percentage of apps distribution, it would need to offer (1) upgrading pricing model, (2) trial/refund window, and (3) grace period for recent purchase.

Prior to the Mac App Store opening Aperture was $199 in boxed form. Upgrades were half that. So across two full major release (likely around 4 years) someone who bought in at full price and then upgraded spent $300 ($200 initially and then $100 upgrade) Today with the Mac App Store the same person buys in at $80 and then pays another $80 for the full upgrade. So they've saved almost half of what they would have paid prior.

That's Apple's strategy. Now software is linked to your Apple ID they don't have to manage additional SKU (upgrade and full versions) nor track the necessary license. A win for both parties ...so long as they people buying the software understand the benefit to them.
 
poor old Aperture :( If you are a photographer then PScs6 will be a big upgrade.



I am a long time user of Photoshop. Adobe's recent change in PS upgrade policy (used to be you could get upgrade pricing three versions back, but now you have to have the most recent version to qualify) has made me reconsider whether I need to keep spending the (comparatively) big money to keep PS up to date. I only utilize small portion of PS's functionality for my work.

Lightroom 4 and Aperture 3 look like like they may just suit my needs. It sure would be nice to try them both before buying.
 
The reasons why it was removed don't matter much, not to me, anyway. The way it affects my ability to research the product effectively does.

The way it hinders my willingness to purchase the product should matter to Apple.

I am currently evaluating Lightroom 4 (30 day free trial). Next I will evaluate Photoshop CS6. Then I'll decide whether to buy LR4 or upgrade from CS5. Aperture has just lost the opportunity to even be a candidate.

Lightroom is a solid product. Aperture actually came out before LR ...but Adobe had an extended demo period which was clever because once Photographer got their photos in the free demo and began to get acclimated they found moving off was difficult and many purchased licenses. My hunch is Aperture in demo form is taking a temporary breather and will be back. We'll see.
 
well, without a decent update (which is looong overdue...hello? apple?) nobody's going to try and nobody's going to buy...
 
Well on Mac, perhaps.. (although I have not had any issues to note) But on my Windows machine, I have MS Office 2007 and can work with documents from any version. Same goes to what I create.. Any other version can work with it just fine..

sorry, but that isnt true. Office has undergone a major file format change (from binary to text-based), and it was necessary to install an update utility on machines w/ older Office versions in order for them to pre-convert & open newer format docs.

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I'm as much of an Apple fan as anyone, but compared to Word 2011 Pages is garbage. Not only is it lacking many features, but it also has compatibility issues with MS Office. Last I checked we are living in an "Office" world so perfect compatibility is a must.
...
I hate to admit that Microsoft does something better then Apple, but when it comes to Office Suites there is no comparison.

take a look at who the target markets are. most of the templates in iWork are geared toward home professionals, family tasks, etc. Pages isnt *supposed* to be the bloated battle tank that is Word. ditto for Numbers & Excel.

myself, a seasoned software developer (.NET at that), i prefer the iWork suite. it's easier, less crap to muck around with to do simple tasks. i like that. i value it.
 
IWork is so cheap now I'm not sure it matters.

However this move doesn't eliminate the possibility of a trial version in the App Store. Most likely though it simply isn't worth the effort now. That will most likely wait for the next iWork revision.

Considering that I suspect Apple is getting ready for a new iWork release. This is just one step moving forward to do that.

This is simply a stupid move, they should just have an iwork lite/free or something in the app store that has limited features and if people are happy they would most likely purchase the full version, this way they are just increasing piracy or new customers who wanna try before they buy...
 
Prior to the Mac App Store opening Aperture was $199 in boxed form. Upgrades were half that. So across two full major release (likely around 4 years) someone who bought in at full price and then upgraded spent $300 ($200 initially and then $100 upgrade) Today with the Mac App Store the same person buys in at $80 and then pays another $80 for the full upgrade. So they've saved almost half of what they would have paid prior.
I fully understand why Apple is doing that, making up for smaller margin by increasing demand (with lower pricing). And since Apple also generate revenue from hardware sales (which would benefit from lower software pricing compared to similar software running on Windows), it can afford to sacrifice margin.

But that model does not necessarily fit the business model of products from different companies, especially dedicated software vendors.

Furthermore, people are accustomed to perks of being a loyal customer. By offering at least a small discount (e.g., 10-20%), you can increase the odd of repeat sale tremendously over none at all.

Let's face it. App Store (both Mac and iOS) is inflexible and more can be done to meet the needs of both developers and customers as a whole.

That said, I suspect we will have our answers around iOS 6 and Mountain Lion release, when some of the complementary Apple apps may finally receive a major version upgrade.
 
Does it not occur to people that Apple has new versions of these apps coming?

Is it wrong to try before you buy now? I really don't see why Apple have done this. I think they should at least add a 'Trial' or 'Demo' button to the Mac App Store page.

Give me a break here, these versions have been around for a very long time, what is there to test or demo. I really suspect Apple is simply getting ready for new software release where they will have demos available then.

Even if the suspicions are wrong what value is there in trailing an Office suite? Seriously do you not know what a spread sheet or word processor is at this stage?
 
Maybe Apple will now release updated versions of Aperture and iwork. it's been to damn long. If not, it's time to put my eye patch and peg leg on...
 
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