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Does anyone hate the new Pages?

old-wiz said:
I'm trying to find an alternate word processor, looked in the App store, but doesn't seem to be much available that would be worth it.
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Having come from Linux, for years, I have used OpenOffice/LibreOffice (they forked) as an alternative option. It is free. It lacks some of the luster that Pages/Word offers, but it is still very usable. Having just learned got the hang of Pages (the older one 09) I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet. Perhaps return to OpenOffice? I think the look of the new pages is terrible, and very degrading to the suite. I'm not very pleased with the look of it. I use Word Processor almost daily.

8Apples
 
I had my first foray into using the new Pages. I opened an old .doc form I needed to edit that was basically several tables formatted as a form for printing and filling out by hand.

Pages opened the document fine, keeping all the formatting.

But when I exported it to .doc or .docx format, it scrambled everything. I'm not sure if the old Pages would've done this or not.
 
Would it not have been better for Apple to have two versions of Pages? Like Pages Basic and Pages Advanced Then they wouldn't have needed to wreck pages and make it unusable for so many people.
 
I did read somewhere that Pages 09 is still on the disk if you didn't remove it on purpose. Just upgrading it doesn't remove it. Open Finder, click on Applications. Open the iWork folder and presto, your Pages 09 is there and ready to be used. Kind of convenient if you want to see how things are going to go with the new Pages, and still have the old Pages hanging around.

8Apples
 
8Apples said:
I did read somewhere that Pages 09 is still on the disk if you didn't remove it on purpose. Just upgrading it doesn't remove it. Open Finder, click on Applications. Open the iWork folder and presto, your Pages 09 is there and ready to be used. Kind of convenient if you want to see how things are going to go with the new Pages, and still have the old Pages hanging around.

8Apples
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Unless you bought a new computer and don’t have iWork disks. And a disk drive.
 
NapoleonIV said:
Unless you bought a new computer and don’t have iWork disks. And a disk drive.
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Well, right, you had to have Pages '09 installed, otherwise, you won't have them. Or are you saying that if Pages was installed via the app store before then when you upgrade, it removes them? I do have the disks, and did install that way. Perhaps the installation procedure is different, and that is what makes the difference?

8Apples
 
NapoleonIV said:
Unless you bought a new computer and don’t have iWork disks. And a disk drive.
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My granddaughters use Pages '09 on my mac and their parents will be buying one for them soon. When they get their new computer, it will not have '09, nor will it have a disk drive. If we buy iWorks '09 on disk, can any external disk drive (use previously on a Windows notebook) install Pages on the new Mac? If not, any suggestions on how to get Pages '09 on to a new computer?
 
jayes said:
My granddaughters use Pages '09 on my mac and their parents will be buying one for them soon. When they get their new computer, it will not have '09, nor will it have a disk drive. If we buy iWorks '09 on disk, can any external disk drive (use previously on a Windows notebook) install Pages on the new Mac? If not, any suggestions on how to get Pages '09 on to a new computer?
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Another Mac with a cd drive, can 'lend' the drive if they are both on the same network. It is slower, but does work. That is how I installed it to our Mac Air machine, almost 2 years ago. I think, or maybe I copied the files to a usb stick. I don't remember, but I do know there are some work arounds out there.

8Apples
 
If I don't like new Pages 5.0 I can use Office for Mac 2008 anyway. I am can't find a way to insert image (picture) from internal/external hard drive. It requires me to use iPhoto...I don't like iPhoto. :apple:
 
Badrottie said:
If I don't like new Pages 5.0 I can use Office for Mac 2008 anyway. I am can't find a way to insert image (picture) from internal/external hard drive. It requires me to use iPhoto...I don't like iPhoto. :apple:
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- Can't you just drag the image file into your Pages document from Finder?
 
Hell yes I hate it.

I "upgraded" to the new "Pages" on release day. During the "upgrade" I noticed that the iWork '09 folder was still there. So, thinking that this was going to be an awesome "upgrade", I deleted it and finished "upgrading". When I had my "holy ****" moment after opening SEVERAL of my documents, documents that I rely on DAILY for work, I immediately freaked out. I DEPEND on Pages 4.x, at least the features that have been removed from it, EVERY DAY for WORK (I'm in education).

Once I realized just how massively my favorite application had been disemboweled, I immediately started digging around for my old iWork '09 Family Pack DVD, which I of course purchased several years ago, to no avail. The DVD is long gone. Not sure how I would have used it anyway, since I deleted the MAS versions, which I paid for and downloaded to my MacBook Air. But the old versions were definitely stripped out of the MAS and I couldn't get them back.

I had no choice at all, due to the extent of Apple's attempt to completely block the reinstallation of these applications (why I have no idea), than to look for and reinstall via a torrent of Pages 4.3 (as well as the latest Keynote and Numbers pre-iWork 13). I won't apologize. I NEED those applications to work as they have and to render my documents THE WAY THAT I MADE THEM. I PAID for those applications fairly and squarely. Apple gave us NO warning whatsoever that the would be fundamentally changed (and certainly no caution that said we might want to keep the old ones around) and that so many things we created in our trusted old applications would be wiped out. As I see it, I had no choice. Sue me.

After attempting to use Pages 5 to recreate one of my documents, in order to "give it a chance", I have deleted it, along with Keynote and Numbers. I'll consider it a $60 lesson in the evils of early adoption and actually trusting that a company isn't going to drop a bombshell on me like Apple did with this.

It's a shame. Really. I've been a Mac user for decades. I've been a cheerleader for iWork since it was just Keynote (not even iWork yet). Then came Pages (and subsequently Numbers) and I never looked back. I've always looked forward to updates to these applications but will be VERY cautious to update them in the future.

THIS is absolutely a HUGE misstep by Apple. Sad. 🙁
 
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I also want to add that I recognize that this is an entire ground-up reworking of the whole suite and that Apple has also pledged to reinstate SOME features (I've read the list and none of them fix what has been done in my case). This, to me, is a band-aid to slow the bleeding.

I truly believe that the ONLY way that Apple can fix this is to FULLY REINSTATE Pages 4.3 and the latest versions of Keynote and Numbers (from iWork '09) and their presence in the Mac App Store (with a statement that these applications are no longer being updated but are transitioning to their respective new versions, which are also available). This way, those of us, who have paid for them (but can't download them anymore and have had to get them through other means) and who cannot wait for Apple to add features to the new versions, can continue to use 4.3 without being nagged about an update and perhaps keep both versions around until we feel ready to transition over to the new ones.

If this were the case, I may actually reinstall version 5 and give it a fair shake from time to time until such time as it has the ability to do what I could to in 4.3 and begin the transition. As it is, I'll just keep looking at the notification badge on the App Store icon (which I can't get rid of) and be reminded of someone's insane decision at 1 Infinite Loop.

This is the ONLY way they can fix this NOW.
 
mr.wiggles said:
I also want to add that I recognize that this is an entire ground-up reworking of the whole suite and that Apple has also pledged to reinstate SOME features (I've read the list and none of them fix what has been done in my case). This, to me, is a band-aid to slow the bleeding.

I truly believe that the ONLY way that Apple can fix this is to FULLY REINSTATE Pages 4.3 and the latest versions of Keynote and Numbers (from iWork '09) and their presence in the Mac App Store (with a statement that these applications are no longer being updated but are transitioning to their respective new versions, which are also available). This way, those of us, who have paid for them (but can't download them anymore and have had to get them through other means) and who cannot wait for Apple to add features to the new versions, can continue to use 4.3 without being nagged about an update and perhaps keep both versions around until we feel ready to transition over to the new ones.

If this were the case, I may actually reinstall version 5 and give it a fair shake from time to time until such time as it has the ability to do what I could to in 4.3 and begin the transition. As it is, I'll just keep looking at the notification badge on the App Store icon (which I can't get rid of) and be reminded of someone's insane decision at 1 Infinite Loop.

This is the ONLY way they can fix this NOW.
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V4.3 is old.

I'd rather that Pages 4.3 was optimised for Mavericks. And installing v5 (even if by mistake) should not break the experience of running v4.3.
 
jacg said:
V4.3 is old.

I'd rather that Pages 4.3 was optimised for Mavericks. And installing v5 (even if by mistake) should not break the experience of running v4.3.
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It doesn't break the experience in itself. I readily admit that that was me. I was quick to delete the MAS versions I had before the updates were even complete. I never expected the surprise that followed. There was no indication whatsoever from Apple that we MAY want to keep the old versions around. There was no indication from Apple that the entire suite in its final form would be a gutted iOS-ified half-featured product. If that were the case, I would not have updated at all, which makes it a lot worse, I think. It appears that Apple was more concerned about selling a product that was NOT an update to a previous version, rather quite the opposite, to an unsuspecting and TRUSTING, established customer base.

While I also admit that 4.3 is old, it also works and displays the documents that I have created THE WAY I CREATED THEM. Sure, if it were optimized for Mavericks (whatever that means), I guess that would be fine. But as I see it, it still works fine on Mavericks. I just can't abandon it, old or not because, as a power user (a monicker I've seen written on this site and others), I have an ENORMOUS amount of work and time invested in it. I'm not a high school/college student who writes four papers a semester featuring nothing but simple text and maybe a centered title. If/when version 5 does what the application that is supposedly its predecessor did, I'll be happy to move to it.

I would have kept Pages 5 installed if I could have quickly done a "get info" on one of my old documents and set ALL pages documents to open with 4.3. But it seems it can't be done. It was Pages 5 by default and that's it. Thus, the uninstall. Pity.
 
The new Pages is simply horrible. It is as though it was designed by those openly hostile to anything other than Blog written communication. By people who have never had the experience of reading a book in their entire lives. It is an insult and a slap in the face of those who used the original Pages for things other than Facebook and various ******** web things. More than anything else, it tells you where Apple is going, and maybe why you might want to jump ship. Simply arrogant, ignorant (for anyone who writes to express), and disgraceful.
 
mr.wiggles said:
It doesn't break the experience in itself. I readily admit that that was me. I was quick to delete the MAS versions I had before the updates were even complete. I never expected the surprise that followed. There was no indication whatsoever from Apple that we MAY want to keep the old versions around.
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- While I definitely get your anger and frustration about the updates, I don't agree that there was no indication you might want to keep the old versions. The fact that the old versions are moved to a separate folder and kept there when updating to the new versions instead of being replaced by the new versions is a pretty big indication to me.

Also, aren't your computer backed up? If it is/were, you could have retrieved the old versions more easily than what you described.
 
No wonder it doesn't work!

Before all this, when I tried to open a pages file on my iPad that had images in a table, they were all gone. Now with the new "Pages," ipthe images are gone on the iMac.

But highlighting the file and telling it to open in Pages 4.3 at least lets me have the images in the table. Maybe I can just re save it in Word....
 
I cannot use it.

The new pages is absurd. The old inspector works great, the new design not only takes up more screenspace, unnecessarily, but removes functionality. Why not just improve what they had, how about adding kerning? They removed guides which makes it completely useless for any graphics use.
Apple seems to need more shiny objects, useless!
Numbers seems to be designed to confuse also. This last OS worries me, maybe they are straying.
 
Cougarcat said:
It's Pages in name only. There's a reason it keeps your old version around. (so, georgesspeedo, no need to use TM--it should be there, unless you manually deleted it.) Of course, this doesn't help you if you rely on an iOS version.

I'd be happy if they just upgraded the old version with the Share Link to iCloud feature.
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Something interesting I noticed - on my Mac Mini Server I have an external Thunderbolt RAID enclosure. After upgrading it to Mavericks and Server 3.0, then updating the applications, I noticed it created "Applications" on my external volume and put the old versions of Pages, Numbers, etc. there instead of my primary Applications folder. Strange but they were still there and I could move them back (so that they'd be saved by Time Machine which excludes the external volume by default.)

----------
jcklein said:
The new pages is absurd. The old inspector works great, the new design not only takes up more screenspace, unnecessarily, but removes functionality. Why not just improve what they had, how about adding kerning? They removed guides which makes it completely useless for any graphics use.
Apple seems to need more shiny objects, useless!
Numbers seems to be designed to confuse also. This last OS worries me, maybe they are straying.
Click to expand...

Not sure why so many people are concerned about it when it's a choice to use it or not.

As others have stated, the old version is still around.

As you know, Apple rewrote the apps from the ground up (64-bit, cross platform, same code on OS X and iOS, etc.) They're also giving them away with new machines and they were free updates for anyone who'd paid for them previously. So now users have both the tried and true versions (quirks and all) and the up to date versions. What is there to complain about?

As with Final Cut Pro X and now Logic X, you'll see features slowly trickle back, and Apple has stated as much (I think there was a press release or a support document on the Apple website with a statement to that effect.)

For new users on iOS who've been intimidated by the applications, now they have something to work from. Same goes for the desktop. And you'll undoubtedly see the benefits bare fruit as time goes on.
 
cmanderson said:
As you know, Apple rewrote the apps from the ground up (64-bit, cross platform, same code on OS X and iOS, etc.) They're also giving them away with new machines and they were free updates for anyone who'd paid for them previously. So now users have both the tried and true versions (quirks and all) and the up to date versions. What is there to complain about?

As with Final Cut Pro X and now Logic X, you'll see features slowly trickle back, and Apple has stated as much (I think there was a press release or a support document on the Apple website with a statement to that effect.)
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There are a few things to complain about. First, Pages 5.0 is living on borrowed time now. I highly doubt Apple will update it again. It's a matter of time before it breaks. Hopefully it won't be for several years, but it'll happen. It certainly won't get compatibility updates with iCloud; I'm forced to use the new version if I want to use the new share features.

Second, having both on the same machine (and only using the new version when I need the share link feature, for example) is a frustrating experience. Try setting the default to Pages 5.0 in the Finder--surprise! you can't. It magically switches back to the new version.

I have no doubt that features will trickle back in over time, but I have less faith that Apple will go back on its major interface regressions.
 
Cougarcat said:
There are a few things to complain about. First, Pages 5.0 is living on borrowed time now. I highly doubt Apple will update it again. It's a matter of time before it breaks. Hopefully it won't be for several years, but it'll happen. It certainly won't get compatibility updates with iCloud; I'm forced to use the new version if I want to use the new share features.

Second, having both on the same machine (and only using the new version when I need the share link feature, for example) is a frustrating experience. Try setting the default to Pages 5.0 in the Finder--surprise! you can't. It magically switches back to the new version.

I have no doubt that features will trickle back in over time, but I have less faith that Apple will go back on its major interface regressions.
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Or you could try removing the new versions and not updating until you are, or they are, ready for it.

As far as living on borrowed time, I suppose everyone has to find something to complain about. There's always Office 2011.
 
cmanderson said:
Or you could try removing the new versions and not updating until you are, or they are, ready for it.
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I'd do it in a heartbeat if Pages 5 would get full iCloud compatibility. But, not going to happen.

I don't need collaboration features that often, though, so I'm considering just deleting it when I don't, and reinstalling when I do. Or, *gasp* using the web interface in those instances. That's an idea...

Office 2011 would be much worse...
 
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