Have Apple given-up on iWork?

[johneaston]

I've been waiting for an update to iWork for a couple of years and really feel I must update my iWork 08 asap, but I'm very concerned about upgrading for a few reasons.

The current iWork is a few years old so I'm concerned it'll be updated a couple of months after I buy it but, equally, I don't want to invest in iWork if Apple are no longer going to update/support it.

Has anyone with their ear to the ground heard anything about Apple closing the book on iWork like they did with X-Serve? Is it a 'hobby' like Apple TV?

 

[Chundles]

Steve mentioned Documents in the cloud worked on both Mac and PC as well as iOS. Their big demo was with iWork on the iPad so I assume a hefty update is coming that will include support somehow for document syncing via iCloud.

 

[xUKHCx]

There was a fair amount of talk about iCloud with iWork documents at WWDC. I would take that as a commitment to the future for iWork.

I also wouldn't buy it now because the current suite is quite old.

 

[johneaston]

I also wouldn't buy it now because the current suite is quite old.

I absolutely agree, but I've been putting off buying for ages and I really, really need to upgrade now. I'm beginning to have to use Google Docs most of the time to open a lot of files as iWork 08 isn't recognising them (I often get "This file is locked" when people send me Word and Excel documents).

I'm really considering Office but desperately want to stay with iWork. This uncertainty about product release dates is one thing I don't think I'll ever like about Apple.

 

[maflynn]

I don't they gave up on it because they produced and updated iwork for the iPad/iPhone. I suspect at some point they'll do the same of OSX, especially given the whole icloud thing.

 

[miles01110]

Just get Office. Much more robust anyways.

 

[KirkL]

Ya I suggest going with Mac Office too. It's quite good actually.

 

[johneaston]

Ya I suggest going with Mac Office too. It's quite good actually.

I'm dowloading the free trial now. If some Apple fans are suggesting it, it must be good! And for £70, it's not too expensive.

 

[maflynn]

Just get Office. Much more robust anyways.

I'm impressed with office and it is much more robust then iWork. I prefer it over iWork, partly because I have more experience with excel and Apple's numbers just isn't as intuitive.

 

[johneaston]

Thanks for the advice.

I feel bad cos I like Apple and want to support them, but I can't just wait forever. If Office is what I need then I guess my time with iWork is over.

I wonder if I'll be looking at Windows next...!

 

[joelovesapple]

I don't think iWork is dead and buried... far from it. Heck, most of the keynote, as other people in this thread have said featured iWork!

I think a new version is coming soon.

I cannot stand MS Office on Windows. I haven't tried it on a Mac but for some reason, 'I tend to write better letters in Pages'. Don't ask!

 

[jnpy!$4g3cwk]

Just get Office. Much more robust anyways.

iWork still works just like it always did. Keynote is good. Unfortunately, most spreadsheet gurus prefer Excel over Numbers, and, they control the budgets, so, you can't get by without Office.

Here's hoping that Apple can get Numbers up to speed, and, also, goes 64-bits with iWork.

 

[kppolich]

I wish apple would drop iWork and let Microsoft do their thing with office. Which it still pains me that all macs don't come pre installed with office or iWork for that matter. You just spend ~$1,000 and you are going to have to drop another 100 for a software suite that EVERYONE uses.

 

[xUKHCx]

Office is good, not quite a good as the windows version of it (there are some features missing from excel that I have come up against)

I couldn't get on with iWork but there are plenty of people who can. The price difference is often the decider for people. iWork is likely to follow apple's agressive pricing structure and deployment through the Mac App Store.

Give Office a try and if it does what you need and are willing to pay the increased price then I would go for it.

However I would suggest checking out iCloud/iWork on iOS and see if it would benefit you in future as it may be worthwhile waiting and going for iWork when it is eventually updated.

I wish apple would drop iWork and let Microsoft do their thing with office. Which it still pains me that all macs don't come pre installed with office or iWork for that matter. You just spend ~$1,000 and you are going to have to drop another 100 for a software suite that EVERYONE uses.

Here in the UK, at least, you don't get Office on a new PC either.

 

[joelovesapple]

Office is good, not quite a good as the windows version of it (there are some features missing from excel that I have come up against)

I couldn't get on with iWork but there are plenty of people who can. The price difference is often the decider for people. iWork is likely to follow apple's agressive pricing structure and deployment through the Mac App Store.

Give Office a try and if it does what you need and are willing to pay the increased price then I would go for it.

However I would suggest checking out iCloud/iWork on iOS and see if it would benefit you in future as it may be worthwhile waiting and going for iWork when it is eventually updated.



Here in the UK, at least, you don't get Office on a new PC either.

Only trial versions!

 

[mox358]

Hope not!

I wish apple would drop iWork and let Microsoft do their thing with office. Which it still pains me that all macs don't come pre installed with office or iWork for that matter. You just spend ~$1,000 and you are going to have to drop another 100 for a software suite that EVERYONE uses.

While it would be nice to see productivity apps become pre-installed like iLife Apps, I for one hope Apple doesn't drop iWork. I use it as much as possible! It's much faster to get work done and I find the interface much nicer than Office.

I'm anxiously awaiting iWork '11!

 

[PeggyD]

No version of the iWork apps can open password-protected Office documents. You need to use Office or one of the free clones - NeoOffice, LibreOffice or Open Office.

 

[rcappo]

I really thought that they were going to update iWork when they announced iCloud. I have been waiting for 14 months (I thought there would be a '10, and now and '11). Even when the App Store went on-line, they took off the '09.

The only update they really need to do is change the name, and I will be happy. I would have to imagine that some iCloud functionality is going to happen now (if it hasn't already).

 

[ScottNWDW]

Office is good, not quite a good as the windows version of it (there are some features missing from excel that I have come up against)

I couldn't get on with iWork but there are plenty of people who can. The price difference is often the decider for people. iWork is likely to follow apple's agressive pricing structure and deployment through the Mac App Store.

Give Office a try and if it does what you need and are willing to pay the increased price then I would go for it.

However I would suggest checking out iCloud/iWork on iOS and see if it would benefit you in future as it may be worthwhile waiting and going for iWork when it is eventually updated.



Here in the UK, at least, you don't get Office on a new PC either.

have you tried Office for Mac 2011. I use Office 2010 at work on a Windows PC and Office Mac 2011 at home and have yet to come across anything missing in the Mac version.

 

[ratzzo]

Yep, just like posters above me mentioned, I doubt there would have been a place for iWork documents in WWDC's presentation just to be discontinued. Doesn't sound like Apple or let alone any decent company to do that. iWork is a great suite.

 

[Amazing Iceman]

I have latest versions of both Office and iWork.

I have noticed that I use...

- Pages more than Word (hardly ever use Word).
- Excel more than Numbers (just been lazy to play with Numbers more).
- Neither Illustrator or Keynote, but I would rather use Keynote more as I have it on the iPad already.

- My version of Office didn't bring Outlook, but I do no longer miss it, as Apple Mail does the same and in combination with iCal and Address Book, I have no troubles accessing Exchange Servers anymore.

I have a feeling that we will see a new version of iWork very soon, or Apple may continue to improve the current version instead of releasing a whole new product. It means money savings for the users.

 

[hathornb]

Excel is much more robust than numbers and they have the Solver add-on for Mac Office 2011 now, which is really good for optimization

 

[Amazing Iceman]

have you tried Office for Mac 2011. I use Office 2010 at work on a Windows PC and Office Mac 2011 at home and have yet to come across anything missing in the Mac version.

Me neither... At least not with the main 3 products: Word, Excel, PowerPoint.

Microsoft did an excellent and unexpected job with Office for Mac 2011.

Excel is much more robust than numbers and they have the Solver add-on for Mac Office 2011 now, which is really good for optimization

Excel is unbeatable for heavy duty use.

For casual to normal spreadsheet use, Numbers is very simple and great to use.

 

[xUKHCx]

have you tried Office for Mac 2011. I use Office 2010 at work on a Windows PC and Office Mac 2011 at home and have yet to come across anything missing in the Mac version.

Formula Auditing, can be very useful and it is missing from the Mac version.

 

[ramzhh]

I dislike Office. It's heavier, it seems (at least), less intuitive than iWork, and it's got so much stuff into it that it's not only tiring to see so many options, it's confusing sometimes. iWork is simpler, and although it may not be enough for some people (I do agree that Office is more robust), it's enough for me.