iOS 7 Beta Suggests iWork, iLife iOS Apps May Soon Be Free

[luisito]

Funny, but as far as I am concerned, iWork beats Office hands down in real-world use, and has done since the first release. I don't need features for the sake of features, or newness just for the sake of newness. If you are going say that an app is "outdated" then you need to point out how, specifically.

Lol. Your commentary only makes me think that you have no idea what is the power and use of Office, and how what is intended for.

Microsoft Office Excel destroys Numbers any time of the day.
In "real-world use" as you said, numbers is so outdated that the formulas and equations are useless, literally it is a piece of garbage to anyone I know including myself. I am an Engineering student, I work with Professional Engineers, Engineering Professors and my fellow Engineering classmates, the stuff we can achieve with Excel has no comparison with Numbers, and it would be impossible to do what we do on excel on numbers. The stuff that excel allows us to do, leaves anyone with an open mouth when they realize that it is impossible with numbers, specially when that person likes Apple stuff.

I like Apple stuff, specially their software, don't get me wrong, but it is as outdated as the first computer that was ever invented. If an engineer were to use numbers, we would be back to the stone age.

We use our own software for the heavy stuff, special software that runs above 6000 USD for a basic yearly license with no add ons, which makes excel look like a spec of dust; but we use excel for its practicability, it allows us to do simple stuff pretty fast, a thing that numbers lack.

 

[stridemat]

Seriously, you mustn't work in enterprise world...

Right now, the only thing that save Microsoft ass is that everybody has office. Now imagine a second, that suddendly, all iPads in enterprises (80 to 90 % of all tablets) get the whole iWork suite for free.

What do you think will happens ? People get iWork on iPad with iWork on iCloud for free they can use on mobility situation. While Office is still not available on iPad and will probably never been.

You obtain the Microsoft nightmare: office is challenged in enterprise world. The last wall that resisted at last.

And no the 2/3 people that use advanced excel work (because it's always the people used to proove that office is the only valid suite in enterprise right ?), won't help.

Add to this that ALL STUDENTS that get an iPad for schools get iWork for free. What will they push once they get a job ? Office ? nope iWork.

If they do it, it's finally a serious answer for office suite problem in the Apple world.

That's a good summary of my train of thought behind this! Especially if they make the Mac apps free also...

 

[donutbagel]

I don't recall iOS updates being paid.

I had to pay to go to iOS 3 on my iPod touch 2nd gen. Also, since they intentionally (and sometimes artificially) do not support models that are too old, you basically aren't getting them for free.

 

[rosalindavenue]

The graphic reminds me that the #1 priority for Apple has to be getting a new icon and app design for Find My Friends.

 

[jettredmont]

Each app's value already far exceeds its current cost. Totally unnecessary to make them free. All the more impressive and awesome if this happens.

Not unnecessary. Value already exceeds cost, but cost (and thus Apple profits) are negligible. Bringing cost to adoption-optimal levels (*) maximizes the number of people using these apps, which increases the draw of the hardware, for which Apple profits are not negligible.

(*) Adoption-optimal pricing is not necessarily free. Some psychological studies show greater adoption and use of a tool with a minimal cost over a "free" tool due to the interplay between perceived value and purchase barriers.

Note that it isn't an absolute no-brainer, though. Apple could do multiple things with their iLife/iWork suites:

* Make a low-scale profit
* Keep the "floor" for high-end iOS apps higher (having $9.99 Pages in the store makes your $9.99 app more feasible; if Pages is $0.99, you would have a hard time selling something on-par in quality and craftsmanship for $9.99; this is an instance where adoption-optimal pricing might hurt Apple's developers more because while $0.99 might be adoption-optimal it lowers the bar for app pricing, while 'free' might not have quite as large an adoption curve but doesn't have the same effect on paid apps)
* Drive iOS adoption and lock-in by increasing the value of every iOS device.
* Drive iOS upgrade cycles by requiring newer iOS devices to run the latest version.

 

[donutbagel]

What do you think will happens ? People get iWork on iPad with iWork on iCloud for free they can use on mobility situation. While Office is still not available on iPad and will probably never been.

If anything, I'd guess that it's Apple's reaction to Microsoft trying to lock everyone firmly into Office 365. If you use Office on your PC but not on your tablet, 365 gets ruined. Plus, 365 is overpriced in the first place

 

[jettredmont]

Free productivity suite, cheaper plastic phone, Maps everywhere ... what's Apple becoming? Google?

No. Apple makes money selling hardware. Google makes money renting your eyeballs and attention out to advertisers.

 

[BaldiMac]

Lol. Your commentary only makes me think that you have no idea what is the power and use of Office, and how what is intended for.

Microsoft Office Excel destroys Numbers any time of the day.
In "real-world use" as you said, numbers is so outdated that the formulas and equations are useless, literally it is a piece of garbage to anyone I know including myself. I am an Engineering student, I work with Professional Engineers, Engineering Professors and my fellow Engineering classmates, the stuff we can achieve with Excel has no comparison with Numbers, and it would be impossible to do what we do on excel on numbers. The stuff that excel allows us to do, leaves anyone with an open mouth when they realize that it is impossible with numbers, specially when that person likes Apple stuff.

I like Apple stuff, specially their software, don't get me wrong, but it is as outdated as the first computer that was ever invented. If an engineer were to use numbers, we would be back to the stone age.

We use our own software for the heavy stuff, special software that runs above 6000 USD for a basic yearly license with no add ons, which makes excel look like a spec of dust; but we use excel for its practicability, it allows us to do simple stuff pretty fast, a thing that numbers lack.

I don't think that anyone is arguing that iWork has anywhere near the features that Office has. I think the point is that it has good implementations of features that people use most. Various niches absolutely need the advanced features that Office offers.

 

[9822737]

The full iWork suit came out in 2009 right? So that is a 6-7 yr old software.

How is something that came out in 2009 6-7 years old?

 

[irDigital0l]

Just spend $60 on iWork yesterday...hopefully Apple continues to support it and update it.

 

[ridwan47]

Each app's value already far exceeds its current cost. Totally unnecessary to make them free. All the more impressive and awesome if this happens.

Now that would not have happened under Steve Jobs....

 

[WilliamLondon]

Just spend $60 on iWork yesterday...hopefully Apple continues to support it and update it.

They're coming out with a new version later this year they said last month at the WWDC - an update after 4 years, will be interesting to see how big the changes, and what additional features they decide to implement.

 

[FelixDerKater]

Smart, if overdue move.

 

[TWSS37]

iPhone users have always received all software updates for free, however iPod Touch users had to pay to upgrade to iOS 2.0 and 3.0. As of iOS 4.0 Apple stopped charging iPod Touch users to upgrade.

That sounds more of a course correction based on experience and for Apple's benefit, not exactly in the same vein as offering the iWork apps for free

----------

I had to pay to go to iOS 3 on my iPod touch 2nd gen. Also, since they intentionally (and sometimes artificially) do not support models that are too old, you basically aren't getting them for free.

Ha that's a very abstract/Android way of looking at it

 

[acorntoy]

IWork on iphone/iPad/ and iMac was killer last school year. I was a writing machine, editing and writing wherever I needed to, I even sent a in-class essay that I typed on my iPad to my teacher through email after taking a rather oddly timed vacation. Not only would making these free open more people's eyes towards pages ( which is at least on par if not better than word ) but would also help lock people into the addicting Apple ecosystem.

 

[mabhatter]

Each app's value already far exceeds its current cost. Totally unnecessary to make them free. All the more impressive and awesome if this happens.

My problem is that "free" turns to "orphan" when Apple gets bored (and they get bored easily). It's been long enough we should be PAYING for another upgrade... So if they make it free, they are content not to make the software BETTER. Rather they will just "sit on it" and watch it go stale. I don't want that!

 

[Viddrumr32]

How does making pages free affect the iPad's status in any way as to the type of device it is? The app (and other apps to create) exist. The availability, and usefulness of those apps to me, not whether they are free or not defines the device. I mean an iMac doesn't come with iWork either. Would you consider an iMac more of a consumption device or creation device.

It's the barrier for entry my friend. Not that it changes the actual device, it's just that the likelihood for it to be used a certain way may change since there is a far less barrier of entry into using these apps when they're free versus when they cost $4.99. And if the iPad is used more predominantly with the iWork suite once that becomes free, then the overall view of the device may shift to that of one that isn't necessarily all about content consumption. That's all I'm saying.

 

[ugahairydawgs]

My problem is that "free" turns to "orphan" when Apple gets bored (and they get bored easily). It's been long enough we should be PAYING for another upgrade... So if they make it free, they are content not to make the software BETTER. Rather they will just "sit on it" and watch it go stale. I don't want that!

iPhoto/iMovie/Garage Band are all free apps on OS X with the purchase of a new Mac already and I wouldn't consider those programs stale at all.

They make their money from hardware sales and the software helps drive that. That alone is their benefit to not "sit on it".

 

[Pompiliu]

Couldn't care less, as i pirate my software anyway.
I own all of them and haven't paid a cent.

 

[BruiserB]

It sure would be nice if there were new versions of iWork for OS X apps coming out, and also free.

Maybe the OSX "apps" will disappear and just become the iCloud web app that was shown at the Keynote?

Then Apple gives everyone the apps on the iDevices...people learn how to access their documents on their Macs (or even PCs) through iCloud...people start to use up their free iCloud space and begin subscribing to additional storage space to keep their documents and this becomes the new income stream for Apple.

 

[Avatarshark]

Honestly if they do this, I hope they give people back iTunes credit for purchasing these apps before.

 

[Banyan Bruce]

Happy to be free but....

Free usually means no further development, leaving the "Office" field to Microsoft. This is the key bit of leverage that MS has in the Enterprise environment. Both Pages is OK and Keynote are very good but Numbers is pants. Now if Apple could develop a serious contender to MS Office then this enterprise game would be wide open.

 

[gotluck]

haven't purchased any of these apps yet, I certainly won't be complaining

 

[TheHateMachine]

Seriously, you mustn't work in enterprise world...

Right now, the only thing that save Microsoft ass is that everybody has office. Now imagine a second, that suddendly, all iPads in enterprises (80 to 90 % of all tablets) get the whole iWork suite for free.

What do you think will happens ? People get iWork on iPad with iWork on iCloud for free they can use on mobility situation. While Office is still not available on iPad and will probably never been.

You obtain the Microsoft nightmare: office is challenged in enterprise world. The last wall that resisted at last.

And no the 2/3 people that use advanced excel work (because it's always the people used to proove that office is the only valid suite in enterprise right ?), won't help.

iWork is never going to really challenge Office unless its ability, feature set and power gets near the level of Office. iPads are not laptop replacements, they however are used in the enterprise for special cases. (mapping, books/manuals, projector controllers, email readers)

Add to this that ALL STUDENTS that get an iPad for schools get iWork for free. What will they push once they get a job ? Office ? nope iWork.

If they do it, it's finally a serious answer for office suite problem in the Apple world.

Unless you are an officer in a company... you will be shown to the door for this attitude and they will snatch up the next person willing to use office as their productivity suite.

 

[larzy]

After installing iOS 7 beta 3 this morning, I also got the "download these apple apps" message when opening the App Store after updating. But to my surprise, I have just been billed 3 x 65 Danish kroners for Numbers, Keynote and Pages.