iWork free upgrade policy

[devburke]

Hey, I've been using the iWork '08 preview for awhile now. The problem is, I have finals next week and the free trial runs out in 2 or 3 days. I plan on buying iWork through my school (I can get it for $50), but I'm worried that, although I know it may be unlikely, iWork might be updated at MWSF. So my question is, what is the grace period usually for free upgrades to people that purchased recently? And if I buy through my school rather than right from Apple, will I still be eligible?

Thanks

 

[Tallest Skil]

Grace period? I don't believe there is one.

 

[devburke]

Don't they tend to give free upgrades for software to customers that purchased the old version within a month or so of the release of the new version? (at least, if the release date wasn't announced ahead of time, like with an OS update)

 

[PeggyD]

Don't they tend to give free upgrades for software to customers that purchased the old version within a month or so of the release of the new version? (at least, if the release date wasn't announced ahead of time, like with an OS update)

No. No upgrade price, discount or rebate.

 

[kgarner]

Don't they tend to give free upgrades for software to customers that purchased the old version within a month or so of the release of the new version? (at least, if the release date wasn't announced ahead of time, like with an OS update)

They have done something like a 2 week period in the past, but it wasn't free, it was like $10 or $20 or something (enough to cover the shipping/handling of the disc). And they usually did it when they announced a product that wasn't ready to ship. So they say, if you bought the old version any time between 2 weeks ago and the time we ship you can get the upgrade. It's not a guarantee, as there have been times they didn't do it as well.

 

[IJ Reilly]

They have done something like a 2 week period in the past, but it wasn't free, it was like $10 or $20 or something (enough to cover the shipping/handling of the disc).

Only with OS upgrades.

 

[devburke]

Hm...so even if I do get a discounted upgrade, it's probably too early to qualify. What are the odds of a new iWork at MWSF?

 

[kgarner]

Only with OS upgrades.

They've done it with iLife in the past. I don't recall one for iWork though.

 

[drichards]

You could get neo office or openoffice aqua, both free, to tide you over until after the show.

 

[IJ Reilly]

They've done it with iLife in the past. I don't recall one for iWork though.

Now that you remind me, yes, they've done it for iLife, since like the OS, it's bundled with the Mac. OTOH, iWork does not come bundled with the Mac, you have to buy it. All of the iWork updates (all both of them) have cost full freight.

 

[MowingDevil]

Dude, who cares if they might update it in January. If you NEED it for school then just buy it. Are you buying it for work that needs to be done or so you have the latest version? You're already getting it for $50 so don't sweat it.

 

[devburke]

Dude, who cares if they might update it in January. If you NEED it for school then just buy it. Are you buying it for work that needs to be done or so you have the latest version? You're already getting it for $50 so don't sweat it.

Well, it's not a necessity. Mostly what I'll need it for in terms of studying for finals is reviewing ppt slides, which I can get by doing with Quick Look for now. I do really like iWork, and just yesterday I made a spreadsheet of people's contact info for a trip I'm organizing by dragging a group from Address Book right into Numbers, but it's nothing I can't get by without for a little bit (although I don't wanna install OOo or NeoOffice, cuz although I like the idea, I'm not a big fan of the software itself). I'd rather hold out for January than buy within a month of a new version being released.

 

[drichards]

I don't wanna install OOo or NeoOffice, cuz although I like the idea, I'm not a big fan of the software itself

The software stinks and I don't advocate its use for anything but a temporary matter. I'd rather use office.live.com and work with MS Office online myself, if I'd lost my office software. Zoho and google docs are suitable alternatives to that, and both of those play nice with iPhone and iPod Touch, while MS Office is curiously absent from those devices, at least until Office 14 comes out next fall. Interesting they've returned to numbers for Windows and Office...

 

[cleo]

I'm in a distance-learning graduate program that involves a ton of collaboration, and we use PowerPoint-type presentations quite often. People in my cohort are using Windows, OS X, and various flavors of Linux, with some using Office and some using other software.

In my experience, NeoOffice does a *much* better job of rendering .ppt files/slides (as they were designed on another system) than Keynote does. Keynote has a nasty habit of changing fonts and other formatting.

NeoOffice isn't nearly as polished GUI-wise, but my sense is that it adheres to standards much better.

And its drawing component is actually very, very good.

Plus: it's free! Yay for free!

 

[drichards]

I'm surprised that for a collaborative project you're not using one of the online services I mentioned just above. Office live, Zoho, and Google docs all do spectacularly at that.