No Serial Number Required for iWork '09 Retail Box

[Janglo]

I can't say I agree with the "If somebody wants it free, they will find a way" arguement. Apple could still lose money through this. Take these scenarios of a casual mac user:

1) Trial copy expires and asks for full copy serial. They buy as it seems the only way to get the software.

2) Trial never asks for a serial. Casual user goes on using it - It doesn't seem like anything is wrong.


Most likely alot of users aren't aware of keygens and pirating software, and they see a price tag and pay for it because that is seemingly the "only" way to get the software.

 

[plinden]

I found a way (it's probably not new) of converting the iWork 09 trial to non-trial that doesn't involve downloading any key or other crack.

I'm still buying it though - it's well worth the $99 for the family pack. I'm converting my now non-trial back to trial.

 

[spaceballl]

'd rather they give current iWork owners a discount for upgrading.

Amen to that!

 

[Hartel]

I bought iWork 09 as well after I got the trial and was pleasantly surprised with the lack of serial as well. Very smart move by Apple, I hope it continues with iLife 09 as well.

 

[lamadude]

I don't think iLife has ever asked for a serial... has it?

 

[Hartel]

I don't think iLife has ever asked for a serial... has it?

I could have swore it did on '08 for people who upgraded.

 

[Eidorian]

I don't think iLife has ever asked for a serial... has it?

iLife hasn't, yet.

 

[Achiever]

I've heard mentions of the new Apple software phoning home now alongside the Pro apps. Might be time to ask someone with Little Snitch when they install it.

I have Little Snitch and just purchased and installed a hard copy of '09 (call me old fashion, I like the boxed versions of apps like these) last night. I registered it, which consisted of entering my name and email address. So far, no phoning home. Also no serial number was required.

Of bigger disappointment to me was that Apple did NOT include any Apple stickers in the box. Now, this is a silly little trifle, and lord knows I have a stack of 20 or so of them at home, but it has always been a nice little thing - going back to my Apple ][E days, to get Apple stickers with every Apple purchase. I just thought it was interesting to see they may be moving away from that. Seeing Apple stickers on people's cars, bookbags, etc. is a neat little way to get some free advertising and promote your brand.

 

[IJ Reilly]

Thanks for the "little snitch" report. Previous versions of iWork requested registration but this could be postponed indefinitely. I presume this is also true with iWork '09.

Apple has never included Apple stickers with their software products, for as long as I can recall. They've surely never included them with iLife or iWork.

 

[nippyjun]

When you open each app and you get the splash screen i'm sure it is "phoning home" as it has to go to the internet to get the information you see there. Also if you register it, then it is "phoning home" as well to send the information.

 

[IJ Reilly]

When you open each app and you get the splash screen i'm sure it is "phoning home" as it has to go to the internet to get the information you see there.

What information is that?

 

[nippyjun]

What information is that?

It's like a welcome screen that has links to info about the program and videos. You can click a check box to not have them show up when you start the programs. I did that so i don't remember exactly what they showed but it was stuff that i didn't need to see.

 

[IJ Reilly]

It's like a welcome screen that has links to info about the program and videos. You can click a check box to not have them show up when you start the programs. I did that so i don't remember exactly what they showed but it was stuff that i didn't need to see.

That has always been there IIRC. Unless something has changed, I don't see any reason why it would need to go online unless you elected to click some of those links.

 

[pdjudd]

When you open each app and you get the splash screen i'm sure it is "phoning home" as it has to go to the internet to get the information you see there. Also if you register it, then it is "phoning home" as well to send the information.

I have gotten those even when I installed iwork on my Mac that had no internet connection at all. Its just part of the installation.

 

[ltldrummerboy]

Very interesting. I don't particularly mind typing in a serial, but this is a nice change. I'll probably be buying the family pack of the Leopard/iLife/iWork bundle.

Of note, if you input a serial in the trial version, the third time you open an iWork app and click "register later" it changes to "never register".

 

[Michael CM1]

I downloaded the trial and decided to pay for it. I work for a software company and don't like the idea of someone stealing our software... so I went the honest route and paid for theirs. I'm proud of having zero pirated programs on my computer

Oh come on. Software engineers don't deserved to get paid for their work! Only people who make REAL things like cars and phones deserved to get paid. Programmers and musicians just do their stuff so the rest of it can pass it around. I mean, we have a disc and a serial number, so doesn't that mean we own it? DUH!!!!

(Someone probably read that and didn't realize until now that I was laying on heavy sarcasm)

 

[Applepi]

Of bigger disappointment to me was that Apple did NOT include any Apple stickers in the box. Now, this is a silly little trifle, and lord knows I have a stack of 20 or so of them at home, but it has always been a nice little thing - going back to my Apple ][E days, to get Apple stickers with every Apple purchase. I just thought it was interesting to see they may be moving away from that. Seeing Apple stickers on people's cars, bookbags, etc. is a neat little way to get some free advertising and promote your brand.

I was pleasently surprised to find Apple stickers when I purchased iLife 08, but I can understand why they wouldn't include them in the iWork box.

 

[Eidorian]

I have a feeling the serial is pass in along with the iWork '09 plist in /Library/Preferences.

 

[HiFiGuy528]

Apple stops requiring serial numbers for boxed iWork '09

Interesting.... Free for all?!?!
http://arstechnica.com/journals/app...e-stops-requiring-licenses-for-boxed-iwork-09
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3396

Software serial numbers. You can't live with 'em, but you can't support future development without 'em—unless you buy iWork '09 in a retail box.

Last night, I caught an Apple support document in my RSS feeds that is simply titled: iWork '09: Serial number not required for installation of retail boxes. Making good on the title with a few short sentences, Apple states that retail boxes of iWork '09 no longer come with serial numbers. "Install iWork '09 from the enclosed disc and you're ready to go," the chummy doc says.

Previous versions of iWork, including the most recent iWork '08, required serial numbers whether purchased digitally or physically in a retail box. The document states that users will need to purchase serial numbers should they decide to keep using a digitally-downloaded trial. However, a boxed copy can be installed from the disc over a trial to upgrade the suite without requiring a serial number.

Apple offers no explanation for dropping serial numbers from boxed copies of iWork '09. We don't know if the company is using some other scheme to somehow bind the software from boxed iWork '09 versions to a user or a Mac, or if Apple is just throwing caution to the wind with those who buy physical copies of the software. Does anyone who picked up a boxed copy have some thoughts to share? Please make your way to the comments form below.

It's important to note that Apple has never required a license for its iLife suite, long delivered free on Macs, but also sold in a boxed version for preexisting Mac owners who want to upgrade. iLife has also never been available for download like iWork.

 

[Eidorian]

Interesting.... Free for all?!?!
http://arstechnica.com/journals/app...e-stops-requiring-licenses-for-boxed-iwork-09
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3396

Software serial numbers. You can't live with 'em, but you can't support future development without 'em—unless you buy iWork '09 in a retail box.

Last night, I caught an Apple support document in my RSS feeds that is simply titled: iWork '09: Serial number not required for installation of retail boxes. Making good on the title with a few short sentences, Apple states that retail boxes of iWork '09 no longer come with serial numbers. "Install iWork '09 from the enclosed disc and you're ready to go," the chummy doc says.

Previous versions of iWork, including the most recent iWork '08, required serial numbers whether purchased digitally or physically in a retail box. The document states that users will need to purchase serial numbers should they decide to keep using a digitally-downloaded trial. However, a boxed copy can be installed from the disc over a trial to upgrade the suite without requiring a serial number.

Apple offers no explanation for dropping serial numbers from boxed copies of iWork '09. We don't know if the company is using some other scheme to somehow bind the software from boxed iWork '09 versions to a user or a Mac, or if Apple is just throwing caution to the wind with those who buy physical copies of the software. Does anyone who picked up a boxed copy have some thoughts to share? Please make your way to the comments form below.

It's important to note that Apple has never required a license for its iLife suite, long delivered free on Macs, but also sold in a boxed version for preexisting Mac owners who want to upgrade. iLife has also never been available for download like iWork.

$64 for iWork '09 on eBay. Free shipping too.

 

[plinden]

I have a feeling the serial is pass in along with the iWork '09 plist in /Library/Preferences.

Nope ... converting the trial to non-trial is so simple anyone with XCode installed could do it. I expect how will come out soon enough, but I'm not going to tell.

 

[Eidorian]

Nope ... converting the trial to non-trial is so simple anyone with XCode installed could do it. I expect how will come out soon enough, but I'm not going to tell.

You can edit plists without XCode...

 

[MacRumors]

No Serial Number Required for iWork '09 Retail Box



Apple recently posted a support document revealing that retail boxes of the new iWork '09 suite do not require users to input serial numbers to activate the product. Users who download the iWork '09 30-day trial from Apple's site, however, will still have to input serial numbers upon purchasing the full version online in order to unlock the applications.

The lack of a serial number is not unique to iWork, as other software offerings from Apple, most notably iLife and Mac OS X itself, have long been free of this requirement. These offerings, however, come standard on all Macs, greatly reducing the market for pirated versions. The reasons for the policy shift for iWork are unclear, although it appears that Apple has decided that convenience for the end-user outweighs concerns about software piracy at this time.

Also announced along with iWork '09 at Macworld was iWork.com, Apple's new site for online collaboration. While the site is launching as a free beta version, Apple ultimately plans to make iWork.com a fee-based service. The addition of this revenue stream may also have swayed Apple to streamline the iWork installation experience as much as possible in order to appeal to a wider potential customer base.


Article Link: No Serial Number Required for iWork '09 Retail Box

 

[Sky Blue]

Good stuff. Was always a pain installing '08 at work, i'd forget there was a serial.

 

[alexbates]

I wonder if this means it would be easier to get a copy for free?

Without a serial number, a computer might not recognize who owns the software.