Apple Special Event - iWork '08
On August 7th Apple announced the release of iWork '08. While it can not replace 100% of the Office suite, it gets pretty darn close for most users. Also, the $79 price makes this an even more attractive option.
Keynote is an easy to use presentation program that provides similar functionality to PowerPoint.
The build transitions used to move, modify opacity, rotate, and scale elements are amazing and very easy to use. Just select an element from the slide, change a few properties, and boom! You have a custom A to B animation sequence.
Theme integration with the page elements is also very impressive. For example, shapes like arrows and boxes are automatically updated when changing themes (though tables are not).
This release includes new text effects and transitions, voice over recording, new themes, and instant alpha.
While playing with this application I couldn't help but think about creating a presentation so I could make use of it. Unfortunately, I haven't had any luck talking people into listening to my presentations so this application is going to be a toy for now.
Pages is a word processing program like Word but also includes powerful page layout functionality.
When running in the word processor mode, Pages presents a generic writing area. Type in this text area as you would in any word processor.
The page layout mode is more interesting. Drag text boxes and a variety of other elements on to the page to create a professional newsletter or brochure. The text wrapping and text flow update in real-time as you move images or resize textboxes.
Toolbar buttons change based on what is contextually relevant at the time. Clicking on a table reveals options like adding/removing rows, while clicking on text reveals text formatting buttons.
Numbers is a unique take on spreadsheets. It is a cross between Pages running in layout mode and Excel.
Sheets can contain multiple resizable tables. Values can be shared between tables using formulas. Allowing for multiple tables is something I have always wanted but could never imagine how it would be implemented. This is it.
Drag and drop elements on to a sheet to customize the appearance and add content. For example you can add charts, images, and text labels. The design surface is much more flexible than Excel.
Well, not exactly. There are a few major features missing from this suite that you may require.
No macro functionality. I know of several small and large organizations who rely heavily on macros. Implementing this feature would be a huge task for Apple. They probably don't want to (or legally can't) write a VBA clone. Another route could be a migration tool like the one that appears in StarOffice 8.
iWork does not have the ability to seamlessly modify Office documents. There is a lot of importing and exporting required. Here is a situation people may experience when running a program like Numbers. Open an Excel file, modify it, then save. Numbers automatically saves the XLS file to a new Numbers file. As it turns out, you need to export Excel files to the Excel format. The main issue is the differing functionality between Numbers and Excel. The only solution I can see would be for Apple to create an 'Excel Compatibility' mode. When running in this mode the non-Excel compliant features in Numbers would need to be disabled.
While businesses could save a lot of money by purchasing iWork rather than Office, they will require a more seamless full featured suite. iWork '08 is a step in the right direction! Apple has the ability to win over the business market if they continue to to aggressively develop for this suite and eliminate conversion roadblocks.
The home user will likely have an easier time implementing iWork. Download the free 30 day trial to see if this Microsoft Office alternative will work for you!
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