iwork
Latest
Software Not Addressed In Macworld Keynote
Today was certainly exciting day for everyone following the Macworld Expo. The announcement of the iPhone and the Apple TV, the latter more so than the former, certainly blew this blogger away. The one category of products expected by almost everyone, but missing from the keynote, was Apple's lineup of software, including the iLife suite and Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. This begs the question about what Apple's plans are for the perennial update to the software suites, and when they plan to announce the release date and feature set for Leopard.
Is this Apple's iWork spreadsheet app?
ThinkSecret has unearthed what appears to be a screenshot of the oft-rumoured forthcoming spreadsheet application expected to ship with a future version of iWork -- either the app is still very early in development, or Apple plans to take its minimalist design ethic to new heights (lows?) with this anti-Excel app. Internally referred to as Lasso, the spreadsheet is expected to be named Numbers or Charts, offer Excel import/export, templates for typical personal and business finance, sales, and marketing, and 200+ spreadsheet functions to help those business types stick it to Microsoft -- but from the looks of the above screenshot, don't be throwing away your copies of Office just yet. [Via TUAW]Update: That screenshot is looking pretty fake, after all.
Rumors: iWork spreadsheet screenshot?
Today ThinkSecret posted what looks like it might be an early screen shot of a new iWork spreadsheet. The spreadsheet, which has long been rumored to exist, might be called Numbers or Charts. I've always thought of iWork more as a ClarisWorks replacement than a direct competitor to Office, and the screen shot provided at the ThinkSecret site only lends support to that idea. It looks like a simple, clean, very Mac-looking interface without the clutter of a lot of heavy-hitting pro-level Excel features. Not that that's a bad thing. There's a lot to be said for an inexpensive Mac utilities suite. I'm still waiting for iDraw.Thanks Ben Wyatt
iWork 07 at Amazon?
TUAW reader Matt sent along this tantalizing link that hints at good things to come. If anyone doubted that iWork '07 was in the works (*hee*--and pretty much no one really does doubt), this stand-in page may give you some hope about upcoming Macworld announcements. And yes, Virginia, there's an iLife 07 page too. Of course, if you want to be that way about it, there's an iPhone link, but it's not exactly an Apple iPhone or anything like that.
TUAW predictions for Macworld 07
It's the new year boys and girls, which means (amongst other things) that Macworld will soon be upon us. As such, it is only fitting that we dust off TUAW's crystal ball to envision what we think will be unveiled both on and off stage. Now we don't have any insider information - this is all simply logical deduction sprinkled with some wishful thinking, so don't bet the bank on any of this. That said, we present you TUAW's predictions for Macworld 07, in order of blogger's last name:Victor Agreda Jr. Google integration (iTV + YouTube) API's for iTV (for El Gato, in particular). Maybe that's a wish; I really, truly doubt Apple and El Gato will play in the same sandbox HD content on iTunes ('07 is the true year of HD) A gold nano - for Steve, as he announces retiring in 2008 Some sort of Spreadsheet addition to iWork 07 .Mac will "somehow get better" David Chartier I agree with everyone else: iLife and iWork 07 are a sure thing No Apple iPhone - mostly because, if true, it could possibly go down in history as one of the most hyped yet never announced fanaticware products of all time I've been hoping for a video update to the AirPort Express, but it seems like the iTV more or less kills that idea; I predict it ships at Macworld On Leopard: I again agree with everyone else on a ship date being announced Laurie A. Duncan The Mac mini will get a Core 2 Duo upgrade - although not necessarily across the line. I wouldn't put it past them to keep the sub-$600 model a single Core Duo A major iTunes-related content announcement Hopefully a new stand-alone iSight camera because as much as I dig the convenience of having one built in to my iMac and MacBook, it's not terribly convenient for scanning my many shelves of books into Delicious Library, for instance (I still have my old FW iSight for such occassions, but a shiny new one would be nice) I am fairly certain we'll get to hear what the "iTV" will actually be called, along with a ship date and I'm pretty sure we'll hear a Leopard ship date I'm not seeing an iPhone(y) (aka iVox in the pretend world where I am in charge of such things) in my crystal ball, although I suspect there will be a number of jokes about it Mat Lu Leopard released earlier than expected iTV finalized revised iPods no iPhone CS3 released earlier than expected Dan Lurie Release date and complete feature set for Leopard iLife/Work '07 iTV release date and complete feature set. iPhone (You have no idea how much I want this one to be right) Scott McNulty iLife and iWork 07 Refreshed Cinema Displays Leopard ship date announced Michael Rose Likewise on Leopard release date Minimum of three additional studios for iTunes movie store "iTV" official announcement, integration with Elgato products for capture Major digital asset management product announcement for pro video space, stemming from Proximity acquisition One more thing: 8-core Mac Pro One MORE more thing: iPod Phone - multi-service chat presence included Erica Sadun iLife and iWork 07 iTV ships Leopard ship date iPhone announcement iDogCow - because every good prediction should have an absolutely wrong item in it. Viva Clarus. Moof! There you have it - we'll just have to see next week which of our crystal balls is the clearest. What do y'all think? Are we off the mark, or did we miss anything you're betting the house on? Gambling habits aside, feel free to share your own predictions in the comments.
Keynote gets some love
When you think Apple applications you think iLife, Final Cut, Motion, iChat, OS X. Those are the biggies, right? But what about poor little iWork? Well, it looks like iWork, Keynote in particular, is getting some love from the blogosphere. Tim Bray, XML geek and all around cool computer guy, penned a love letter to Keynote the other day. He declared that is it Apple's best app. Daring Fireball agrees that it is good, but probably not the best app Apple offers, while Theocacao lists some of the things that makes Keynote so gosh darned fun to use (anyone ever say that about PowerPoint?).I must admit that I haven't used Keynote all that much, since I don't find myself giving many presentations (if you would like me to give a presentation just contact me. I'm lonely, and I have a MacBook!). The few times I have found myself whipping something together in Keynote I have been impressed with how such little effort by me resulted in such a great looking presentation.So, dear TUAWers, any Keynote lovers out there? Let us know in the comments what you like about Keynote, and what Apple should fix in the next version (which I bet will be announced at Macworld '07).
iWork 06 "v2" updates
Updates for Keynote 3 and Pages 2 (iWork 06 versions) are available from Software Update. Oddly, they aren't point versions - they're "v2" of the updates Apple released just last week, and they're pretty large. Also, they both have the same description as last week's updates.Keynote: "This update to Keynote 3.0 addresses issues with three-dimensional charts and textures. It also addresses a number of other minor issues. This update should be installed on all computers that share your Keynote 3.0 files, so that textures display properly."Pages: "Pages 2.0.1 addresses issues with charts and image adjust. It also addresses a number of other minor issues."They're both available from Software Update. I'd offer links to Apple's downloads pages, but as of this writing they don't appear to be posted on Apple's site.Thanks to everyone who sent this in.
Software Update: Pages and Keynote (iWork '06)
If you're an iWork '06 user, Software Update has a couple of presents for you: Pages 2.0.1 and Keynote 3.0.1. About the Pages update (direct link): "addresses issues with charts and image adjust. It also addresses a number of other minor issues."About Keynote's update (link): "addresses issues with three-dimensional charts and textures. It also addresses a number of other minor issues. This update should be installed on all computers that share your Keynote 3.0 files, so that textures display properly."Enjoy.
iWork market share increasing?
Newsflash: iWork is not an Office replacement. No spreadsheet, Pages isn't really a word processor, and naturally no Entourage (which I thought was a TV show). But it's pretty funny to me that iWork is outselling Corel's WordPerfect. Wait, they still sell WordPerfect? Where? Anyway, the real story here is that iWork is not a sales dud, that it is in fact moving at a pretty good clip in it's limited channels, and that it is gaining market share. But let's not forget Office's enormous market share, shall we?Anyway, the pertinent stats, as seen on CNet are this: "Office accounted for a whopping 95 percent of U.S. retail sales last year, but Apple upped its share to 2.7 percent of the sector ahead of Corel's 1.6 percent of the market." The article goes on to explain that this isn't really a move for business overall (or consumers), but rather a good example of targeted sales working well. That makes sense. I can't walk in to Wal-Mart and grab a copy of iWork, and I wouldn't expect to. That's not a target market. iWork is selling well because Apple has done a great job of putting it in front of the right people. That's what running your own retail establishments will do for you. But one can't help but think that all this excellent placement will serve the mothership well when (and if) they choose to launch one more consumer electronics device...
Rig of the Day: Rockin' the Cube
I'd very much like to own a Cube some day. Apple's Tissue Box may have lived a short life, but I think it's a very desirable machine, with its sweet design and upgrade options. Flickr user mrgaskell notes that he recently swapped his Cube for a Mac mini, which is ok, as that seems like a logical progression. This shot also features a Powerbook on a stand, an iWork '05 installer CD, a cool OS X mousepad and an (empty?) bag of fruit snacks. It would seem that a number of TUAW readers like to snack while they're at their Macs."My now old set-up with fruit snack goodness" by mrgaskell.If you'd like to see your own rig featured here, simply upload photos into our group Flickr pool. We'll select an image every day to highlight.
Custom Keynote themes for 5G iPod
I really dislike having to endure slide presentations, even when I'm the one talking. However, delivering the show via my iPod does add a little bit of fun to the process for me ("Is that coming from his iPod?"), and it's easier to lug around than a laptop. Keynote Pro's EP Edition themes were created specifically to be presented from a 5G iPod. They have been designed for enhanced readability and use with the iPod AV Cable, without losing any detail. There are currently three themes available for $9.95US each, or you can purchase all three as a bundle for $24.95. The EP themes require iWork '05 or '06 (Keynote 2.x or higher), Quicktime 7 and, of course, a 5th Generation iPod.
9 out of 10 for iWork
No, not from us (though I haven't had a chance to play with iWork '06 yet), however MacOSXhints is a big fan of iWork '06. Rob is most excited about the improvements in Keynote 3 including a number of things that you can now do with bullet lists. I own the prior versions of both Pages and Keynote but I have never used either. That's just me though, what would you give iWork '06?
iWork just helps bring AppleWorks customers into 20th century
Since iWork 06 was clearly the 5th wheel of yesterday's keynote, I'd throw money down that it is (unofficially) nothing more than a 20th (note: not 21st) century version of AppleWorks just to give those who still use it something OS X-ish to switch to. I would also bet that Apple is sick of supporting that old horse and could simply be using iWork to help put it out to pasture.If you watch yesterday's keynote, iWork 06 gets a mention on stage but almost immediately a "well we don't have time for it now, but you can check it out on the web" from his Steveness.Um, what? You're going to mention this software you introduced barely a year ago but then promptly drop-kick it off stage? And where is Numbers, one of the supposed missing links that could propel iWork into the "useful" category of so many users software toolbelts?Given this year's "we barely care" treatment of iWork, I think it's safe to say that Apple really isn't planning on stacking it up against Office. At least, not anytime soon.
Apple announces iWork 06
Apple also announced iWork 06 at today's keynote, bringing major updates to both Pages and Keynote, though some kind of much-requested spreadsheet application did not arrive. New in Pages 2 are more Apple-designed Templates, 3D charts, freeform curves, shapes and masks, tables with calculations (semi-spreadsheet abilities), Mail Merge with Address Book and reviewer comments which allow you to add reminders, comments and todo lists in a document sidebar.Keynote 3 gains HD themes, cinematical transitions, 3D charts, the same freeform curves, shapes and masks as Pages, tables with calculations and the same reviewer comment features.iWork 06 has the same pricing scheme as iLife 06: $79 for a single license, $99 for a 5-pack, and is available now from Apple's online store.
