[Nessie]

Just got my new 12" AL PB, my first Apple. Love it. Couple questions/points:

-Why no Appleworks? My GF bought an eMac not long ago and Appleworks was included... Disappointed about that.

-Why hasn't Apple integrated the mail, address, and calendar apps? I loathe Monoposoft in general, but I must admit I liked the all-in-one ease of Outlook.

Any suggestions for newbie sites, feel free to send them along! Gracias.

[wallinbl]

You didn't get AppleWorks because you bought a 'professional' machine. That means you don't need word processing, see.

I don't understand it, but AppleWorks doesn't come with PowerBooks or PowerMacs.

[Oneota]

Yah, that's the one thing that bugs me about the pro machines - the software bundle stinks, especially compared to what comes with the iMac, eMac, and iBook.

Oh well...at least we get a free copy of GraphicConverter.

[Developer]

Originally posted by Nessie:
-Why no Appleworks? My GF bought an eMac not long ago and Appleworks was included... Disappointed about that.

AppleWorks is only bundled with the consumer machines. It is assumed that buyers of the pro machines are going to buy the professional Microsoft Office.

-Why hasn't Apple integrated the mail, address, and calendar apps? I loathe Monoposoft in general, but I must admit I liked the all-in-one ease of Outlook.

The one small dedicated program that doesn't do everything but does very well what it does approach has its advantages. Some people don't need a calendar application so they benefit from Mail not being bloated by it. Some people use a different mail program. Some people use Mail, but a different calendar program. Everyone has the choice. Address Book is integrated into both Mail and iCal since both of them can access the address data.

If you like the all in one approach better you can use Entourage.

[SupahCoolX]

I prefer separate calendar/address/mail apps that integrate well over one giant app. For example, if I'm having trouble with my email, my calendar functions aren't compromised, etc. Also, since I generally own lower end Macs, larger apps often launch and/or run slowly. This way, if I just need to get a phone number, I can quickly and easily open Address Book without any fuss. Finally, choice is good. If you like Mail and Address Book, but not iCal, you can just use another calendar app. With an app like Entourage, it's more of an "all or nothing" situation.

[Truepop]

I second the separate app things.

That is why I don't like AppleWorks, Netscape, and OpenOffice among others.

[cpac]

and I'll "third" the separate app thing.

I absolutely don't want my mail/calendar/address book all mixed together if I can help it. Apple does a good job of integrating them so there's little, if any, functionality loss by having them be separate.

Also, you didn't get Appleworks, or some of the games that come on an eMac, but you did get OmniOutliner and OmniGraffle (and GraphicConverter) all very nice additions....

[fado]

In my opinion... Appleworks is not a prof. application. I find it to be difficult when designing special rules to formats. It is more of a basic word application.

[Sosa]

Originally posted by fado:
In my opinion... Appleworks is not a prof. application. I find it to be difficult when designing special rules to formats. It is more of a basic word application.

Appleworks can be used professionally. It has probably 80% of the features of Office. It is a lot more than just a word processor, having an draw application, database, presentation, and spreadsheet programs.

I'm shocked that it is not included with the powerbooks. I can only imagine that this is a concession to MS, who was recently complaining about poor sales of Mac Office.

Anyone know for how long AW has not been included with Powermacs and powerbooks?

Anyway I will be getting a Powerbook soon to replace my iBook. Thankfully I do have a few Appleworks CD from previous purchases. If you don't, you should consider paying for AW. I believe it is $40, considerably less than buying MS Office or any one particular MS application.

Oh and I forgot to add that there are rumours Apple is working to turn AW into a replacement to MS Office for Mac, as the latter may not be around much longer. Doesn't the agreement with MS expire in 2005?

[Anemia]

As a recent purchaser of a powerbook, I can say that I would have loved if AW had come on my computer. I plan to use the computer for graphic and web design, but also plan to take it to school daily for my paper writing needs. Apple Works is perfect for those in the content generation industry. The way I see it, those of us using our computer to edit video, graphics, and use macromedia or adobe programs are perfect matches to AW. I only need very basic functions out of an office suite.

On the other hand, those that are going to use v.x professionally should be buying ibooks anyway, because if all you're doing is using office, a G4 is a waste of power.

just my opinion.