[tooki]

Apple announced a new version of iWork with "3D charts, advanced image editing (masking, etc.), reflections, free-form shapes/masking, tables with calculations, new themes and templates. Will be available for $79 ($99 family pack)."

Native for Intel.

tooki

[tooki]

from apple.com/pr/

Apple Announces iWork '06
3-D Charts, Advanced Image Editing Tools & Spreadsheet-like Tables Highlight New Features in Pages & Keynote

MACWORLD EXPO, SAN FRANCISCO—January 10, 2006—Apple® today announced iWork™ ’06, a new version of Apple’s suite of productivity software with new features designed to make it easy for users to create even more compelling documents and presentations. iWork '06 includes major enhancements within Pages™ 2 and Keynote™ 3 including stunning three-dimensional charts, iPhoto®-like advanced image editing and masking tools, and spreadsheet-like tables that make it easy to get great results in minutes.

“By leveraging the power of Mac OS X and seamlessly integrating photos, movies and music from iLife, iWork '06 brings productivity software to life,” said Rob Schoeben, Apple’s vice president of Applications Marketing. “With great new features in both Pages and Keynote, iWork '06 offers even more ways to create, present and publish professional-looking documents and presentations.”

iWork '06 is highlighted by a set of new features within Pages 2 and Keynote 3 that give users the ability to create more sophisticated documents and presentations. Tables with spreadsheet-like calculations can be inserted within any document or presentation giving users the ability to add, multiply or average numbers in rows or columns. Users can also create stunning three-dimensional charts featuring realistic wood grain, metal and marble textures and fully control the viewing angle. iPhoto-like advanced image editing tools help to perfect photos directly within documents and presentations. Freeform shapes and curves, including Bézier curves and shapes with perfectly smooth edges are easy to create and use to mask images. iWork '06 also adds the ability to include reviewer’s comments to slides and documents without affecting the layout.

The easiest way to create great looking documents from simple letters and flyers to professional-quality newsletters and brochures, Pages 2 features mail merge with Mac OS® X Address Book, making it easy to personalize documents with predefined fields within templates and quickly drag and drop individual contacts into documents. Pages 2 also features two dozen new templates for newsletters, flyers, posters, school reports, scrapbooks, brochures, business proposals and invoices to give users a head start in creating custom documents. New thumbnail and search views make it easy to work with large documents and quickly find any word or phrase within a document.

Keynote 3 offers more ways to create cinema-quality presentations and interactive slideshows with new features designed to bring those presentations to life. Keynote 3 features new cinematic transitions including vertical or horizontal blinds, revolving door, swoosh and more. Keynote 3 offers even more Apple-designed themes, including four specifically designed to take advantage of HD displays. A new Light Table view mode makes it easy to view an entire presentation at-a-glance and reorganize slides using drag and drop while flexible build animations provide more control of bullet lists, tables and charts including unique timing and sequence of individual bullets, rows, columns or series.

iWork '06 supports a wide range of industry standard file formats including Microsoft PowerPoint and PDF. Keynote 3 imports and exports PowerPoint files and exports presentations to QuickTime®, Macromedia Flash, HTML and iLife. Pages 2 imports and exports Microsoft Word, RTF, HTML and plain text files. Both Keynote 3 and Pages 2 export to PDF and import associated AppleWorks® files.

Pricing & Availability
iWork ’06 is now available through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail price of $79 (US). A 30-day iWork '06 trial will be available on new hardware and with copies of Mac OS X and iLife '06 sold at retail. After 30 days, the trial becomes an iWork '06 player. iWork '06 requires Mac OS X version 10.3.9 or 10.4.3 or later, a Macintosh® computer with a 500 MHz or faster PowerPC G4, PowerPC G5 or Intel® Core™ processor, 256MB of RAM (512MB recommended), 32MB of video RAM, QuickTime 7.0.3 or later, and a DVD drive required for install. iLife '06 is recommended.

[JHromadka]

So much for that Numbers spreadsheet rumor.

[gerbnl]

Originally Posted by JHromadka

So much for that Numbers spreadsheet rumor.

Who needs a spreadsheet if all calculations you want/need to do can be done in tables in a proper document? I like the idea of being done with a separate app for math...

[WizOSX]

No discussion anywhere of an upgrade for those who bought iWork in 2005. The program has sat unused since I bought it since there were so many shortcomings in Pages. I realize that the price is very low if you want to buy iWork 06 outright, but it seems to me that it should really be free for owners of the previous version.

[Silky Voice of The Gorn]

I've seen no mention whether Pages has real (aka linked) stylesheets, which was a major oversight in 1.0

[moonmonkey]

Originally Posted by gerbnl

Who needs a spreadsheet if all calculations you want/need to do can be done in tables in a proper document? I like the idea of being done with a separate app for math...

"giving users the ability to add, multiply or average numbers in rows or columns"

Not exactly powerful is it.

[pliny]

It looks like there is some limited spreadsheet functionality, pretty basic stuff. I don't know whether I'd use the other new stuff in Pages or not.

One thing that does make me is the lack of an upgrade path for current owners.

[lavar78]

This update is fantastic! Why? Because I can skip it. I don't see anything that compelling compared to iWork '05. I'm buying iLife '06 and waiting for next year to upgrade iWork.

[inkhead]

I thought there would be a downloadable trial today? I know there is trial's on all the new macs.

[JKT]

Originally Posted by WizOSX

No discussion anywhere of an upgrade for those who bought iWork in 2005. The program has sat unused since I bought it since there were so many shortcomings in Pages. I realize that the price is very low if you want to buy iWork 06 outright, but it seems to me that it should really be free for owners of the previous version.

And what, Keynote 2 just didn't exist?

[rjenkinson]

Originally Posted by JKT

And what, Keynote 2 just didn't exist?

keynote 2 was part of iwork '05.

-r.

[lavar78]

Originally Posted by rjenkinson

keynote 2 was part of iwork '05.

You missed his point. The previous poster said he didn't use iWork because of problems with Pages (despite the fact that Pages is only half of the package).

[beverson]

Pages 1 definitely had shortcomings. I really tried hard to use it in place of Word, but failed after a few weeks. I do still use it occasionally for writing tests (more flexible with layout than Word, but easier than InDesign for simple documents). Keynote 2 rocked, though. I use it for lectures a fair amount. I'm just wondering if this will be a very compelling upgrade or not. I too am tempted to skip a year and upgrade next year, even though the price really isn't that steep.

I know few have really has had their hands on it yet, but any non-PR appraisals of either title?

[CaptainHaddock]

Note that if you'd like a better look at iWork '06, the Apple Japan site has more details, with separate pages and screenshots for Pages 2 and Keynote 3.

Here's the Pages 2 page

Screenshot showing iPhoto-style image editing in Pages:

[CaptainHaddock]

Duplicate Post (quick posting seems to be semi-broken)

[CaptainHaddock]

And here's a screenshot of a beautiful 3D chart in Keynote 3:

[jszrules]

Originally Posted by moonmonkey

"giving users the ability to add, multiply or average numbers in rows or columns"

Not exactly powerful is it.

Agreed. Is the Numbers spreadsheet program just a bad rumor or do we think Apple just wasn't ready to release it at Macworld?

[brokenjago]

I'm more interested in Pages 2 than anything else. I want t know if it's gotten rid of most of the shortcomings it had before. Can it be a full-fledged word replacement? Only time will tell.

[kilechki]

Originally Posted by jszrules

Agreed. Is the Numbers spreadsheet program just a bad rumor or do we think Apple just wasn't ready to release it at Macworld?

Pages appeared some 2 or 3 years after Keynote 1. The "numbers" rumor was maybe just preposterous in letting think that the iwork team could simultaneously upgrade the existing apps and develop a whole new one, in a single year. Creating a powerful spreadsheet app is certainly trickier than we can imagine - especially if it has to work will .xls files.
Well, let's hope for iWork '07...

One sad consequence is that there will be no spreadsheet for intel macs in the short term.

[moonmonkey]

Originally Posted by kilechki

Creating a powerful spreadsheet app is certainly trickier than we can imagine - especially if it has to work will .xls files.
Well, let's hope for iWork '07...

I don't think iWork is designed for (or will be designed for) hardcore spreadsheet users. If you need to create a complex spread sheet you will use MS Office or OpenOpen office.

iWork is a consumer app which makes wonderful looking output with minimal effort, the reason this works is because of the "Apple Designed Templates".
Can you imagine what kind of templates a spreadsheet app will have?

My bet is that they just build upon the integrated cell capabilities of Pages and Keynote and don't add a spreadsheet app.

[nbnz]

Originally Posted by kilechki

Well, let's hope for iWork '07...

Hopefully iWork '06 will be like iTunes 5...then we'll get iWork '07 next month.

[Jonesy]

Originally Posted by jszrules

Agreed. Is the Numbers spreadsheet program just a bad rumor or do we think Apple just wasn't ready to release it at Macworld?

The way SJ skipped over it makes me think he had to mention it but that something was not ready. Let's face it they can't seriously be happy about offering AppleWorks still. It doesn't look like a big upgrade on the surface.

I recall reading that Apple bought up a company which made file conversion software in the last year. I hope this means that producing Word and PowerPoint documents from iWork will be better than the previous versions.

[Jonesy]

The M$ promise to support the Mac for the next 5 years was great.

Now maybe Apple will worry less about finishing off the iWork suite.

[CaptainHaddock]

Is the Numbers spreadsheet program just a bad rumor or do we think Apple just wasn't ready to release it at Macworld?

Actually, if you read the iWork page at Apple.com, you'll see that they're taking a different approach. Tables in Pages and Keynote can now function as spreadsheets with calculated cell data. Makes sense, since most people need to embed spreadsheets in a larger form or page anyway.

[SVass]

Appleworks has always had the capability to embed full spreadsheets as tables in a text document. Does this thing include full formula capability or not. sam

[SVass]

duplicate

[SVass]

duplicate

[Jonesy]

Originally Posted by CaptainHaddock

Actually, if you read the iWork page at Apple.com, you'll see that they're taking a different approach. Tables in Pages and Keynote can now function as spreadsheets with calculated cell data. Makes sense, since most people need to embed spreadsheets in a larger form or page anyway.

People do need a spreadsheet sometimes. Financial and statistical data are best laid out in tables.

This may work in Pages if the functions available are adequate and Pages will import (or try to import) Excel sheets. I don't expect it to display multiple sheets like Excel after all this is aimed at the home user.

Anyone actually used iWork? Can you sit down with it at MWSF?

[Gamoe]

Well, I won't be upgrading. I bought iWork for Pages, and though surprisingly I found Keynote more useful to me than I thought, Pages was a real let-down. I can't even do something as simple as get a word count of a selection instead of the entire document. I have to have at least one or two extra palettes open at once, where AppleWorks needs none. It is incredible to me that Pages cannot even fully match AppleWorks in it capabilities. Sure, it does some other things great, but Pages is touted as an AppleWorks replacement, a word processor replacement and thus should have the normal features possessed by such.

I am very disappointed in Apple for not being able to properly follow up on AppleWorks. It seems like so little after waiting so long. As for Pages 2, I also see nothing compelling there to make me want to upgrade. I will look for a third-party word processing alternative, preferably something interoperable with Linux.

[mpancha]

I agree with jonesy and Gabriel Morales ...

I do need a spreadsheet. I see no reason why I should use a Word Processor for Spreadsheet purposes.

Yet another disappointment in the Office Suite from Apple, I guess I'll be waiting til 2007 to be disappointed again.

[mgehman]

Has anyone at MacWorld had a chance to play with Keynote 3? If so, I have a simple question. In powerpoint, you have the ability to add a date to say a title page with the option to keep it up to date i.e. it changes to the current date when you open the presentation. This is really useful if you give the same presentation over and over again. This feature has been missing from previous versions. Does anyone know if it has been added? Otherwise, keynote is head and shoulders better than powerpoint.

[Jonesy]

Reading the iWork website there are some things I have found which make it sound like a decent update.

One if the things I wanted "If you write long papers, you’ll love how easy it is to insert endnotes that group your footnotes at the end of your document or section."

Also "As you type, you’ll love the new auto-correct feature in Pages 2, which fixes commonly misspelled words such as “hte” and “adn.” Pages 2 will also now automatically convert symbols, such as the copyright (©) and registered trademark (®)."

Wish I could find out a bit more about the formulas available in the tables.

[Jonesy]

Sorry DP

[MartiNZ]

Ooh that autocorrect thing sounds worrying. I find that to be one of the worst 'features' in Word ... as long as they make it an option that is easy to turn off it will be okay I guess, but one can't count on that given how minimalist the adjustable preferences list is in Pages at the moment.

Anyone who has had a chance to use it at MWSF ... have they fixed the way text is antialiased in Pages? In Pages 1 it was not done nearly as nicely as it has been in TextEdit since OS X 10.1.5 - like they just left the sub-pixel rendering off or something. Also, have they made it so the apps save window positions now? With a 12" screen I really want my windows sized and placed as I want them, but Keynote 2 insists on a maximised window on new document, and Pages does not fully respect my settings either. I sent feedback on those a while ago, hmmm.

[MartiNZ]

Ooh that autocorrect thing sounds worrying. I find that to be one of the worst 'features' in Word ... as long as they make it an option that is easy to turn off it will be okay I guess, but one can't count on that given how minimalist the adjustable preferences list is in Pages at the moment.

Anyone who has had a chance to use it at MWSF ... have they fixed the way text is antialiased in Pages? In Pages 1 it was not done nearly as nicely as it has been in TextEdit since OS X 10.1.5 - like they just left the sub-pixel rendering off or something. Also, have they made it so the apps save window positions now? With a 12" screen I really want my windows sized and placed as I want them, but Keynote 2 insists on a maximised window on new document, and Pages does not fully respect my settings either. I sent feedback on those a while ago, hmmm.

[kcmac]

I use Pages pretty heavily. I really like it. I ordered the upgrade because it has been worth it to me so far and I like some of the new things like Mail Merge and reviewer comments. I am also fairly confident that enough tweaks have been made to make my usage even better. (Just guessing here but like I say, iWork is usable for me.)

I have never understood the thing about the spreadsheet. Most people like me sparingly use spreadsheets if at all. And when we do, they are fairly simple documents. A few calculations maybe but mostly just making columns and rows. This appears to be what is included now with Pages and Keynote.

People that heavily use spreadsheets would never be happy with a version 1 apple app and I can only imagine how long it would take to get half the goodies that already exist in Excel.

My only complaint with iWork is that I would like to see Pages and Keynote be sold separately or as a bundle.

[SVass]

Let me explain a REQUIREMENT for spreadsheets. I track my stock values and my budgets! I compute the Time to Most Recent Common Ancestor (using exponentials and natural logarithms) for yDNA marker values. I compute genetic distance for the latter values using logical parameters.

For the political cognoscenti, I have computed the actual return on investment for the stock market over the last 100-150 years both with and without inflation so that I did not have to rely on the nonsense spouted during the debate over social security. I use the Appleworks spreadsheet (NOT Excel) because Microsoft used to have a math error and refused to fix it at that time. My point is that Apple already has a functioning spreadsheet. sam

[Spirit_VW]

I love the new pages list in Pages 2. Gives you a graphical list of all the pages in your document, ala the slide list in Keynote. I loved Pages 1, but always did think it a bit odd that it let you add set pages as a whole but not manage or delete them.

Forgive me if this was a setting in Pages 1, but I never saw it. It's nifty.

[inkhead]

Not one single person on this entire Forum has went out and bought it? It was all over at the los angeles grove store, I bought iLife instead and can't afford both, Although iLife isn't very impressive except for the speed of iphoto.

[Spirit_VW]

dupe

[Spirit_VW]

Originally Posted by inkhead

Not one single person on this entire Forum has went out and bought it? It was all over at the los angeles grove store, I bought iLife instead and can't afford both, Although iLife isn't very impressive except for the speed of iphoto.

I bought them both, and am impressed by both. Haven't played with Keynote too much yet (the Mac presentations I do haven't started back up yet), but I'm digging Pages 2. As for iLife, I think it's a great upgrade - especially the additions to iPhoto and Garageband, and the addition of iWeb.

[mdc]

I have iLife and iWork, i really like the new additions in Keynote (transitions, etc) and Pages. Not too sure if it is my new powerbook or Pages but it feels a lot snappier than pages 1 did.

[inkhead]

woohoo! Pages, importing of word documents is vastly improved! Even my complex .doc file with everything you can imagine Imported into pages FANTASTICALLY!

So excited!

[kcmac]

Originally Posted by inkhead

woohoo! Pages, importing of word documents is vastly improved! Even my complex .doc file with everything you can imagine Imported into pages FANTASTICALLY!

So excited!

Outstanding. It was already very good at this. Still waiting on the delivery truck for mine.

[JustAnOl'Broad]

Originally Posted by inkhead

Not one single person on this entire Forum has went out and bought it? It was all over at the los angeles grove store, I bought iLife instead and can't afford both, Although iLife isn't very impressive except for the speed of iphoto.

I got 'em both today in Sacto at the Arden Apple store.
A G5 kept calling my name but I ran from the store with only
the software in tow.

[El Gato]

Originally Posted by inkhead

woohoo! Pages, importing of word documents is vastly improved! Even my complex .doc file with everything you can imagine Imported into pages FANTASTICALLY!

So excited!

Anybody that's picked up a copy of iWork, have you tried out importing a Word doc that has user comments? Can Pages display the comments? Do comments that you input in Pages show up in Word?

I really hope so, this has been one of the biggest features that keeps me using Word for research papers. If comments don't transfer between apps, I think I might be skipping this update.

[inkhead]

you worry way to much, if you dont' like auto correct feature turn it off Its' probably one of the most useful features in word. It only does it on simple words, so don't worry it wont' screw up other stuff.

Originally Posted by MartiNZ

Ooh that autocorrect thing sounds worrying. I find that to be one of the worst 'features' in Word ... as long as they make it an option that is easy to turn off it will be okay I guess, but one can't count on that given how minimalist the adjustable preferences list is in Pages at the moment.

Anyone who has had a chance to use it at MWSF ... have they fixed the way text is antialiased in Pages? In Pages 1 it was not done nearly as nicely as it has been in TextEdit since OS X 10.1.5 - like they just left the sub-pixel rendering off or something. Also, have they made it so the apps save window positions now? With a 12" screen I really want my windows sized and placed as I want them, but Keynote 2 insists on a maximised window on new document, and Pages does not fully respect my settings either. I sent feedback on those a while ago, hmmm.

[inkhead]

you worry way to much, if you dont' like auto correct feature turn it off Its' probably one of the most useful features in word. It only does it on simple words, so don't worry it wont' screw up other stuff. it IS OFF by default

Originally Posted by MartiNZ

Ooh that autocorrect thing sounds worrying. I find that to be one of the worst 'features' in Word ... as long as they make it an option that is easy to turn off it will be okay I guess, but one can't count on that given how minimalist the adjustable preferences list is in Pages at the moment.

Anyone who has had a chance to use it at MWSF ... have they fixed the way text is antialiased in Pages? In Pages 1 it was not done nearly as nicely as it has been in TextEdit since OS X 10.1.5 - like they just left the sub-pixel rendering off or something. Also, have they made it so the apps save window positions now? With a 12" screen I really want my windows sized and placed as I want them, but Keynote 2 insists on a maximised window on new document, and Pages does not fully respect my settings either. I sent feedback on those a while ago, hmmm.

[JKT]

Apple should offer auto-correction/auto-insert as a system-wide Service like spelling, never mind in just Pages. I'm using Textpander at the moment, but it is a bit buggy...