New Appleworks in April, woohoo!

overhope · February 11, 2003 10:07AM

According to Spymac, at least:

[quote]

High-ranking developers recently got a peek at the upcoming AppleWorks upgrade, which Spymac has learned is progressing on schedule and set for an early April release.

There are no plans to make AppleWorks part of the iLife package, sources say, but don't be surprised to see AppleWorks and Keynote bundled together in another cleverly named package.

Always a goal of AppleWorks, the new version is said to not only work well with Microsoft Office, but also with exporting web pages -- purportedly an area of high development.

.Mac integration was not specifically mentioned as a new feature, though Spymac speculates such enhancements will arrive with the update.

Pricing is not scheduled to change. <hr></blockquote>

I haven't done any WP in a while and it was just plain painful reformatting fonts the other day in AW 6.2.4 (click, count to five, watch fonts appear, move mouse, wait for them to scroll, repeat until your wrist aches), so a proper Cocoa AW with proper OS X toolbars and integration into, say, Address Book, iCal, Keynote and Mail would be just the ticket.

This is proving to be some year for new Apple product already.

nebagakid · February 11, 2003 10:25AM

My AppleWorks crashes more than a loser crashes parties....eh? eh?

I look forward to a proper AppleWorks for Mac OS X... please!!!!!!!!!!! <img src="graemlins/cancer.gif" border="0" alt="[cancer]" /> <img src="graemlins/cancer.gif" border="0" alt="[cancer]" /> <img src="graemlins/surprised.gif" border="0" alt="[surprised]" /> <img src="graemlins/cancer.gif" border="0" alt="[cancer]" /> <img src="graemlins/oyvey.gif" border="0" alt="[oyvey]" /> <img src="graemlins/cancer.gif" border="0" alt="[cancer]" />

brian green · February 11, 2003 10:50AM

I think Apple has a unique opportunity to show just how competitive it can be with Microsoft. The first blow came with the introduction to Mac OS 10.0.0, albeit a buggy one. The public may not have come to Apple running, but it sure did raise it's eyebrows. Today with Jaguar, people can turn on their Mac's, even those with some older models, and Jaguar purs. Apple has proven itself even though Phil himself said that this is only the beginning of a 10 year plus project. Then you bring in new apps like Keynote. Sure there are a few bugs (which can honestly be expected for first offerings) but people who once said to themselves that PowerPoint is the only presentation program worthy of respectable business out there and always will be, are now running out and getting copies of Keynote to dazzle their clients with. Now comes along the rumor of Apple Works being brought to us in Cocoa form and all people are saying is that it'll be "updated". Well I think we can see from the past "updates" Apple has provided that this Apple Works update will be something to raise our eyebrows at again. Wasn't it good ole Uncle Steve who said that Apple was going to innovate it's way through the current downturn? The best way to do that is to have awesome computers (which we all know Apple has), and awesome software that leaves the competition running to catch up. So when Apple Works does come out, I think it'll be the end for speculation and the beginning of another great product migration from Microsoft to Apple.

On another note, don't you all think it would be wise of Apple to add that bug button they've added to Safari to all of their programs? This way people could send them screen shots of what went wrong, and they could describe how it went wrong and what they did before it happened. I think the best way for Apple to have the greatest products out there is to realize how much we all love Apple and are all willing to help make it better. Just like that guy who got his computer stolen a while back and all the Mac users came to his aide. I think we could really be of some help. What do you all think?

rok · February 11, 2003 11:31AM

[quote]Originally posted by Brian Green:

On another note, don't you all think it would be wise of Apple to add that bug button they've added to Safari to all of their programs? This way people could send them screen shots of what went wrong, and they could describe how it went wrong and what they did before it happened. I think the best way for Apple to have the greatest products out there is to realize how much we all love Apple and are all willing to help make it better. Just like that guy who got his computer stolen a while back and all the Mac users came to his aide. I think we could really be of some help. What do you all think?<hr></blockquote>

Marketing dept. would never allow a bug button on every app (just like they nixed the "lemon iMac" and the dock's "suck effect").

overhope · February 11, 2003 3:10PM

I can't remember where it was, but another article about AppleWorks suggested that Apple's going to bide its time with this release until M$ unleash the next version of Orifice:mac (presumably the one with the Exchange server interoperability), just so as not to appear to be too aggressive on Bill's turf.

Which would suck.

poopoodoctor · February 11, 2003 7:44PM

[quote]Originally posted by rok:



Marketing dept. would never allow a bug button on every app...<hr></blockquote>

<img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laughing]" /> <img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laughing]" /> The day the Marketing dept. has any say in software design... er... you must be thinking of Microsoft. <img src="graemlins/cancer.gif" border="0" alt="[cancer]" />

[quote]Originally posted by Overhope:

I can't remember where it was, but another article about AppleWorks suggested that Apple's going to bide its time with this release until M$ unleash the next version of Orifice:mac (presumably the one with the Exchange server interoperability), just so as not to appear to be too aggressive on Bill's turf.

<hr></blockquote>

I think, hope, that those days are OVER. Who cares what M$ does or doesn't do!!

[ 02-11-2003: Message edited by: PooPooDoctor ]

elric · February 11, 2003 7:54PM

Think I will hold off buying office X and see what Apple pulls out of their bag o tricks. Thanks for the info Overhope <img src="graemlins/cancer.gif" border="0" alt="[cancer]" />

staph · February 12, 2003 2:19AM

[first post!]

i'd really appreciate an update to appleworks. Back in the days of clarisworks i massively preferred it to ms office... and since then it actually seems to have gone backwards

(notably outline view!)

anyway, i know i'll rush out and pay money for it, no matter how pathetic the upgrade - which is more than i can say for a certain other office suite. the clarisworks object oriented view of word processing integration always was a winner

a link was posted on slashdot recently to one of the original authors' account of its original development, which was pretty interesting:

<a href="http://apple.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/01/23/1559223&tid=156"; target="_blank">http://apple.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/01/23/1559223&tid=156</a>;

brian green · February 12, 2003 10:42AM

Now that we've all come to the same conclusion...that we all want Appleworks sooner rather than later, here's the next part of the question to think about regarding AppleWorks. How is Apple going to utilize it's components? We all know that Keynote is the presentation software that people are going to be using, and at $99 who can blame them? But AppleWorks also has a presentation tool? So is Apple going to use the same code in Keynote as they use in AppleWorks, or are they simply going to ommit the presentation software in AppleWorks knowing that everything seems to be integrated anyway? Then with AppleWorks we're all trying to guess at the next killer blow to Microsoft. Will it be a new word processor that leaves Word in the dust? If so, where does that leave AppleWorks? Now Apple could be tacky and follow in the footsteps of Bill Gates - which makes me ill just thinking about it - and have pro tools like Keynote and a dumbed down version that they use in AppleWorks, and that's just what Microsoft did with Office and Microsoft Works. So I'm curious what direction this is going to take. I'd like to see Apple Works become something far superior to Office. If that's the case, what features not currently offerred in Apple Works, or Office would you all be interested in seeing, and why?

i-bent-my-wookie · February 12, 2003 12:33PM

[quote]Originally posted by Nebagakid:

My AppleWorks crashes more than a loser crashes parties....eh? eh?

I look forward to a proper AppleWorks for Mac OS X... please!!!!!!!!!!! <img src="graemlins/cancer.gif" border="0" alt="[cancer]" /> <img src="graemlins/cancer.gif" border="0" alt="[cancer]" /> <img src="graemlins/surprised.gif" border="0" alt="[surprised]" /> <img src="graemlins/cancer.gif" border="0" alt="[cancer]" /> <img src="graemlins/oyvey.gif" border="0" alt="[oyvey]" /> <img src="graemlins/cancer.gif" border="0" alt="[cancer]" /> <hr></blockquote>

I dunno Nebaga, I thought it was funny. buncha stiff shirts here

[ 02-12-2003: Message edited by: I-bent-my-wookie ]

robby · February 16, 2003 12:20AM

wasnt it said that apple's word processor would be called AUTHOR. which would be a really cool name.

overhope · February 16, 2003 7:23AM

Presuming that rumour is true, it's a pro-level single-purpose application. Think in terms of AppleWorks being iLife to Author being Final Cut Pro.

frank777 · February 17, 2003 12:03AM

I'm thinking they'll release two single purpose apps: a text-cruncher and a number cruncher (spreadsheet). $99.00 per app.

Along with Keynote, Filemaker and Mail, there's your alternate Office suite.

Two things:

1. Will Filemaker really be brought "under the tent" i.e. merged with the Claris/Gobe team that seems to be in charge of the MacOffice division? Steve's got an excellent sense of branding and I can't see him releasing three apps with a similar brand and box and leave the fourth looking completely different.

2. What about the Microsoft response?

I think, to be safe, Apple has to have versions of the Word-processor and spreadsheet available for Windows, which they threaten to release if Microsoft goes all anti-competitive on them. Keynote is too heavily relient on Quartz to be ported and Filemaker's already on the other side. I think this could be where the persistent "OS X on X86" rumors are always coming from.

Of course, I could be wrong... <img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laughing]" />

vr6 · February 19, 2003 12:55PM

[quote]Originally posted by Frank777:

 Keynote is too heavily relient on Quartz to be ported <hr></blockquote>

Believe me, displaying and resizing PDF's (which is essentially what Quartz is) would be far faster on PCs with their faster memory and bus than is the case on Macs.

I'm not suggesting that Apple is moving Keynote or any other Quartz-using app to Windows, I'm just suggesting that Quartz is not a showstopper if they wanted to go that way. Personally, I don't think Apple has any short term plans to go after Microsoft's office applications given the experience companies like IBM and Corel had. MS' competitive reaction - tons of advertising, new upgrades and new low pricing - would force the competitor back to the trenches, so why bother trying.

dws · February 19, 2003 12:59PM

[quote]Originally posted by vr6:

Believe me, displaying and resizing PDF's (which is essentially what Quartz is) would be far faster on PCs with their faster memory and bus than is the case on Macs.

<hr></blockquote>

Boy, do you need to read up on Quartz!!! <img src="graemlins/oyvey.gif" border="0" alt="[oyvey]" />

muah · February 19, 2003 2:51PM

[quote] I think, to be safe, Apple has to have versions of the Word-processor and spreadsheet available for Windows, which they threaten to release if Microsoft goes all anti-competitive on them. <hr></blockquote>

I don't think that threat would scare anyone in Redmond. I think that would be a horrible waste of R&D money too.

amorph · February 19, 2003 3:07PM

[quote]Originally posted by staph:

a link was posted on slashdot recently to one of the original authors' account of its original development, which was pretty interesting:

<a href="http://apple.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/01/23/1559223&tid=156"; target="_blank">http://apple.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/01/23/1559223&tid=156</a><hr></blockquote>;

Welcome to the AppleInsider forums! And thanks for the link. That's good reading.

Wow. Beagle Bros! I feel old...

[ 02-19-2003: Message edited by: Amorph ]

spiffster · February 19, 2003 3:15PM

Isn't there an Apple works for windows already? I swear I saw it on my friends HP a while ago. But I think it was AppleWorks 5.

Anyway, why would Apple release Keynote and the supposed others for windows? If they're so much better than office, people would just buy those and stay on Wintels. That doesn't get a switcher if they only buy the software. A better scenerio is to have presentions at Apple Stores showing how much better these apps are then Office.

amorph · February 19, 2003 3:23PM

AppleWorks 5 was the last commercially available AW for Windows. AW for Windows is now available only to educational customers.

I just noticed in the reader feedback for the "history of Claris," a claim by one reader that they were asked to beta test "the new AppleWorks." If it's in beta, it's not going to be that long in coming. I can believe April.

overhope · February 19, 2003 4:35PM

Bugger.

/me talks nicely to Mr Credit Card

hamfistedbunvendor · February 20, 2003 9:30AM

Hmmm... bug button on every app

We already have something like that.

basically any app with the word Microsoft before it.

New Appleworks in April, woohoo!

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