I sure hope the rumours of "free" are not true. The sole iWork suite is already kind of crappy in many ways on both platforms. I'd rather pay for it and see it evolve into something more professional and complete than see it languish in the free bin as just another "good enough" Apple placeholder product.
That's one way to look at the idea of a "free" iWork but it seems to me that Apple has put more time and investment in their freeware than in a lot of their paid applications.
So even if iWork were made free I don't think it would be forgotten in a free bin and never improved. Maybe if it were free that would drive Apple to refine it more into the consumer suite they've set out for it to be.
If Apple can make iWork the best free office suite available then that could drive additional hardware sales for Macs from iOS users that enjoy using iWork on their iDevices and iCloud.com. I think the potential halo effect in sales would diminish the $30 Apple currently gets from the suite.
But what do I know Pages is still the #1 selling productivity app I believe, even in its current state.
I never felt that about iCloud.. Thought it was snapy fast. Dont know what your talking about.. What in ur opinion in the application is slow ?
Pretty much everything, frankly.
It even takes a good few seconds to bring up the login dialogue. Click on Mail and enjoy a spinning progress wheel, followed by an unnecessary animation; and usually at least 5 seconds before you actually see any data, sometimes a lot more. Then try and search. And wait.... Then go into the Archive and wait even longer... And then wait some more...
Compare this with Google's web apps and you're talking about a totally different experience, Google is quick as a spring buck. Obv Apple have them nailed on interface design, but that's only so much good when you're stuck on a progress wheel.
I find iCloud to be fine when using Mail.app, Notes.app, Reminders.app, etc on the Mac or iOS because all of the processing is done on-device, but the web client is and always has been terribly slow at accessing libraries and loading up my stuff. These iWork apps are even more complicated than Mail and are taking ages to do anything from where I'm currently sitting.
Because it is still being tested to what problems they will have before they do the final rollout. It's actually a good idea to do that. So, when there are problems, people will know that it's still in Beta. I guess they haven't finalized all of the feature set/look.
What are you complaining about? It's free to try out.
I was talking about on Apple's App Stores, not in the greater market.
It looks like as of this post though it is #2 on the Mac App Store (behind Mountain Lion) and #8 on the iOS App Store.
Yeah, I figured you meant Apple's own app stores, but still had never seen Pages as number one even there. Perhaps it was on the Mac App Store at some point.
Anyone seen any news on the offline versions of these Apps. Web based is great and all, but I want an update to the ridiculously outdated iWork 09 apps
Problem with making iWorks on iCloud a charged application is the competition's giving away there Web based suites for free. Kind of beats the purpose of charging for it, coz people have free alternatives out there, why would anyone pay for it ?
This isn't the Walled Garden, its the Web we are talking about
In my opinion Apple can use there new iCloud as a way to give non Apple users a feel of what iOS is like and attract them over to iOS.
Its gotta stay free for that.
No, I think it makes sense for the web one to be free.
What I meant was that everyone is going on about "does this mean the iOS and OSX ones will be free too?" Considering the state the apps are in now, I think this would be a huge mistake. Apple has a history of making "good enough" stopgap software so they can sell laptops and iWork is one of those products. All the versions are buggy and missing some fairly standard features. They are minimal at best.
I'd rather they keep people paying for the iOS and OSX apps so that some actual resources might be devoted to them instead of letting them languish in their "almost done" state. I'd rather the iWork suite become a real alternative to Office. That Pages become something that an actual writer would want to use, and Numbers become something that an actual financial expert might want to use.
It's like Apple has kind of given up on iWork for the last few years and instead of just shovelling what they have now out the door for free, I'd like to see it get a lot better instead. The free web version can just be the bait on the end of the stick.
It even takes a good few seconds to bring up the login dialogue. Click on Mail and enjoy a spinning progress wheel, followed by an unnecessary animation; and usually at least 5 seconds before you actually see any data, sometimes a lot more. Then try and search. And wait.... Then go into the Archive and wait even longer... And then wait some more...
Compare this with Google's web apps and you're talking about a totally different experience, Google is quick as a spring buck. Obv Apple have them nailed on interface design, but that's only so much good when you're stuck on a progress wheel.
I find iCloud to be fine when using Mail.app, Notes.app, Reminders.app, etc on the Mac or iOS because all of the processing is done on-device, but the web client is and always has been terribly slow at accessing libraries and loading up my stuff. These iWork apps are even more complicated than Mail and are taking ages to do anything from where I'm currently sitting.
Also in the new Pages beta, if you scroll down even a single page, there is a one second pause before it can display the content. When you work with bigger documents, the wait increases dramatically. On a small 100 page document, you can scroll the view down a page and a half and you will generally wait two or three seconds for the content to appear. It's almost unusable at the moment.
Its slow compared to a native app on my Macbook Pro and I cannot print a document directly from the cloud app..
No cloud apps for me.
well, the real problem with the iWork suite is market saturation. They seriously missed the opportunity to flood the market with this suite had they created a PC version. And since there is no PC version the only users are Mac users. And MS Office is pretty much a monopoly in PC productivity apps. So to offer this on iCloud.com to users who have never used iWork before is basically a lost cause.
To me the only reason to have this as a feature is for the people who work in a PC world but live the life of Apple. Like me. But, all our office docs are in Office so i'ts kind of pointless. Not to mention if you are already an OS X/iOS user, having this iCloud.com site is pointless.
so what? you can upload your work docs to Pages/Numbers/Keynote and use them for meetings or presentations? I guess that's easier than emailing them to your iPad.
I don't know what Apple's thinking here. I would've rather they spend all this time and energy making better productivity Apps then pushing all to a location where nobody will use it. I got an early invite to use it. Haven't once needed to.
Comments
That's one way to look at the idea of a "free" iWork but it seems to me that Apple has put more time and investment in their freeware than in a lot of their paid applications.
So even if iWork were made free I don't think it would be forgotten in a free bin and never improved. Maybe if it were free that would drive Apple to refine it more into the consumer suite they've set out for it to be.
If Apple can make iWork the best free office suite available then that could drive additional hardware sales for Macs from iOS users that enjoy using iWork on their iDevices and iCloud.com. I think the potential halo effect in sales would diminish the $30 Apple currently gets from the suite.
But what do I know Pages is still the #1 selling productivity app I believe, even in its current state.
Link?
Like Maps, you mean ¿
Used to be fast, but now that they just granted access for the rest I presume their servers are getting hammered. See what it does after the weekend.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PhilBoogie
Link?
Like Maps, you mean ¿
Used to be fast, but now that they just granted access for the rest I presume their servers are getting hammered. See what it does after the weekend.
Maps as an app is solid. Outstanding really. The data has issues.
And no, not beta like siri. This is not a released product, it is an open beta. Siri was released in beta state.
Anything Cloud related + Apple's inability to provide anything stable online = ticking timebomb
"Apple's iWork for iCloud.com beta now available to all users"
*crickets chirping*
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rogifan
Well it's an option for people who prefer not to use Google stuff if they don't have to.
Or in my case, it is actually accessible at work, unlike Google Docs, which is blocked due to it being tied to Drive.
Quote:
Originally Posted by nikilok
I never felt that about iCloud.. Thought it was snapy fast. Dont know what your talking about.. What in ur opinion in the application is slow ?
Pretty much everything, frankly.
It even takes a good few seconds to bring up the login dialogue. Click on Mail and enjoy a spinning progress wheel, followed by an unnecessary animation; and usually at least 5 seconds before you actually see any data, sometimes a lot more. Then try and search. And wait.... Then go into the Archive and wait even longer... And then wait some more...
Compare this with Google's web apps and you're talking about a totally different experience, Google is quick as a spring buck. Obv Apple have them nailed on interface design, but that's only so much good when you're stuck on a progress wheel.
I find iCloud to be fine when using Mail.app, Notes.app, Reminders.app, etc on the Mac or iOS because all of the processing is done on-device, but the web client is and always has been terribly slow at accessing libraries and loading up my stuff. These iWork apps are even more complicated than Mail and are taking ages to do anything from where I'm currently sitting.
Really? I never saw that claim before.
I'll wait to get excited about this until the most basic of Apple's networked offerings come up to par.
Starting with Mail.....
I know, and I agree. I just didn't comprehend the bitching, that so many did when Maps came out.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chandra69
Why public release is still in BETA? Like siri?
Because it is still being tested to what problems they will have before they do the final rollout. It's actually a good idea to do that. So, when there are problems, people will know that it's still in Beta. I guess they haven't finalized all of the feature set/look.
What are you complaining about? It's free to try out.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gatorguy
Really? I never saw that claim before.
I was talking about on Apple's App Stores, not in the greater market.
It looks like as of this post though it is #2 on the Mac App Store (behind Mountain Lion) and #8 on the iOS App Store.
Yeah, I figured you meant Apple's own app stores, but still had never seen Pages as number one even there. Perhaps it was on the Mac App Store at some point.
Anyone seen any news on the offline versions of these Apps. Web based is great and all, but I want an update to the ridiculously outdated iWork 09 apps
Quote:
Originally Posted by nikilok
Problem with making iWorks on iCloud a charged application is the competition's giving away there Web based suites for free. Kind of beats the purpose of charging for it, coz people have free alternatives out there, why would anyone pay for it ?
This isn't the Walled Garden, its the Web we are talking about
In my opinion Apple can use there new iCloud as a way to give non Apple users a feel of what iOS is like and attract them over to iOS.
Its gotta stay free for that.
No, I think it makes sense for the web one to be free.
What I meant was that everyone is going on about "does this mean the iOS and OSX ones will be free too?" Considering the state the apps are in now, I think this would be a huge mistake. Apple has a history of making "good enough" stopgap software so they can sell laptops and iWork is one of those products. All the versions are buggy and missing some fairly standard features. They are minimal at best.
I'd rather they keep people paying for the iOS and OSX apps so that some actual resources might be devoted to them instead of letting them languish in their "almost done" state. I'd rather the iWork suite become a real alternative to Office. That Pages become something that an actual writer would want to use, and Numbers become something that an actual financial expert might want to use.
It's like Apple has kind of given up on iWork for the last few years and instead of just shovelling what they have now out the door for free, I'd like to see it get a lot better instead. The free web version can just be the bait on the end of the stick.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Crowley
Pretty much everything, frankly.
It even takes a good few seconds to bring up the login dialogue. Click on Mail and enjoy a spinning progress wheel, followed by an unnecessary animation; and usually at least 5 seconds before you actually see any data, sometimes a lot more. Then try and search. And wait.... Then go into the Archive and wait even longer... And then wait some more...
Compare this with Google's web apps and you're talking about a totally different experience, Google is quick as a spring buck. Obv Apple have them nailed on interface design, but that's only so much good when you're stuck on a progress wheel.
I find iCloud to be fine when using Mail.app, Notes.app, Reminders.app, etc on the Mac or iOS because all of the processing is done on-device, but the web client is and always has been terribly slow at accessing libraries and loading up my stuff. These iWork apps are even more complicated than Mail and are taking ages to do anything from where I'm currently sitting.
Also in the new Pages beta, if you scroll down even a single page, there is a one second pause before it can display the content. When you work with bigger documents, the wait increases dramatically. On a small 100 page document, you can scroll the view down a page and a half and you will generally wait two or three seconds for the content to appear. It's almost unusable at the moment.
Originally Posted by blackbook
Free iWork on the app store next possibly?
Why would that make any sense?
No cloud apps for me.
Quote:
Originally Posted by blackbook
I was talking about on Apple's App Stores, not in the greater market.
It looks like as of this post though it is #2 on the Mac App Store (behind Mountain Lion) and #8 on the iOS App Store.
you know why that is right? MS Office for Mac is not available for purchase on the Mac App Store.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lordoftheflatbush
Its slow compared to a native app on my Macbook Pro and I cannot print a document directly from the cloud app..
No cloud apps for me.
well, the real problem with the iWork suite is market saturation. They seriously missed the opportunity to flood the market with this suite had they created a PC version. And since there is no PC version the only users are Mac users. And MS Office is pretty much a monopoly in PC productivity apps. So to offer this on iCloud.com to users who have never used iWork before is basically a lost cause.
To me the only reason to have this as a feature is for the people who work in a PC world but live the life of Apple. Like me. But, all our office docs are in Office so i'ts kind of pointless. Not to mention if you are already an OS X/iOS user, having this iCloud.com site is pointless.
so what? you can upload your work docs to Pages/Numbers/Keynote and use them for meetings or presentations? I guess that's easier than emailing them to your iPad.
I don't know what Apple's thinking here. I would've rather they spend all this time and energy making better productivity Apps then pushing all to a location where nobody will use it. I got an early invite to use it. Haven't once needed to.