I work mostly with Keynote, and the guide lines are by far the most useful feature for me. I hate bullet point lists, so I tend to mostly visual slides with animations and object transitions, and Keynote just kicks PowerPoint's ass in this regard. Not even a contest. The first time I fired up 1.0, even, I had that epiphany of "So *THAT'S* what this is supposed to be like!".
Pages I like too, but I use much less often. Most of my writing is technical, so I use the LaTeX typesetting system, but when I need to do a quick visual layout for text and images, Pages is what I turn to. (Hint: Type up your text in TextEdit, then when you have it done, or close, drop it into Pages into a textbox in a layout. Makes it much easier, IME.)
I use Pages for most of my word processing - find it is a lot nicer than Word and I can always save it as a Word doc if needed. I don't think that there will be anything before MWSF, but at that time I see it replacing AppleWorks. The spreadsheet will be the most important app to add, and then a junior database supplied by FileMaker. Throw in a few templates and it's ready for the big time - at least I hope so!
I love Pages. At first, like many on this board, I was perplexed by the interface after years of doing things 'the wrong way' in MS Word. Now, having used Pages for some time, I find it to offer everything I could want in a Text or Layout application (in most instances). Sure, I sometimes use Word, but usually it's because I know I'm going to need to share the file with a colleague for editing (and the results of exporting from Pages to Word can be disappointing).
I still use InDesign for complex layouts. Interestingly, I find myself going less frequently to InDesign or MS Word in favor of Pages whenever I need to produce something as simple as a letter or as 'complicated' as a tri-fold marketing brochure.
Here's hoping Apple continues to develop this application in spite of poor sales figures and mixed reaction from the Mac audience.
I really enjoy Pages. It has made it possible for me to finally understand how styles work which leads to superior documents. It has surprisingly made my understanding of how Word's style system works as well but to say the least, it is just awful.
I don't really care if the next iWork comes with a spreadsheet app or not. What I would like to see would be for Apple to improve Pages and make it even easier to use. The palettes and the inspector are just too clunky and in the way. Especially on my 12" PB. Some of the palette and inspector items should be items that can be added to your toolbar. I appreciate the cleanliness of Pages but some things just don't need to be in some floating palette.
The sooner the update the better. Pages is very good for the first version. I have high expectations of the next one.
I love Keynote. No argument there. But I've always felt Pages was awkward. I want to like it, but I usually end up going back to Word for word processing.
I really just can't stand all the palates Pages forces you to use, and then the tabs among tabs within those palates. Sometimes it takes so long to figure out where something is because I'm searching through every possible tab.
There's no wysiwyg font list. The font palette doesn't allow you to move up and down between fonts with the arrow keys. Exporting to Word and HTML has lots of problems in complex documents. Maybe it's just me, but creating nested lists is a real pain.
Pages is great for a 1.0 release, but I'm hoping for lots of improvements and changes for 2.0. It's definitely started off on the right foot. Also, we need something like Quantrix Modeler and a database app for iWork 06.
For a lot of people the killer for iWork was the lack of a spreadsheet. I still have to use Excel, which is overloaded for my needs. That is the primary need for iWork '06.
Since Apple owns FileMaker I also expect a slimmed down database will also be included. It's needed before iWork can replace AppleWorks and it also provides for an upward path for users that want more. For me it would be foolish not to have it.
The comment about the fonts is a good one - especially if you don't want to open Font Book. It would be nice to see the font style as well as a window where selected text would be shown in that font.
We'll see how committed Apple is to iWork in January.
If you watch the two recent keynotes by Steve you can see several new transitions that will be coming in Keynote.
One was like barn doors opening to the next slide.
Another was a number of vertical slats flipping to the next slide.
I think I spotted a few more.
One that I'm really looking forward to is an effect that highlights a part of a slide by greying out everything else. You can see that effect now. Open any pdf in Preview. Choose the Select Tool and drag a box somewhere in the display. The selected area is viewed normally. The surrounding area is dimmed. This looks like a nice way to draw attention to some part of a slide.
I do the opposite, actually. Make a rounded corner box (or other shape), set the shadow to be offset = 0, blur of about 25px, or more. Select a color from the background, then jack it significantly brighter, and drop the opacity to about 25%.
Voila. Instant highlight. Have it fade in behind the element you're trying to show off. Looks gorgeous.
If there is one thing I would like improved in pages is the PDF export. I think that exporting to PDF (not the "save to PDF" option in the print dialog) should preserve hyperlinks and bookmarks you have setup in the actual document.
Keynote is great. You can tell it was designed by someone who actually gives presentations.
Pages has a lot of cool features, but the interface really needs to be gone over by someone who writes. I really like the interface of Nisus Writer Express, although it doesn't have some of the features of Pages (I am particularly impressed by just how badly it handles graphics). I currently write things in NWE and then import them into Pages to insert graphics and print. Hopefully sometime in the next year or so Pages will have an interface makeover or NWE will gain the ability to handle graphics.
Keynote is great. You can tell it was designed by someone who actually gives presentations.
Pages has a lot of cool features, but the interface really needs to be gone over by someone who writes. I really like the interface of Nisus Writer Express, although it doesn't have some of the features of Pages (I am particularly impressed by just how badly it handles graphics). I currently write things in NWE and then import them into Pages to insert graphics and print. Hopefully sometime in the next year or so Pages will have an interface makeover or NWE will gain the ability to handle graphics.
I'm in the midst of switching entirely to NWE as my primary word processor. They say that image handling is on the list; personally, I'm interested to see what happens with linkback. We'll see what happens, though. And I agree with you entirely. Either Pages gets a better interface/figures out what it wants to be or NWE needs to get better and handle graphics better. One of the two.
Maybe they'll do another public alpha/beta test like they did for 2.5. Those of us who were active in it really hammered the poor guys, and I think 2.5 is a far better product for it.
What has the rumor mill to say on my favorite Apple app?
I have been trying to install iWork on my notebook for a while now and something is not allowing me to. I've encountered a couple problems:
1)"There is nothing to install."
This I was told was b/c of the demo version. I could either get rid of that and all things affiliated then reinstall using my boxed one, or just use the registration number from it. Of course I didn't discover the latter until the demo was trashed though.
2)Now it installs, sort of--it says it's finished but it's not there.
I'm thinking in deleting demo things I deleted something necessary for the program to work/exist at all. Does any one know what it is?
I'm in the midst of switching entirely to NWE as my primary word processor. They say that image handling is on the list; personally, I'm interested to see what happens with linkback. We'll see what happens, though. And I agree with you entirely. Either Pages gets a better interface/figures out what it wants to be or NWE needs to get better and handle graphics better. One of the two.
Maybe they'll do another public alpha/beta test like they did for 2.5. Those of us who were active in it really hammered the poor guys, and I think 2.5 is a far better product for it.
NWE is an app that I think a lot of us would really like to use but when you try it, well, it is always missing stuff ya need. There aren't that many people working on it so the progress is very slow and they always say, "that feature is at the top of the list for the next version."
Pages is just so much better at converting to and importing from Word that until Nisus can do that much I just can't use it. But Pages could certainly learn a thing or two from Nisus in the ease of use and familiarity department.
I have iWork and use it exclusively right now. BUT... I don't think I'll be buying the upgrade in '06. Microsoft Office license at school is $40. iWork each year will cost me $50 (academic).
That's a hard sell for me. Keynote is a godsend, though. Will probably continue using version 2.0 for my presentations. But PowerPoint works...
For a lot of people the killer for iWork was the lack of a spreadsheet. I still have to use Excel, which is overloaded for my needs. That is the primary need for iWork '06.
Since Apple owns FileMaker I also expect a slimmed down database will also be included. It's needed before iWork can replace AppleWorks and it also provides for an upward path for users that want more. For me it would be foolish not to have it.
The comment about the fonts is a good one - especially if you don't want to open Font Book. It would be nice to see the font style as well as a window where selected text would be shown in that font.
We'll see how committed Apple is to iWork in January.
I doubt they'd worry about slimming down Filemaker; they'd probably bundle the standard edition, pump it full of wizards, templates and of course, clipart; then make it part of iWork - the fact is, most money for Filemaker is made off their server and developer products, not their standard edition.
Comments
Pages I like too, but I use much less often. Most of my writing is technical, so I use the LaTeX typesetting system, but when I need to do a quick visual layout for text and images, Pages is what I turn to. (Hint: Type up your text in TextEdit, then when you have it done, or close, drop it into Pages into a textbox in a layout. Makes it much easier, IME.)
I still use InDesign for complex layouts. Interestingly, I find myself going less frequently to InDesign or MS Word in favor of Pages whenever I need to produce something as simple as a letter or as 'complicated' as a tri-fold marketing brochure.
Here's hoping Apple continues to develop this application in spite of poor sales figures and mixed reaction from the Mac audience.
I don't really care if the next iWork comes with a spreadsheet app or not. What I would like to see would be for Apple to improve Pages and make it even easier to use. The palettes and the inspector are just too clunky and in the way. Especially on my 12" PB. Some of the palette and inspector items should be items that can be added to your toolbar. I appreciate the cleanliness of Pages but some things just don't need to be in some floating palette.
The sooner the update the better. Pages is very good for the first version. I have high expectations of the next one.
I really just can't stand all the palates Pages forces you to use, and then the tabs among tabs within those palates. Sometimes it takes so long to figure out where something is because I'm searching through every possible tab.
There's no wysiwyg font list. The font palette doesn't allow you to move up and down between fonts with the arrow keys. Exporting to Word and HTML has lots of problems in complex documents. Maybe it's just me, but creating nested lists is a real pain.
Pages is great for a 1.0 release, but I'm hoping for lots of improvements and changes for 2.0. It's definitely started off on the right foot. Also, we need something like Quantrix Modeler and a database app for iWork 06.
Since Apple owns FileMaker I also expect a slimmed down database will also be included. It's needed before iWork can replace AppleWorks and it also provides for an upward path for users that want more. For me it would be foolish not to have it.
The comment about the fonts is a good one - especially if you don't want to open Font Book. It would be nice to see the font style as well as a window where selected text would be shown in that font.
We'll see how committed Apple is to iWork in January.
One was like barn doors opening to the next slide.
Another was a number of vertical slats flipping to the next slide.
I think I spotted a few more.
One that I'm really looking forward to is an effect that highlights a part of a slide by greying out everything else. You can see that effect now. Open any pdf in Preview. Choose the Select Tool and drag a box somewhere in the display. The selected area is viewed normally. The surrounding area is dimmed. This looks like a nice way to draw attention to some part of a slide.
Voila. Instant highlight. Have it fade in behind the element you're trying to show off. Looks gorgeous.
Pages has a lot of cool features, but the interface really needs to be gone over by someone who writes. I really like the interface of Nisus Writer Express, although it doesn't have some of the features of Pages (I am particularly impressed by just how badly it handles graphics). I currently write things in NWE and then import them into Pages to insert graphics and print. Hopefully sometime in the next year or so Pages will have an interface makeover or NWE will gain the ability to handle graphics.
Originally posted by JBL
Keynote is great. You can tell it was designed by someone who actually gives presentations.
Pages has a lot of cool features, but the interface really needs to be gone over by someone who writes. I really like the interface of Nisus Writer Express, although it doesn't have some of the features of Pages (I am particularly impressed by just how badly it handles graphics). I currently write things in NWE and then import them into Pages to insert graphics and print. Hopefully sometime in the next year or so Pages will have an interface makeover or NWE will gain the ability to handle graphics.
I'm in the midst of switching entirely to NWE as my primary word processor. They say that image handling is on the list; personally, I'm interested to see what happens with linkback. We'll see what happens, though. And I agree with you entirely. Either Pages gets a better interface/figures out what it wants to be or NWE needs to get better and handle graphics better. One of the two.
Maybe they'll do another public alpha/beta test like they did for 2.5. Those of us who were active in it really hammered the poor guys, and I think 2.5 is a far better product for it.
Originally posted by pbaker05
What has the rumor mill to say on my favorite Apple app?
I have been trying to install iWork on my notebook for a while now and something is not allowing me to. I've encountered a couple problems:
1)"There is nothing to install."
This I was told was b/c of the demo version. I could either get rid of that and all things affiliated then reinstall using my boxed one, or just use the registration number from it. Of course I didn't discover the latter until the demo was trashed though.
2)Now it installs, sort of--it says it's finished but it's not there.
I'm thinking in deleting demo things I deleted something necessary for the program to work/exist at all. Does any one know what it is?
Now try reinstalling from the boxed version.
Originally posted by midwinter
I'm in the midst of switching entirely to NWE as my primary word processor. They say that image handling is on the list; personally, I'm interested to see what happens with linkback. We'll see what happens, though. And I agree with you entirely. Either Pages gets a better interface/figures out what it wants to be or NWE needs to get better and handle graphics better. One of the two.
Maybe they'll do another public alpha/beta test like they did for 2.5. Those of us who were active in it really hammered the poor guys, and I think 2.5 is a far better product for it.
NWE is an app that I think a lot of us would really like to use but when you try it, well, it is always missing stuff ya need. There aren't that many people working on it so the progress is very slow and they always say, "that feature is at the top of the list for the next version."
Pages is just so much better at converting to and importing from Word that until Nisus can do that much I just can't use it. But Pages could certainly learn a thing or two from Nisus in the ease of use and familiarity department.
That's a hard sell for me. Keynote is a godsend, though. Will probably continue using version 2.0 for my presentations. But PowerPoint works...
Originally posted by kenaustus
For a lot of people the killer for iWork was the lack of a spreadsheet. I still have to use Excel, which is overloaded for my needs. That is the primary need for iWork '06.
Since Apple owns FileMaker I also expect a slimmed down database will also be included. It's needed before iWork can replace AppleWorks and it also provides for an upward path for users that want more. For me it would be foolish not to have it.
The comment about the fonts is a good one - especially if you don't want to open Font Book. It would be nice to see the font style as well as a window where selected text would be shown in that font.
We'll see how committed Apple is to iWork in January.
I doubt they'd worry about slimming down Filemaker; they'd probably bundle the standard edition, pump it full of wizards, templates and of course, clipart; then make it part of iWork - the fact is, most money for Filemaker is made off their server and developer products, not their standard edition.