iWork ‘08: Pages
iWork, Apple’s office suit has received a long awaited overhaul and has brought aboard a new Application, Numbers as an Excel competitor. How does it stack up compared to other Office Applications such as Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint? Quite awesome actually. Here is part 1 (of 2) of my iWork ’08 review
While people use word processors to accomplish their needs whether they be pros or the casual users when it comes down to it we just only need the basics: the ability to type text. We can then manipulate it as we please which is one of the advantages of editing text digitally.
While I am sure you are familiar with most word processors under the sun from Text Edit to Microsoft Office. However are needs vary and as a casual user I my only requirement is being able to type and format text how I see fit. I don’t need to pay extra for features I will never use let alone know about.
The main reason has been finding what capabilities Microsoft Word has, it was cluttered and confusing. In addition I needed something fast and simple as my main Mac is an aging iBook G3, Text Edit fit the bill. But then I was turned on to iWork and decided to give it a test drive, Apple was providing a free 30 day trial so I had nothing to lose. My experience so far has been above satisfactory.
Pages
I am new to the entire iWork suite but have dabbled in Microsoft Office. One of the biggest advantages in making the switch is the huge increase in speed and simplicity. Even on my old iBook iWork runs much, much faster than Microsoft Office.
In addition learning most of the features of Pages is relatively simple and straightforward as the default toolbar contains most of them. While I won’t drill down on the features Apple lists I will go down on some of the more important items and the overall user experience.
Formats
One of the most important things when it comes to cross platform compatibility is which format will work the best. There is no such thing as a universal format for anything as sacrifices had to be made and features adjusted. But we can get pretty close to flawless integration. However Pages really loves to keep in the .Pages format with no way to set a default option such as .Doc or .Rtf but you do have the option to export.
While pages can natively read and write Microsoft Office documents you don’t have much of a say in how your file comes out. You have the option of .Doc, .Rtf, .PDF and .Pages and plain text, compared to other editors this is a minimal selection but still good enough for the average user.
However if you are dealing with cross platform compatibility you might choose a PDF document or Microsoft Word Document, you lose most of your format in Plain Text (obviously) and in Rich Text Formatting.
But there is one feature that Microsoft Office 2007 users will appreciate and that is Open XML compatibility. Here is the real kicker, Apple was able to release this a full 4 months before Microsoft 2008 ships. Your only alternative is a beta converter which is a half baked solution.
Use
Besides the usual function of typing up School assignments I tend to write up Blog posts offline so I always have an archived copy and that I am not too fond of using a Web Browser to edit massive posts either (I learned the hard way).
Nonetheless I need to keep track of links and tidbits of information easily and have it readily available. This is where Tracking and Comments come in. They are both straightforward in what they do
If I were to highlight the paragraph above I could add a comment on how much I love the Comments feature and link to the iWork ‘08 page on Apple’s Web Site. I could even add in a URL that will take me there via Safari.
With tracking I can see what changes have been made and can initiate it any time. If I accidentally delete a paragraph of text I needed or find out I need it later it is always there, right where I left it. It works much the same way comments does in that it shows up in the side bar and that I can delete certain changes.
The Interface
Like I said, everything is straightforward in Pages and I am still getting ahold of everything. The layout and orientation of objects such as the toolbar and sidebar is an extreme change but not so foreign that you won’t learn quickly. I love that iWork can handle templates and how you can customize your own or download templates from the Web.
I’d have to say that for the casual user such as myself who does not want to drown in a sea of features iWork provides an easy escape while maintaining a strong stance on function.
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Comments
Your pretentious elitist snobbery is blinding you to two important points. You’re assuming that one who chooses a certain form of language has not mastered that language. In my case, I am perfectly aware of the “rules” regarding grammar and choose, for reasons explained above, to ignore them.
Second, you’re assuming that your robotic adherence to grammar rules endows you with grace, charm, or finesse. But all evidence to the contrary regarding you and your nosey, condescending attitude, rife as it is with elitism, superiority, and all around assholishness (see how I made up a word, am aware that I made up a word, and am employing it anyway).
Being able to hold a paint brush does not make you Picasso. Being able to use proper grammar does not make you charming or graceful. It’s how one uses the words that counts, and in your case, it adds up to “une douche grande.”
...and relax.
And I love the templates, which is where Apple’s design team really excels far beyond the competition.
A little bird tells me those are done my third party designers.
Still. Props, as say you vulgar USicans.
Whoever does the templates, it seems strange to me that no other software developer even comes close to including templates as good, and that goes for iMovie (excluding 08, which comes with none), iDVD, DVD Studio Pro, Pages, Keynote, Numbers, and the iPhoto books.
Seriously, I wonder why that is. These other companies, especially Microsoft, have the resources to hire good designers. Why don’t they?
Wow! I was also rather annoyed with the lack of proper grammar and sentence structure while reading this review. Commas have meaning, and the substitution of a prepositional phrase for a complete sentence is just lousy grammar.
A full command of the written English language is usually expected from those who publish, regardless of age, sex, or national origin. Anything less is often perceived as a lack of education, or at the very least, lack of interest in clearly stating oneself. Made-up words may be “cuteful,” but are inappropriate when writing for global readers. The most important aspect of writing for the public is determining who your reader audience is, and what their expectations are.
Why are readers are willing to justify this “lack” of form as a “new” form of acceptable grammar? I fear that our public schools have left most graduates behind. Data from the 2006 ACT exams shows that only 24% of those who took the exam are adequately prepared for college level studies. Ouch!
As for Beeble’s query on where are similar designers in other companies, it’s certainly not for a lack of people. It’s actually quite simple, just check out the differences in corporate cultures. Microsoft is a well run machine, where corporate customers have determined their products for years. They are so unlike Apple, which is and always has been, a consumer-driven company with products that are far more “people” oriented. Those PC vs. Mac commercials really say it all.
Cough.
“A full command of the written English language is usually expected from those who publish”
Strewth! I hope not! No one would get a job writing except trained journalists and English majors.
The world would be a poorer place if we could only read their writing.
Those who write for Apple Matters are not trained journalists or English majors. They are people, people who are passionate about Apple - a lot like the readers. And they write in an informal and sometimes colloquial language that readers can relate to and enjoy.
(Granted, a bit of editing is done to catch a few of the more common grammar errors the grammar police like to pick on.)
Pages is screwed up! Apple didn’t add a word processing mode, they added a page layout mode!
And it is neutered.
If you want to create documents with sections, you can’t do it in page layout mode, only word processing mode.
If you want to place on object on the master (i.e. repeats on every page in the section), you again can only do it in word processing mode.
My old Pages documents open in word processing mode, not page layout.
This is very disappointing because I’m trying to create a newsletter, and simple things like having a images repeat as header objects on pages 2, 3, and 4, I have to do manually (unless I include them as inline images in the header box - which screws their layout)
In page layout mode, I lose so many menu items that worked fine in the old Pages.
So now, greatly disappointed, I realise we’ve been had.
What was the point, Apple, of adding a page layout mode when it’s neutered?
Ok, Pages isn’t quite as screwed as I raved. It seems in page layout mode every page is its own section and you can tell it to repeat headers and footers from previous “section” (page really).
However, it still doesn’t let me send objects to the section master. So I’ve still got to replicate objects from page to page.
Apple needs to fix Pages so that the menu system is mode sensitive. It’s too confusing - and annoying - seeing so many menu items greyed out in page layout mode.