Microsoft can relax a little. Business users probably won't trade in Office for iWork any time soon. But Microsoft will lose home users to Apple's latest offering.
I hesitate to call iWork an office suite. It's more like half an office suite, featuring a word processor and presentation program. No email. No database. Not even a spreadsheet. It may seem odd that Apple chose to include a presentation program and not a spreadsheet. But clearly Apple isn't targeting business users -- for now.
I hesitate to call iWork an office suite. It's more like half an office suite, featuring a word processor and presentation program. No email. No database. Not even a spreadsheet. It may seem odd that Apple chose to include a presentation program and not a spreadsheet. But clearly Apple isn't targeting business users -- for now.
Software Specifications
In the box, you'll find a DVD containing Pages, the word processing component, and Keynote, the presentation component. A CD version of the software is available directly from Apple. In addition to the software, Apple has included two printed manuals, one for each program. Reference cards, again, one for each program, will help you get started right away.
iWork requires the following to run:
iWork requires the following to run:
- 500MHz G3 or faster
- 128MB of RAM
- 8MB of video RAM
- OS X 10.3.6 or later
- QuickTime 6.5 or later
- 1GB disk space
- DVD drive (or CD drive for CD version
iWork: Ease of Use
Apple has always had a reputation for making things easy for its customers. Apple likes hardware -- and software with clean lines and simple controls. iWork is no exception.
Users accustomed to Microsoft Office's cluttered interface will be surprised by iWork's sparse toolbar. That's right, there's only one toolbar in Pages and one in Keynote. Pages' toolbar includes buttons to help with document layout. The other controls are hidden away in menus and panels. They allow a significant amount of control over document elements. However, the program isn't bogged down with complicated options that plague other word processing programs.
Once one grows comfortable with iWork's setup, work flows smoothly. Fortunately, you can familiarize yourself with the program in a matter of minutes, so long as you stick with the basics.
And that's when the fun begins. It is easy to drag text and objects around the page. The remaining elements are happy to move aside and make way for the new. For example, you can place a picture anywhere in a block of text -- the text will wrap around it automatically, creating a highly polished look.
One would have to make an effort to produce an ugly document in Pages. Even then, I'm not sure it would be possible.
Users accustomed to Microsoft Office's cluttered interface will be surprised by iWork's sparse toolbar. That's right, there's only one toolbar in Pages and one in Keynote. Pages' toolbar includes buttons to help with document layout. The other controls are hidden away in menus and panels. They allow a significant amount of control over document elements. However, the program isn't bogged down with complicated options that plague other word processing programs.
Once one grows comfortable with iWork's setup, work flows smoothly. Fortunately, you can familiarize yourself with the program in a matter of minutes, so long as you stick with the basics.
And that's when the fun begins. It is easy to drag text and objects around the page. The remaining elements are happy to move aside and make way for the new. For example, you can place a picture anywhere in a block of text -- the text will wrap around it automatically, creating a highly polished look.
One would have to make an effort to produce an ugly document in Pages. Even then, I'm not sure it would be possible.
Templates: iWork's Big Draw
For those who find it difficult to get started on a document, Apple has included a variety of templates. There are roughly 40 templates for Pages, ranging from invitations to school reports. Not surprisingly, the only templates specifically related to business (aside from resumes) fall into a category titled "Marketing."
The template menu is presented each time the program is opened. So, for many users, they will be difficult to resist. The templates contain photos and text, in addition to borders, backgrounds, and drawing objects. One will have to be particularly cautious that filler is replaced, or it is possible to end up with a document that contains a cookie recipe in Latin or photos of someone else's family!
Working from a template, it is easy to insert additional template pages in the document. This is a nice feature that is missing in other popular word processors. It isn't necessary to do any cutting and pasting if you need, say, a second page for a bibliography.
If none of the templates appeal to you, it's easy to create your own from a template or from scratch.
The template menu is presented each time the program is opened. So, for many users, they will be difficult to resist. The templates contain photos and text, in addition to borders, backgrounds, and drawing objects. One will have to be particularly cautious that filler is replaced, or it is possible to end up with a document that contains a cookie recipe in Latin or photos of someone else's family!
Working from a template, it is easy to insert additional template pages in the document. This is a nice feature that is missing in other popular word processors. It isn't necessary to do any cutting and pasting if you need, say, a second page for a bibliography.
If none of the templates appeal to you, it's easy to create your own from a template or from scratch.
iWork: The Verdict
iWork will appeal to many home users. It makes creating documents fun and easy, and the results are outstanding. The simplicity of the program will make it a snap for younger students who are working on papers and presentations for school. The included templates will do most of the work with the layout. Further, the tight integration with iLife means multimedia elements can be added to iWork presentations and documents.
iWork is slicker than the venerable AppleWorks, and one can assume Apple will shift its focus toward this new suite. Further,with a suggested retail price of about $80USD, it is an attractive alternative to Microsoft Office. That is if you can get by without the spreadsheet, email program, and database.
I would have liked a few more productivity features, such as mail merge. And the lack of a spreadsheet component is incomprehensible. I'm guessing many casual users will also miss the spreadsheet. How else are they going to calculate how much money they've saved by buying iWork instead of Office?
iWork is slicker than the venerable AppleWorks, and one can assume Apple will shift its focus toward this new suite. Further,with a suggested retail price of about $80USD, it is an attractive alternative to Microsoft Office. That is if you can get by without the spreadsheet, email program, and database.
I would have liked a few more productivity features, such as mail merge. And the lack of a spreadsheet component is incomprehensible. I'm guessing many casual users will also miss the spreadsheet. How else are they going to calculate how much money they've saved by buying iWork instead of Office?
