NSLog();

Just a few posts on the new iWork suite of apps that came out with Mavericks:

• Pages 5: An unmitigated disaster
• Why does Apple get rid of so many useful features in new Pages (Apple Support Communities)
• Pages 5 features checklist (Apple Support Communities)
• Whither iWork?
• Michael Tsai - Blog - Numbers ’13 Performance
• With iWork, Apple Walks It Back Before Moving Forward
• Exploring the New iWork for Mac File Formats — Pixel Envy

The phrase "the same file format for both Mac and iOS" is used on the pages for all three products. It was highlighted in Apple's keynote. It's important.

Without all versions of iWork using the same data format, true interoperability is impossible. In the previous versions of iWork you would lose some formatting & data when moving from Mac to iOS.

Then…

The fact that iWork on the Mac has lost functionality isn't because Apple is blind to power users. It's because they're willing to make a short-term sacrifice in functionality so that they can create a foundation that is equal across the Mac, iOS, and web versions. It will take time to bring these new versions of iWork up to parity with what the Mac used to have. In the meantime all platforms have to live with the lowest common denominator.

Lots of folks are getting all worked up about iWork being “dumbed down,” but it feels like a reset to me. I can see this playing out pretty much like Apple’s recent Final Cut Pro X re-thinking. That app was introduced in a radically simplified and streamlined form that caused immediate outcry. Over time, Apple has steadily added back features that were missing from the early dramatic redesign of the pro video-editing suite. A handful of mishandled decisions like pulling the old version of FCP too soon caused unnecessary friction there, but recent updates to FCPX have made it a very viable choice for professionals again.

Here's to hoping…

Comments RSS