iWork '09

I was playing around in the demo version of iWork09, and it seemed ok and according to the glowing reviews I ordered it. Mistake. Once I got into the pages program I stated to notice being told in apple support that "No, Pages won't do that". And I will list just a few things that pages does not do that Word for Mac does. I want the program to display full screen, cant do that, you have to drag and re-size the window each time, I want to set up my own labels, can't do that. I want a document that has both then envelope and letter in the same documents, can't change sections within a document. I wanted to set up my own format to display the date in a document, can't do that, you can in a table but not in a letter. You can edit the date but it gives you the same four 00/00/0000 format, or you can change the date to the time or change the date to the same date format plus add the time, who does that in a letter. Can not mix landscape and portrait pages in the same document. [...] This is all fine for a letter to grandma, but anything complex, or even a little complex, it is useless. Numbers is not as bad, so far, but I have not spent much time on it. I don't like the way it displays spreadsheets, I want a full page display. Not little groups of spreadsheets scattered around the desktop. One telling problem with both these programs is looking in the preferences controls. There are almost none when compared to Word or Excel. As much as I hate Mircosoft and would have liked to migrate to an Apple product, iWork09 is not that product.

As a Vista-fugue, the main reasons for even bothering with a `Bootcamp' Windows installation were Microsoft "Office" and Intuit's "Quicken/Turbotax", both richer-featured in their PC than in their Mac releases. Disappointingly, iWork '08 'Pages' performed better as an image-based page layout package for the multimedia center crowd, proving woefully underpowered in a professional business office ... crippled by the tediously awkward conversion hassle from *.doc to *.pages documents. No more! With iWork '09, Apple has virtually erased any remaining barrier to business office `switchers' still on the fence. I have explored and tested Pages '09 since its online release as a downloadable fully functional 30-day trial demo. I was so impressed with the new Pages (as against the flashy eye candy of the '08 version) that I ordered the full boxed version. [The trial software is well worth a test run to see if iWork meets your needs.) The new Pages now easily exports a document in doc, txt or pdf format, and does a remarkably lifelike transformation of even highly complex Word documents, tables, lists, or legal briefs with a mere double-click or drag-and drop. Rather than spreading myself too thin, I limit this review to `Pages', leaving commentary on `Numbers' to spreadsheet buffs ... `Numbers' capabilities, in the past, were no match for the depth of MS-Excel. If `Numbers` performs as well as `Pages' in this iWork overhaul, then the product will be the best eighty bucks gift for your Mac. `Keynote', an image-with-outline presenter's tool, probably will prove at least the equal of MS-PowerPoint considering the Mac's flair for spectacular graphics. `Pages' well may be the impressive turnaround software that elevates the Mac from multimedia center toy to serious professional business status. Highly recommended for Vista-weary PC users and Mac loyalists looking for a solid business suite. The detailed crystal-clear manuals and crisp `Help' replies are welcome value-added resources.

I already have Microsoft Office 2011 for Mac, but wanted some of the features that are in the Mac preferred office software (mainly Keynote). This was a cheap way of getting all three of the office products that work really well on my machine. The software installs quickly and if you are using the disk does not require a product key or serial number. After installing Software Updates updated it to 9.3 (the last version before the switch to the 2013 version - what is currently in the App Store). The software works fine (I am using Mountain Lion (I have not tried it in Maverick, but I am pretty sure it will not have an issue) - this is because Maverick did not work properly with some of my hardware, so I downgraded back to 10.8.5). iWork as a software is great since it quickly launches and never freezes up like MS Office does. However, it is a much different interface and will take some time to get use to. I also do not like that you cannot default to save as a MS document, you can only export to those formats. However, you can open and edit them all without any issues. A feature I use frequently that is not available is equation editor, however, MS Office has it, so I use it in WORD. Numbers and Pages work really well and offer a full feature of productivity software you expect with a Mac feel to it (so get ready to rely heavily on the File Menu vs the bar and banner like in Office). Keynote is the main winner here, it offers some really nice features and transitions that make Presentations easy. However, transitions are not as great as Office 2013, but for Mac options they are the best choice! In the end this software is great and easy to use, I think if you are a real power user you will probably want both (MS Office and iWork), but for most users iWork will have that Mac feel and work really well. I got this online since it was much cheaper than buying through the App Store (not the newest version, after the 9.3 update, it is close), but I do not see too many features that would constitute the App Store price). I want to add that I purchased an NEW copy (from a third party seller), and I received just a disk in a sleeve. The disk was a legit Apple disk (not a burn or anything), but it was not in a box. This does not seem to matter since the disk worked perfectly, but I wanted to let you know, since based on the item I expected a In-Box Retail Version Software Product (I bought it NEW).

Ok, so this is not the standard productivity suite Microsoft Office, but it does hold its own. First thing to mention more than a hundred dollars cheaper than office, it can utilize that suites file formats, and removes the barriers of exchanging documents with PC users. Pages, I have used this a great deal since purchasing, and have to say it is solid for my use. I do a bit of writing, mostly short stories, and business reviews for work. This handles those task with ease, it is not as feature intensive as Word, but I hardly use many of words more "advance" options. This wins out over Word in my opinion. Numbers, this is the one I was least impressed with, as it seemed to take time for it to process very simple formulas. I am an above average user when it comes to excel and have some complicated spread sheets. Numbers just not able to keep up with normal use when it comes to spread sheets. Excel wins out over Numbers in this review. Numbers is a very lightweight version of excel and for the general user may work out just fine. Keynote, seems to work just fine for me, I do not do many presentations to make this review real detailed. With the features I played with, it does appear I could easily get by with this software, and not feel like I have to use PowerPoint. Keynote wins out over PowerPoint in my opinion. Overall for general everyday use, this software is going to work out just fine, and the price is easy to swallow. Now if you live and die by your writing, spreadsheets, or presentations then get yourself office for mac.

I have been a dedicated Mac user for more than two decades. I recently bought a new MacBook Pro, and like it just fine, although I was stunned to find it had no word processing software included. Needing at least basic word processing (who doesn't?) I bought iWorks. I have to say that I am extremely disappointed. No, that's too mild. I actually hate it, at least the word processing component: Pages. The application is cumbersome and far from intuitive. It seems designed to frustrate the most basic functions . . . like pasting a page of text into an existing document of 2-3 pages in length. I've gotten Pages to accept part of the copied matter, but then it just stops, refusing to expand beyond page 4 to accept the rest of the copied text. The forced headers are also annoying and unhelpful. This is a difficult and un-Apple-like software product. So far, the Numbers component seems okay. But, as for word processing, I feel Apple has really failed its loyal customers. I debated switching to a PC platform and succumbing to the world of Windows, but decided to stay with Mac. This experience makes me regret that decision. iWork '09

Let's face it - we buy Macs because they are "pretty." They are user-friendly, have beautiful interface, and they seamlessly run photos, videos and apps like no other. So, one would assume that Apple's iWork would be of the same caliber. Well, it's not. As a teacher I make a lot of newsletters, documents and worksheets. I depend on being able to create "pretty" documents with speed and ease. So, speaking mostly about Pages, here are my frustrations. Sadly, when comparing it to MS Office, I really don't have anything good to say except that it was cheaper! As a long-term Office user, I suppose I was spoiled by the ease-of-use, intuitive designs & toolbars, and loads of clip art and templates. IWork has none of these (well, they do have a few templates, but they are quite limited). The program is beyond basic and is not intuitive at all. The tool bars are minimal at best, but most of the time you have to go to the tool bar on the desktop to work with your document. The functions of file, edit, insert, format and arrange are all found on the desktop. WHY??? Oh - and in regards to those functions, there is nothing visually appealing about them - just drop-downs with each function listed in a vertical row. Simple? Yes. Appealing? Not at all. Also, there is very little you can do with fonts. Where is the Word Art? And on that subject, where is the clip-art? I like to be able to search for a subject and have hundreds of free and legal graphics at my fingertips (or at least available for import online). With iWork you have to search the net and find free clip art....or steal from other sites. Hmmmmm. Even printing is an issue since there isn't a print "selection" option. Overall, I am extremely disappointed with this product. I read the reviews and hoped for the best since most reviews were so positive. However, it seems I expect a little more from a Word processing program. If you are in need of a comprehensive and user-friendly program, then I do not recommend iWork. I just installed MS Office 2011 on my computer today and I feel the weight of frustration lifting off my shoulders already! Come on, Apple...step it up!!!!!

Okay... So, this is about to be a lengthy review as I've done, literally, HOURS of research (reading, testing, etc.) on both this software (iWork), and its competitor, Microsoft Office: Mac '08. And, I have to say, for what I use it for anyway (college projects such as papers, large presentations, and financial analysis using spreadsheets), iWork is THE BEST software available. The Office and Excel equivilents were really not much different, and even easier to use through iWork than with MSWord and MSExcel. I've even used the MSOffice 2010 on our school PC's, attempting to write a massive finance paper with graphs and such throughout, which proved to be quite painful to say the least. So, as I was already fed up with MSOffice products, I jumped out on a limb and purchased iWork with my new Mac Mini (which is the first time I've ever really sat down and used a Mac!). iWork was just so much easier to work with. Truly a breath of fresh air for me. I was wishing I'd had it for my finance paper. haha. Oh well. Now... (drum roll please!).. iWork's presentation program, Keynote, truly takes the center stage. I am SO SO impressed with this program. In mere minutes, and keeping in mind I really knew nothing about a Mac or Mac Software when I started, I was able to create a mock presentation that looked 1,000 times better than a presentation I had spent hours and hours on with MSPowerPoint! In just minutes I had an extremely professional, impressive presentation that even wowed me, so I can only imagine what it will do when my professor see's my next presentaion. haha! The one AND ONLY downside that I had to do more research on for a couple days to find a simple solution, is the ever linguring question with PC owners... Compatability??? Sure Keynote can do amazing things, but how would I use it on a PC dominated college campus. I thought the recently developed [...] site would be the solution. I was wrong. That's really only good for allowing group members to edit something from a remote location. Why Apple doesn't make it so you can actually present a Keynote from that site, or from the MobileMe site, I don't know. But, I was willing to pay for it if you could. HOWEVER, and maybe this will both convince you, the reader, and save you some valuable time and money, I discovered through playing with Keynote that you can export your presentation as a Quicktime .mov file, changing the settings to "on click" for the next slide or transistion. Who knew, as a lifetime PC owner, that one could have such control options with Quicktime. By doing this you don't have to worry about your fonts, transistions, animations, etc. transfering. I've tested this on my Mac and the school's PC's and it worked like a charm. I was thrilled!! So... in review, simply... BUY THIS PRODUCT for all your Offce, Excel, and PowerPoint needs. A little time with them and you'll not only have fallen in love, you'll have saved about $100!! Hope this helps you!! :D

Review as of September 2014: This older version is what I wanted and needed but it was useless with Mavericks, on my computer anyway.... I needed these older versions to do my tax spreadsheet since the latest version of Numbers (version 3) simply does not do Category Totals which I needed. So I had this disc overnighted, and It installed fine but all 3 programs crashed immediately, 'library image not found' or something, and would not run. I had no idea how to trouble shoot or fix. Luckily I found a year-old hard drive back up I had of my old iWorks '09 that DID work. Hope this review helps you, don't ASSUME it will work with Mavericks anyway. That is how I wasted $18. No big loss, but I really did assume it would install and run but it didn't.

Lo compre porque estaba a muy buen precio y lo unico a destacar es que me llego solo el disco precintado.Al principio me chocó, pero no hace falta mas para instalarlo.

This item arrived within the time frame promised and was just as it was advertised.

Great service from Amazon, as usual! Ordered late on Wednesday night, with Free Super Saver delivery, and it was with me by Friday. Opened, and uploaded onto my Mac in under 5 minutes. Is taking some getting used to (a very recent Mac convert from Windows), but overall another superb quality product from Apple. User friendly, great functionality, compatible with other software, and currently available on Amazon at a fantastic price, the same price as if you purchase it pre installed on a new Mac. I didn't do that when I bought my new Mac Pro because I wanted to do some more research and compare reviews between iWork and Windows. Chose iWork in the end because it clearly wins hands down. Don't hesitate!

This product didn't quite meet my expectations because the package came squished and there's nothing to hold a CD into after we're done not impressed

I have been using iWork '08 for a year now and absolutely loving it. I have Microsoft Office for Mac and as I never learned to use it in work (I have never worked in an office) I never got much beyond very basic documents, and always really struggled when adding and images, or even borders! Then along came iWork...Brilliant! It made everything so easy and beautiful, as only Apple products can. I was producing documents, posters, newsletters and presentations (all for my small business) like it was going out of fashion. Then came iWork '09. I saw the video's and bought it primarily because of the upgrades in 'Keynote', which are excellent. They have really tightened everything else up as well though, and 'Pages' is much more of a word processing app now, and although I don't use it to that much depth, 'Numbers' now has so much more options and depth as to warrant a full switch from MS Office to iWork, certainly from an average user standpoint. Since using iWork, my work rate and quality of things produced has increased dramatically, and iWork '09 has really smoothed out a lot of the edges and added some really stunning things to Keynote. Overall, however, the upgrade is only there for those avid fans as there are not enough changes or improvements really to warrant a jump from '08 to '09.