Comments on: iLife ‘08 and iWork ‘08 Have Arrived

By: Erik Schmidt

Erik Schmidt — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 15:53:11 +0000

Sarah,

Thanks for the note. I just got done doing some analytics work, some of which was done in Excel. I just ordered iWork (without even trying the demo version, which wasn’t the smartest approach). It will be interesting to see how the same tasks I normally do in Excel will be handled by Numbers.

Your mention of compatibility raises an excellent point. When I review iWork I’ll try to delve into importing and exporting in some detail.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 12:41:30 +0000

I downloaded the free trial of iWork, and I liked numbers so far. I don’t know if I’ll be ditching office 2004, though. My personal concern is whether Devonthink Pro will recognize iwork files without having to save them as word files first. If so, that’d be great, and would influence a future purchase. Last thing: the new keyboard is great! It’s much better than a macbook pro keyboard as far as key pressure goes. I was pleasantly surprised.

By: Patrick

Patrick — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 17:00:47 +0000

I’ve ordered iLife and iWork and I’m absolutely amazed at how much Apple improved some apps like iPhoto, iMovie and Pages.

As stated above it depends on how often you use those apps, but if you use them a lot it’s definitely worth the money.

Greetings

By: Erik Schmidt

Erik Schmidt — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 20:20:59 +0000

I stopped by the Apple Store at Valley Fair and checked out the new iMac and the new slim keyboard. It was a bit difficult to tell just how well the keyboard worked, because I had to stoop a bit to approximate a normal working posture.

The keys have less concavity than even my PowerBook’s keyboard, and far less than a traditional desktop keyboard. I’m not sure whether this will make a difference or not. My guess is that if the keys are a mite slipperier than normal keys, this could make typing a bit more difficult for touch typists.

That said, it looks like a well-designed keyboard. The pitch felt comfortable to me, and the slim profile makes other keyboards look like antiques. The touch of the keys feels good too. It seems that less pressure is required than with most keyboards, but it doesn’t feel like a hair-trigger either. The last thing you’d want is to be constantly mistyping because the keys were too sensitive.

I wish Apple made a wireless trackball, but most people haven’t warmed to the trackball concept, so I won’t hold my breath on that one.

The new iMac is a beauty.

By: Erik Schmidt

Erik Schmidt — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 15:23:22 +0000

I doubt that Apple is going to kill the student discount for iWork and iTunes, but I do see your point about pricing. It’s a tough call. Are three apps bundled together worth $71? It likely depends on how frequently you use them, I suppose.

Thanks, AJ, for the tip about the trial download.

I’m looking forward to checking out the new keyboard. Maybe I need to stop by the Apple Store at Valley Fair for a look-see.