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Rumors Swirl Around Apple Office Suite

By David Worthington, BetaNews

January 3, 2005, 8:24 PM

Exactly one week before Macworld begins in San Francisco, details have emerged about a rumored replacement to Apple's aging AppleWorks productivity suite. Called iWork '05 and code-named "Sugar," the new suite is expected include Keynote 2 and introduce a word processing application currently know as "Pages."

Meanwhile, Apple's iLife will be refreshed with a new version of GarageBand that will be complemented by Jam Pack 4.

As first reported by Think Secret, iWork '05 will require a 500MHz processor and Mac OS X version 10.3.6. It is thought that the software will be protected by a serial number to ward off piracy, which would be a new tact for Apple. Think Secret also speculates that the suite will be bundled with all new Mac systems, including the new sub $500 iMac.

iWork has been a favorite topic in the Apple rumor mill after information about the product's development leaked out nearly two years ago. If the report proves to be legitimate, the suite joins OpenOffice.org as an alternative to Microsoft's Mac Office 2004.

Commenting on the potential for conflict with Microsoft, Jupiter Research senior analyst Joe Wilcox told BetaNews, "I don't see any immediate conflict with Microsoft over Mac Office, because our data doesn't indicate many consumers are planning to buy a productivity suite anyway. They just don't think they need one, which may or may not be true."

"But that doesn't mean a full productivity suite or integrated works package wouldn't bring them value. So, assuming the iWork rumors are true, by offering a free productivity product Apple could fill an important software niche among iMac and iBook customers," said Wilcox.

Think Secret has revealed that GarageBand 2 is also set for a Macworld debut and will ship with Jam Pack 4, formerly known as "Hermann" during beta testing. Jam Pack will be formally named Symphony Orchestra, and is expected to feature 2,000 additional Apple Loops and 30 new concert instruments. Aside from the product's established ties to GarageBand, Symphony Orchestra will be compatible with Logic Express 7 and Logic Pro 7.

An Apple spokesperson did not return requests for comment by press time.

Add a Comment (8 Comments)

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By normangerman

posted Jan 3, 2005 - 9:25 PM

What's next? iPoo, iCook, iDie, iKill, iBash?

Score: 0

By deonr775

edited Jan 5, 2005 - 6:57 PM

Re:"posted by normangerman
Jan 3, 2005 - 9:25 PM

What's next? iPoo, iCook, iDie, iKill, iBash?"

iPost.

Score: 0

By nate

posted Jan 3, 2005 - 9:09 PM

I doubt Apple really has anything up its sleeve that could upset Microsoft's control of the office suite market, but I personally think this is a great move. AppleWorks is aging and just not up to its OS X software lines. But a fresh simple word processor that matches its current software standards would be excellent for many Mac users.

People don't need all of the features Microsoft offers, but do need more than the simple functionality of TextEdit. Something easy to use, with core page composition features would definitely find a place on many desktops. Coupled with an under-$500 iMac and Apple is starting to pick up steam - for once in the right direction.

Score: 0

By stp

posted Jan 3, 2005 - 9:30 PM

Nate, think about it as a seeding move. If Mac OS X share ever gets too high, MSFT will pull Mac Office. It's the old "resistance is futile" line. People buy computers more for applications than they do the OS. Would I shop stick with the Mac if they couldn't use Office? Nope.

Score: 0

By nate

posted Jan 4, 2005 - 9:45 AM

Look at the quote from Joe Wilcox. Most consumers don't think they need an office suite. Most don't do advanced word processing - at most they write letters or simple documents, which a non-Microsoft application could probably do just fine.

Businesses are another matter, but that's not Apple's market anyway.

Score: 0

By Floodland

edited Jan 3, 2005 - 11:16 PM

Nahh, M$ wont pull Office from Mac OS plattaform, they continue boicoting the OS from inside. I can say that every M$ app SUCKS in Mac OS. Starting from office to the "recent adquisition" Virtual PC M$ makes all their efforts to crash/lag/quit the applications. Ie: VPC worked pretty good, until Microsoft bought Conectix.
And better don't talk about Internet Exploited, that has been discontinued after showing the proofs about M$ boicoting Mac browsing. Planned obsolescence(see http://rense.com/iealert.html ). Fortunatly you can now use Safari or Firefox in Mac os without miss IE at all. I hope I can say the same for M$ sh*toffice in a few years, if apple makes good their homework...
Take a look at M$N me$$enger for Mac.. Sweet: crappy, disconnecting, ugly and old piece of junk.
Every M$ Mac application is a pain in our *ss. I hope we can rid of them ASAP, or at least, convince them (M$) to not try to screw Macs apps like they do now...

Score: 0

By Fidelio

posted Jan 3, 2005 - 11:29 PM

It would be interesting to know how MS can boicot the OS from inside with a sucking Office:Mac when it is developed with direct support from Apple. So, Apple engineers doesn't know how to develop for their own platform? Just remember that Office:Mac was advertised by Apple itself as the premier companion when MacOS X launched.... Strange, eh?

Score: 0

By Floodland

edited Jan 4, 2005 - 12:04 AM

Well, you have a point there, but everything have its explanation: Is really good to apple to say "Hey, you can run Microsoft Word/Excel/Powerpoint in your Mac. And not "similar" applications, but the Micro$oft ones". That's the good part, now the experience working with M$ apps on Mac os can be frustrating and I do support for apple users, and is a common thinking that you have similar problems on a Mac and PC with programs. But numbers talks for themselves: 80% of the software problems on a Mac are directly related to Microsoft software.
Another comparison: Entourage and Mail. Ok, I don't really like neither of them. I use thunderbird but Entourage really sucks, it's slow, and quits. And mail from apple work flawless...
I think Microsoft receive cooperation on how to make a program works without having to install 20000 useless dlls across the system, breaking the half of programs that you already have installed and making grow your registry 20mb with no sense. In mac, you can just drag the programs to the application folder and use them (M$ can't even dream about that in windoze and they need support to do simple things). That's the Mac concept, simple. I know: they copy some libraries in the system later, but is trasparent to the user and you don't have to sleep 30 minutes waiting the wizard to end before you can write a simple letter). Anyway, my point of view is that M$ sabotage Macs, not directly but efficiently... I hope the apple office suit could make a similar effect as Safari did for IE.

Score: 0

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