Apple took the liberty of dividing the iWork suite in to its individual Apps (just as it did on the iPad) selling them for $19.99 each. The only version of iWork available is ’09 but a slip hinted the next version isn’t too far off. TUAW noted iWork ’11 was listed on the Mac App Store under iLife ’11 and was quickly pulled. This has fueled speculation that the next edition of iWork is approaching.

An email exchange between Steve Jobs and an iWork user also lends more evidence to an imminent iWork release:

It’s all coming soon. Stay tuned.

Sent from my iPhone

However, the mention of iWork ’11 on the Mac App Store could’ve been a typo that wasn’t caught during quality control.

Announced during Apple’s “Back To The Mac” event, the Mac App Store has been anticipated by users for weeks as developers readied their Software for Apple to approve. Apple opened the doors to the Mac App Store today in addition to releasing Mac OS X 10.6.6 – an update to Snow Leopard. The Mac App Store, which requires the newest version of OS X (10.6.6), can be downloaded via Software Update. The store houses over 1,000 Apps including the individual Apps that make up iLife and iWork for sale at $14.99 and $19.99 respectively.

“With more than 1,000 apps, the Mac App Store is off to a great start,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We think users are going to love this innovative new way to discover and buy their favorite apps.”

Bloggers and users seem to be happy with the Mac App store. Apps that originated on iOS such as Angry Birds and Twitter are generating positive reviews albeit with mixed reactions for the later. However, not everyone is happy with the Mac App Store.

Many users are claiming the majority of Apps are horrible and developed by sloppy coders. The situation has even prompted the creation of a blog (NSFW) highlighting the design atrocities available on the Mac App Store.

The big issue with Pages and Numbers on the iPad was finding a way to sync the documents with your workflow. Let’s say I was working on an article on my iPad, and I had to take a break. A few hours later, I was ready to work on it again, but now I had access to my computer. I’d have to export the doc on the iPad, and then either e-mail it to myself, send it to iWork.com, or just plug it in and download it via iTunes. None of those options were fantastic for me, but now, we’ve got a few new options.

First, there’s Copy to iDisk, which is great for those of us with MobileMe. I have it, but I never use the iDisk feature because I have Dropbox. Turns out though that there’s also a new Copy to WebDAV option. What’s that mean? Got me, but I hope it’s an in that Dropbox can use in the future. If not, I imagine once 4.2 is live that Dropbox will figure out a way to get it done.

Regardless, there’s also new options to export Numbers docs to Excel, and Keynote to PowerPoint. Neat, right? Well it’s neat to me. Don’t get all mad because you didn’t get that GIJoe Aircraft Carrier that you asked for in 1987, I had nothing to do with that.

Sometimes, I like to hear about things going on, then let them marinate in my head for a little bit so I can think about it before spouting my opinions. For example, let’s talk about the news that came around last week: iWork was updated. Big deal, right? Not really, except that it also included an export feature in Pages that allows you to export to ePub format. That doesn’t mean much to most people, except when you find out that ePub is the standard format of the iBook store. Then it becomes more interesting, right?

One of my favorite authors is Chuck Palahniuk. He’s written lots of books, but he’s most famous for Fight Club, the one that was turned into a major motion picture with Brad Pitt and Edward Norton. When the iBook store first opened, there were no Chuck Palahniuk titles available. Today, there’s just one: Fight Club. Most of his other titles are available either on Barnes & Noble’s Nook app, or via Amazon’s Kindle version.Why isn’t this different for the iBook store?

That is one of the major reasons why I haven’t sunk cash into iBooks the way I have other reading apps on the iPad and iPhone: Variety. The titles that I’m interested in just aren’t there. But let’s say that something changes that made it easier for publishers to get books online without a lot of hassle? I’d imagine that making it easily exportable through a major program release might help.

But there’s another aspect to this whole situation that also should be mentioned. Self publishing is a pretty big trend right now, mostly because traditional publishing companies can make it difficult to get small authors published. By making it easier to produce documents in an iBook format, it makes it easier for individuals to get their own books in the store. I’m willing to bet that Apple will announce a program for iBooks and self publishing sometime soon.

This is something I’d be interested in myself, so I can’t wait to see where it goes.

Take this one with a huge grain of salt, but Pocket Lint is reporting that on the US version of the Apple site that this image was posted showing very clearly that Keynote is on the iPhone. Apparently since Pocket Lint found the problem, Apple has gone ahead and deleted the image, but in a world of “screenshot or it didn’t happen,” Pocket Lint has it covered. From their post:

Apple has inadvertently posted a screen shot on the new iPhone 4 pages of its American website showing the option to open an attachment “in Keynote”.

Currently Keynote, which is part of the iWork app suite and only available on the iPad, isn’t available on the iPhone.

Could Apple have made a faux pas, detailing too much in its excitement to spread the word about the new iPhone 4? Or is it merely a mistake on the company’s behalf.

I think with iMovie and iBooks coming soon to the iPhone that iWork is just a bit of programming away, if it’s not in the works already. I know plenty of people who would use iWork on their iPhone – myself included – as it’s an easy way to get things done in short order, and you could make changes to documents on the fly. And at $9.99 an app for the iPad, it’s a touch expensive. But I see it being priced around $5.99 – $7.99 for the iPhone.

Could it happen? I hope so.

Some time ago, I decided to say goodbye to Microsoft Office forever, and completely switch over to Pages and Keynote. It was an easy decision for me: I wasn’t a heavy Office user anyway, preferring to keep most of my documents online, and using the application primarily to open client .doc files and the occasional Power Point presentation.

Not only did this free up quite a bit of space on my hard drive, it had the added benefit of turning me into a non Office user.

Friend: Help! There’s something wrong with the icons on my toolbar in Word. What do I do?
Me: Oh, sorry- I don’t use Word anymore.
Friend: What? How do you open documents?
Me: I use Pages.

I’ve yet to meet a Word document that Pages wouldn’t open. It might strip a few styles, sure- but that, too, can be viewed as a benefit.

One thing about Pages that seems to bother a lot of my friends who try to switch over from Word is the apparent lack of downloadable templates. Word has lots, of course, allowing you to create everything from business cards to brochures to resumes in mere seconds. Pages, on the other hand, includes several built-in templates. There are zero downloadable templates on the Apple site, although some Google searching reveals a few 3rd-party sites that have some. Here are some good ones:

• iWorkCommunity
  Some good free selections here of the more “general” type. You can request for specific templates on the forum.
• Jumsoft Pages Templates
  A collection of 105 templates for $39. Some very nice looking ones on the samples page.
• StockLayouts’ Pages Templates
  These are priced per template, at around $99 each. A little pricey, but the templates do look more professional than most.
• iWork 4 School
  Free “school-related” Pages templates, with quite a few that should make some parents’ lives easier.
• Free iWork Templates
  A blog dedicated to finding free iWork templates. Some good links here (it’s how I discovered iWork 4 School above) as well as original templates.

I’d like to know: have you completely switched over to Pages? If not, what’s stopping you?

iWork, Apple’s answer to the Microsoft Office suite, also has an online component. iWork.com is Apple’s version of Google Docs, and it allows iWork users to share files with both Apple and PC users. I’ve never used it personally, but that’s because I don’t collaborate with anybody. And if I do, I just e-mail them a .doc file.

Anyways, Apple sent out an e-mail about the iWork.com public beta yesterday. Here it is in its entirety:

An important service message about the iWork.com public beta.

Dear iWork.com beta member,

We’re pleased to announce the availability of new features and enhancements to iWork.com.

Share documents on websites and social networks. iWork.com allows you to share a document by creating a public link. Use the link to share your document with large groups or on websites and social networks. There’s no need to set a password or send an invitation. Anyone with the public link can view your document but cannot add comments or notes.

Improved Shared Documents page. Download documents shared on iWork.com without leaving the Shared Documents page. You can also track the number of views your publicly shared documents receive.

Refined user interface. A redesigned Sign In and Shared Documents page for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch makes it easy to access your documents while on the go. The new interface and improved scrolling help you find your shared documents faster. Visit www.iwork.com from your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch to view your shared documents.

To take advantage of iWork.com and these new features, make sure you are using the latest version of iWork on your Mac. To update iWork on your Mac, go to the Apple menu, choose Software Update, and install any available updates for iWork. Then, to share a document from Keynote ’09, Pages ’09, or Numbers ’09, choose “Share via iWork.com” from the Share menu.

Thank you for using iWork.com. We hope you enjoy these enhancements to your service. After you’ve had a chance to try them out, we invite you to tell us what you think.

Sincerely,

The iWork.com Team

I tried it out earlier today and it’s pretty neat. The document loads up right on the screen and you can make changes, download it or print it. It’s very Apple-esque, with clean lines and icons, and very similar to MobileMe. Will it make me use it? I dunno for sure, but will you?

Keynote 4.0.4 deals with compatibility issues with Microsoft Power Point, and other general compatibility issues. Pages 3.0.3 and Numbers 1.0.3 also fix the incredibly general “general compatibility issues”.

Each download clocks in at roughly 30 Mbs and can be obtained now.

There is no official word from Apple about why this is, but I’m sure the pirates out there will be happy that getting iWork ’09 will be easier than ever.

If you’re chomping at the bit to try iWork ’09, Apple has posted a 30 Day trial of the application that you can upgrade to the full version at any time – just like with previous incarnations of the software.

So don’t worry about ordering it online and having it shipped, or stopping by an Apple store – you can get it right now.

I downloaded it last night, and spent a few minutes with it, but not enough time yet to have an opinion on if it’s worth upgrading or not. Hopefully after Macworld I can spend some time with the software and get a good look at it. Right now, it’s hard to notice much change, just glancing at it.

You can get the download here and give it a try for yourself right now.

Introduces iWork.com Public Beta for Online Document Sharing

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Apple(R) today introduced iWork(R) ’09, the latest version of Apple’s popular office productivity suite, which adds powerful new features without sacrificing Apple’s legendary ease of use. Keynote(R) ’09 introduces advanced object transitions, which automatically animate objects with a choice of effects and Magic Move, an innovative way to create sophisticated animations just by applying a simple transition. Pages(R) ’09 features a new Full Screen view that helps you focus on your writing and an outline mode to organize your thoughts. Numbers(R) ’09 introduces a quick way to group and summarize data and a dramatically simplified way to create complex formulas. Apple also announced iWork.com public beta, a new service Apple is developing to share iWork ’09 documents online.
“Millions of Mac users have fallen in love with iWork,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “With iWork ’09, Apple continues to demonstrate that innovation is possible in office productivity software, and that creating impressive presentations, documents and spreadsheets doesn’t need to be complicated.”
Keynote ’09 introduces Magic Move, which allows you to apply a simple transition to automatically animate the position, scale, rotation and opacity of any image, graphic or text that is repeated on consecutive slides. New text transitions morph text from one slide to the next. New advanced object transitions animate objects off one slide while simultaneously animating objects onto the next slide with a choice of effects. 3D charts now include cylinder shapes, beveled-edge pie charts, new textures and four new 3D build effects. The Keynote Remote application, sold separately in the App Store, lets you view slides and presenter notes and control your presentation with your iPhone(TM) or iPod(R) touch.
Pages ’09 Full Screen view lets you focus on your document without any distractions and reveals the menus, format bar and page navigator only when needed. Outline mode includes templates that help to quickly build the framework for your document and allow you to collapse, expand and rearrange elements, even inline graphics, with ease. MathType 6 support lets engineers, mathematicians and students easily add sophisticated equations to their documents and EndNote X2 integration lets users add and edit comprehensive bibliographic references. Pages ’09 also includes 40 new Apple-designed templates, including newsletters, posters, certificates and coordinated stationery.

Numbers ’09 provides a great way to quickly categorize data by column, which you can then collapse, expand and summarize to easily make sense of large sets of data. Numbers ’09 makes formula writing dramatically easier with an enhanced function browser which includes built-in help for over 250 functions, and visual placeholders with tool tips that explain each variable in a formula. Use the new Formula List to view all formulas in your entire spreadsheet and jump directly to any formula cell with a single click. Expanded chart options include mixed chart types, two-axis charts, and the ability to apply trend lines and error bars. Numbers charts pasted into Pages or Keynote are linked, and can be updated with a single click.
Apple also introduced iWork.com public beta, a new service Apple is developing to share iWork ’09 documents online. Using your Apple ID, just click the iWork.com icon in the Keynote, Pages or Numbers toolbar to upload your document and invite others to view it online. Viewers can provide comments and notes, and download a copy of your document in iWork, Microsoft Office or PDF formats. A consolidated online list of all your shared documents indicates when your viewers have posted comments.

Pricing & Availability
iWork ’09 is now available through the Apple Store(R) (http://www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail price of $79 (US). iWork ’09 is available for $49 (US) with the purchase of any Mac(R) through the Apple Store, Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers.
iWork ’09 requires Mac OS(R) X version 10.4.11 or Mac OS X version 10.5.6 or later, a Macintosh(R) computer with an Intel processor, PowerPC G5, or 500 MHz or faster PowerPC G4, 512MB of RAM (1GB recommended), 32MB of video RAM, QuickTime(R) 7.5.5 or later, a DVD drive for installation and 1.2GB of available disk space. iWork.com Public Beta is not included with the purchase of iWork ’09. Account setup and activation are required. Fees may apply. Internet access and iWork ’09 are required. Terms of service apply and are available at http://www.apple.com/legal/iworkcom/en/terms.html.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning computers, OS X operating system and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with its iPod portable music and video players and iTunes online store, and has entered the mobile phone market with its revolutionary iPhone.

(C) 2009 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, Mac, Mac OS, Macintosh, iWork, Keynote, Pages, Numbers, iPhone, iPod, Apple Store and QuickTime are trademarks of Apple. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Apple launched TV shows in the German iTunes store today, expanding the availability of television in iTunes further into Europe. 35 shows launched with the release, including German hits like ‘Stromberg’ and ‘Tramitz and Friends’, as well as several American shows like ‘South Park’ and ‘Lost’.

Suprisingly, the prices for the shows will vary from €1.99 and €2.49 per episode.

Fortunately, I wasn’t the only one who wanted a normal word processor from Apple.

In iWork ’08, they have completely refined Pages, making it a top notch entrant into the word processing arena, and they have done it without sacrificing any of the ease of use, or amazing publishing options that make Pages interesting.

Templates

Pages has 140 new templates for you to choose from, most of which are for the new word processing focus. Tempates for letters, evelopes, and even screenplays are built right in, and accessable with a simple click.

I went in and began writing a screenplay with ease with no more than 3 clicks. All the formatting options are available to you in the Paragraph Styles sidebar. I was disappointed, however, that I couldn’t find a way to navigate through the different styles without having to use my mouse. I’d very much like to be able to tab through them…which may be possible, but I couldn’t find a way to get it done.

The templates are varied, easy to edit, and beautiful. Especially for the Page Layout options. You can constuct an amazingly professional looking newsletter in minutes, by simply typing in the text you want, and dragging images into the areas where you would like them to go.

Views, Search, Comments and More

Under the Views tab at the top left of Pages, you get a variety of options to help you with your document. You can easily leave comments for other readers, or notes for yourself.

You can track the changes you’re making to the document to cover your revisions, and there is even a spotlight-like search for your documents that lets you find every instance of a name or word almost instantly.

You can also view the pages of your documents as thumbnails, allowing you to easily move from page to page in a document with a large number of pages.

Even the layout can be turned on and off, making it easy to see where different sections of the document overlap. Everything you would expect from a standard word processor (or budget page layout program for that matter) are all here, making it incredibly easy to just get down to editing your documents.

Tools

Taking your document from a plain black and white text piece, to a visual masterpiece is just a click of the mouse away. With the toolbar, you can simply select what you would like to add to your document, and you can spice it up in seconds. You can add shapes, tables, charts, and boxes of text to enrich the look of our work.

Inserting an image is also as simple as dragging it onto the page. You can resize it, place it where you want, or even only use a portion of it.

Importing .Doc files

I attempted to open five different .Doc files. One that I had edited in Microsoft Office, another in Neo Office, and three that I’d written in Bean.

Everyone of them opened flawlessesly. No formatting issues at all.

Final Verdict

I’m not an avid user of the advanced tools that Microsoft Office, or even Neo Office, have to offer, so I can’t tell you if this out does them or not. What I can tell you is that Pages has more features in it than I’ll ever use. It has more features in it than I think most people will ever use…but it does everything that I’ll ever want for my home office needs.

If Apple is trying to take a piece of the Microsoft Office pie, I think they’re going to do it with iWork. It’s reasonably priced, and very, very easy to use. Pages, like most Apple products, is very well thought out, and beautiful to boot.

I would highly recommend Pages to anyone looking for a quality word processor on the Mac. It has an amazing set of features, and there is very little that I can even find to complain about.

Final Rating: 5 out of 5

Note – I misunderstood the info on the iMacs, and there is no 17 inch model.

Special thanks to Richard for the new logo! New some design work done? Click Here to take a look at Richard’s official site!

You can subscribe via iTunes, or by RSS feed, or…

you can directly download the episode right here.

In addition to that, you should be able to play every episode of the podcast directly in your browser by using the widget which is now located in the side column of the site. Just click on the headphones to play the podcast inside the widget with full audio controls.

The new iMac was announced at the following price points: 20 inch $1199 and 24 inch $1799.

Features include: Up to 1 Terabyte of storage. ATI Radeon HD graphics card, up to 2.4GHz Core 2 Extreme processor, up to 4 gigs of ram

iLife 08 was announced with major updates to iPhoto, an entirely new version of iMovie, as well as iDVD, Garageband, and iWeb.

iWork 08 was announced with new effects in Keynote, better wordprocessing in Pages (plus 140 new templates), and Numbers, a new spreadsheet application.

Both iLife and iWork are $79 and available today.

.Mac was updated to 10 gigs of storage and the new .Mac Web Gallery. The price remains $99 for a year membership. It is available today.

There is also an update to the Mac Mini today, but we do not yet know the details on it.

It is also stated in the article that is is unknown at what level of developement the screenshot is from, so the final version may differ slightly.

Visit Think Secret for a larger view of “Lasso”