Pages 5 features checklist

Peter,

I do have another problem though, and users should beware: When my Pages 5.0 (and Numbers and Keynote) got installed, I naively deleted my iWork '09 folder. I've since then restored Pages 4.1 from a backup; this does launch and can open documents, but tends to crash (the crash-log cites a Pages plug-in problem) every time I close a window or save a document (edits do "take"). I do not know if this was caused by my deletion and restoring, or something else entirely. Before installing Pages 5.0, Pages 4.3 worked just fine. :-(

PeterBreis0807 wrote:

Tristan

Does it let you take two (or more) Shapes such as a Star and a Circle and unite them or cut a piece out of each other as the icons seem to suggest?

Peter

Yes, you can "Unite" diverse shapes and textboxes, and type into the united container. The appearance of the union is inherited from (forced by) the object that was furthest back from among the objects being united. If the union inherited the transparency of a textbox, the insertion bar is visible; when the appearance was that of a colored shape, I couldn't see the insertion point, but typing inserted the letters, which thereafter were easy to select and format.

The new Pages does not recognize dotted borders around texts properly. You cannot make a simple dotted border around 1 text line anymore.

This is a really helpful thread, although some people are missing the point. When you invest in software (mostly time in the case of Pages, although time=money in most cases) you do so knowing that it will be developed and optimised as the OS moves forward. After a long wait, it turns out we don't have a new version of our favourite WP/layout programme after all, but a new application with the same name. Pages 5 isn't currently usable for me, so I'm stuck with Pages 4.3. Much as I love it, it does feel old and I think scrolling stutters a bit in Mavericks. Apple should show their support for current users by releasing an optimised version of Original Pages.

Great effort with the list, Peter. Here's some first hand observations that may not have been mentioned:

Additions

Copy/paste style now works correctly for multiple cells in a table with complex formatting. At last! (shame I won't be able to benefit)

Reset image enhancement no longer adds maximum sharpening (bug fix).

I’m intrigued by the collaboration feature, but it sounds less magical than the on-stage demo. Apparently collaborators have to use the web app and there’s no live cursors like in Google Drive.

Removals/alterations

You can’t paste an image from the clipboard into media placeholders any more. I couldn't even paste an image from the clipboard onto the page. I literally have to paste it into Pages 09, then copy and paste it again into Pages 5. Even then, I still can’t paste into the placeholder. And it’s now a PDF so I can’t use image enhancements.

Changing the object wrap setting sometimes does not update the page rendering. You need to move the page or change the zoom to see the page updated.

Every time you work on a table, a whole bunch of controls appear around them even when you are simply editing the contents, and tab no longer selects the next cell in a table.

Adding rows to a table does not always intelligently extend the current formatting. You used to be able to select borders in a table, even individual borders for each cell. This doesn’t seem to be possible any more.

Randomly the word ‘text’ appears in my existing text boxes (boxes that contain tables only I think). It doesn’t print but it’s annoying, especially as it causes the text overflow symbol to appear randomly in my documents.

Closing thought: Pages 5 should have been called 'Pages for iCloud'. Or Apple should have announced plans to release Pages Pro X.

Peter,

Removals:

Importing styles from other documents no longer available.

Formatting page numbers into roman numerals has been removed.

Is the current score 56 removed features from Pages? According to http://www.apple.com/osx/whats-new/features.html Maverick has 200+ new features in total. They should really add a count of removed features in all the products as well, so one knows if one gets an update or a downdate.

The "Unite" option doesn't seem to restore layouts with linked text boxes created using '09. As opened, the layout is almost as '09 would show it, although not quite right, but not linked. If two text boxes are selected, and "Unite" chosen, some text (quite a few lines) disappears!

Another problem, is that some fonts have been lost, or changed in some sort of list, so that a default font is used in the Pages document, instead of the correct one.

"Open with …" Pages 4.3 "change all" seems not to work. It jumps back to Pages 5.0

Wow, was so excited for Pages to get an update, but SO disappointed. Glad that the old Pages is still on my computer and now going into Time Machine to replace files that I opened in Pages 5. Seriously, I can't duplicate a page? Or reorder them?

Its just sad that it is so much worse now. Before i could change the language simply from the inspector now its a pain as i switch so often between english and swedish in my documents.

Please everyone send in your feedback using the below link, the forum are not read by Apple i think:

http://www.apple.com/feedback/pages.html

Quote: "Open with …" Pages 4.3 "change all" seems not to work. It jumps back to Pages 5.0

What do they open with when double clicked?

I haven't done "change all", but 6 files changed to open in 5, still open in 4.3, even if they've been opened in 5, provided that you haven't made any changes, i.e. just opened and closed.

Although 5 is the "default" and shown by the file name (list view), it seems that the system isn't aware of 5's existence. Some people might think this is no bad thing! If you've actually opened a file in 5 and edited it, 4.3 won't then open it, even using "Open with..."

PeterBreis0807 wrote:

The point nearly everyone has been making is that we have all been hanging out for Apple to make the impossible possible in Pages, and the difficult less so.

And so far this superior software usability (especially in iWorks) has been one of the main arguments in our school district to spend "the extra buck" for apple hard- and software. First reaction of my IT-teachers is to cancel the implementation of iPads as students personal tools, which we originally planned for all pupils in grade 8-10 starting in summer 2014.

Looks like a future without apple products for us... That's sad!

PeterBreis0807 wrote:

XtraFinder (free) gives you excellent tabs, much better than Maverick, and available with a logical command t just like in Safari. It also lets you split windows horizontally and vertically, keep folders at the top of the window and more.

How are XtraFinder's tabs "much better"? The cmd-t shortcut works in Mavericks' Finder as well.