Q: Pages 5 features checklist

Next upgrade of pages 6.0 = Notes?  But Pages 5.0 not all bad. There are good aspects in the new pages; I like the simple look.  But without really basic features (and Pages 09 features were pretty basic), I don't see myself seriously using this vesion.   What would I consider basic items that I think should be returned?

Please Restore:

1. customizable toolbar

2. search side bar

3. end notes

4. page count! I can't believe this was omitted!

5. status bar option (not even an option??) to get rid of "page count" floating window

Does Apple really know what is best for everyone so that we can all have just one size fits all?

Also, when right-clicking on the canvas, the 'Paste & Match Style' option is gone. Now if I wan to do that, i have to press on Shift+Alt+Cmd+V. This is insane. Granted, Apple doesn't want to add new features. But why should they remove what was already present?!?!? And the vertical ruler is gone!!! OMG, does the person(s) who designed the new iWork actually use it???

Just wanted to chime in here, too, and say I'm disappointed. Apple should not have marketed this to their customers as an upgrade—one expectes, with an upgrade, at least most of the same features one had before, and not this rather drastic downgrade. The list of removed features and abilities is pretty impressive, and not in a good way. That OS X apps are being dumbed down to match their iOS counterparts is not good thinking and it's not a good sign. I moved to Pages from Word because Word is so unstable, but many of these missing features are absolutely essential to what I do. This is being branded as an inconvenience to "power users," but I'm no power user—the loss of so many features would impact even a college student writing a paper for an English class. Very, very unfortunate. Every time I try to do anything in Pages now, I end up laughing ruefully—seriously, no edge guides?

I've used Pages since the very first day it was released in 2007 (I think) and I use it on a daily basis. And while at first I was excited about this new version of Pages simply because the interface was fresh and new, the more that I use it the more I am frustrated by it.

I don't want to keep hammering the same things that poster before me keep mentioning, although they are very valid points, I also want to point out that when you have the thumnail view for pages open in the left sidebar you can no longer right click on them.

It seems that Apple has stripped away many of the "Page Layout" features of Pages 09.

Apple has really missed the boat on this update.

Oh, and the removal of the vertical ruler was a dumb move.

One of the greatest draws to Pages was that is was both a Word Processor and also a Page Layout app. You could literally write a book while also build amazing flyers and poster ... all withing the same app.

The new version takes a step backwards (IMO).

I could give a hoot about the stupid "Cloud" features. I save everything to Dropbox anyway.

Moved to 'File' > 'Revert to'.

wr_ wrote:

 

Next upgrade of pages 6.0 = Notes?  But Pages 5.0 not all bad. There are good aspects in the new pages; I like the simple look.  But without really basic features (and Pages 09 features were pretty basic), I don't see myself seriously using this vesion.   What would I consider basic items that I think should be returned?

 

Please Restore:

1. customizable toolbar

2. search side bar

3. end notes

4. page count! I can't believe this was omitted!

5. status bar option (not even an option??) to get rid of "page count" floating window

 

Does Apple really know what is best for everyone so that we can all have just one size fits all?

Page count is still there...? 'Insert' > 'Page Count'.

kulergary wrote:

 

I've used Pages since the very first day it was released in 2007 (I think) and I use it on a daily basis. And while at first I was excited about this new version of Pages simply because the interface was fresh and new, the more that I use it the more I am frustrated by it.

 

I don't want to keep hammering the same things that poster before me keep mentioning, although they are very valid points, I also want to point out that when you have the thumnail view for pages open in the left sidebar you can no longer right click on them.

 

It seems that Apple has stripped away many of the "Page Layout" features of Pages 09.

 

Apple has really missed the boat on this update.

 

Oh, and the removal of the vertical ruler was a dumb move.

 

One of the greatest draws to Pages was that is was both a Word Processor and also a Page Layout app. You could literally write a book while also build amazing flyers and poster ... all withing the same app.

The new version takes a step backwards (IMO).

 

I could give a hoot about the stupid "Cloud" features. I save everything to Dropbox anyway.

Yes. Much more word processor and less publishing tool

A long time ago, I submitted feedback: An iMac is not an iPad. A MacBook Pro is not an iPad. Apple still doesn't get it. I have an iPad and I like it very much. I have an iMac and I like it very much. I do not want my iMac to turn into a giant iPad. I want my iMac to be an iMac.

Kenneth Collins1 wrote:

 

A long time ago, I submitted feedback: An iMac is not an iPad. A MacBook Pro is not an iPad. Apple still doesn't get it. I have an iPad and I like it very much. I have an iMac and I like it very much. I do not want my iMac to turn into a giant iPad. I want my iMac to be an iMac.

I think this is a great point. I think Apple is striving toward interoperability between OS X and iOS, and it's not to the benefit of all users. Sure, there are times when I would like to pick up writing a simple essay while on the go, but I do not want to sacrifice altogether Pages' ability to complete more complex tasks.

Sad thing is that the new iOS versions are really good!  They've added export to other apps, so one can compose a letter in Pages for iOS, export it as a PDF and send it to Dropbox (or wherever).  I haven't gone feature by feature but after a bit of experimenting I really prefer the new iOS versions.  But I am not sure I want to commit to the new file format if it means losing so many features on the mac.

AAAMEEEN!!!! I couldn't agree more!! If they made iWork for iOS the same level of iWork for Mac, fine. But dumbing down my Mac apps to the level of iOS apps is a NO. Why don't they get it??

Beware if you are using Pages '09, and want to keep your files from the clutches of 5.0.

Whilst trying to print a file in '09, there appeared the spinning beachball of death, or perhaps a very long wait. I force quit Pages, and double clicking on any '09 file is now opening files in 5.0, which wasn't happening earlier. "Open with..." overides this, and changing it in File info works, but "Change all" doesn't. Changing in File info isn't working now either.

Please remember to post a complaint at apple.com/feedback. If you have Applecare like me, also call and complain there. I just did and the tech told me they are documenting every complaint and all will be read by the iWork team.

PeterBreis0807 wrote:

Do you think that removing the enormous number of features and the introduction of a mostly clumsier UI is an accident?

 

Apple had a bad Monday but will be back with us by Friday?

 

That Apple will do what it always does and says "Sorry! We made a mistake. Now that you pointed it out we will change course and get back on track. This time putting our customers interests first" ?

No, no and no. It seems more like a case of "streamlining operations" from a bean-counter's perspective. Maintaining and developing OSX, iOS and web versions of the iWork apps surely required employing more programmers than seemed "right" to someone high up. The trend was there long time ago (I still have some 200+ AppleWorks documents of various kinds that I have not converted, and my mirror-doored G4 w/Tiger is really long in the one tooth it's still got; I must get around to convert those files... Now it seems, I better convert them to those "industry-standard" file types... ) But, back to your meta-question: I'm pretty sure that the developments are neither accidental nor malicious; nothing personal; business as usual. Business. When Jobs spoke of trucks vs. cars, it was pretty clear where his laser-intense focus was. To continue Jobs's analogy (instead of the dishwasher/refridgerator image) this upgrade to a shiny new, hybrid backpack with wheels could not possibly have been meant as an upgrade for the pickup truck around which some of us have built our businesses; we are in the rear-view mirror. Colorful illustrations plopped into the page willy-nilly, with the text flowing around them (show-cased time and time again) seems to be the target ideal. For my own part (and I may have become a curmudgeonly cantankerous ol' coot), it reminds me of childrens' picture-books (not that there is anything wrong with those)—not of technical documentation or professional and/or higher education articles and books.

Still, we may get some mileage from requesting/lamenting/kvetching; we certainly won't get a thing without letting them know that there's not just a handful of folks who cannot use a backpack with wheels in place of the pickup truck.

I don't write super complex documents either. I'm a lawyer and mostly just do briefs, memos and letters. Footnotes, TOC, superscripts and italics, and revision mode with comments are the extent of my "power user" needs. Also, the abilty to interact with Word documents. I hope I don't run into something in the new dumbed-down Pages that forces me to start using Word.