Item — HN Reader

Here comes the backtracking via public announcement; something we've come to expect from Apple over the past few years.

4 comments

This isn't backtracking, and this is awesome.

There has been a lot of coverage over how the new iWorks is to the old one as FCP X was to FCP 7. Unlike that debacle, which left users wondering WTF, this time Apple is providing a roadmap amazingly quickly after release, detailing exactly what feature improvements we should be expecting in the near future and when. To that I say: about time, and thank you.

I'll stick with iWorks '09 for now, but at least I now know that e.g. the lack of AppleScript is temporary, not permanent, and that I'll be able to massage my old scripts to work with the new tools within six months. Not bad.

And I bought Keynote a few weeks ago — I have some disc with Keynote 1 (maybe 2?) on it somewhere, but instead of digging that out I thought I may as well get something up to date — and I noticed in my Applications folder earlier today that some recent update has installed Keynote '09 alongside the new version.

I'm surprised they didn't learn more from the FCP debacle, and produce this list a week go when the new releases came out. Would have avoided a lot of the bad press.

You guys are right, I was stuck in the negative mindset of reading the announcement as an impeding (productivity-wise) apology, but really it is much more valuable to users to be responsive in this manner.

Thanks for pointing it out and making me humble once more :)

I'd hardly consider this backtracking. They have come out and said they will be re-introducing features that were missing from the new version of their software, and that while that is happening, you are capable of using the old software. I honestly have no idea what you could want more out of this other than them not having changed it in the first place, which is impossible.

I agree this is great, and not backtracking.

Although, as for this:

  "I honestly have no idea what you could want more out of this"

...I'd say we could have wished for more of a heads-up. But like you say, since the new version of iWork doesn't remove the old apps (and was free) I don't think people should be too distraught.

Actually they usually don't tell you anything as they did when they re-wrote iMovie and Final Cut Pro which took out features and were later added in. Telling users explicitly that this is what they're doing is much better.