To all my fellow Pages addicts,

I would strongly, strongly encourage you to NOT update your iWork suite! I have been IN LOVE with Pages’ power and simplicity since I first started using it in 2009. However, the latest version eliminated many of the features that I love about Pages ’09! The new version is less capable even than Microsoft Word–as it is now a free app (which is nice), it appears that Macintosh has tried to simplify the program so that it is more clean and user-friendly (more user-friendly than Pages 09? I didn’t think that was possible!). However, their simplification eliminated features like the ability to send an object to the background, the ability to select and copy an entire page, the appearance of plumb lines when objects reach the center of the x or y-axis, and the ability to paste formatted text inside a text. I am sure that I would find more if I had the patience to keep using it. I have not had any issues with the Keynote update, and I have not yet used the new Numbers, so I can’t speak for that. But Pages is the WORST!

If you have already downloaded the new version, you may find that your Pages ’09 no longer works, if you are fortunate enough to still have it on your computer or on a CD (remember, that’s how we used to buy programs!). If this is the case, you probably have not downloaded the iWork 9.3 update, released in December 2012. You can download that here: http://support.apple.com/downloads/#productivitysoftware Install it, and you should have no trouble opening Pages ’09!

 

3 replies on “Warning about the new Pages!”

  1. You can turn on the alignment guides by going to “Preferences” –> “Rulers” –> and checking the boxes (more info here: https://help.apple.com/pages/mac/5.0/#/tanc9ead56b9). You can also send objects to the background with Pages 5, but it is more complicated than with Pages ’09 (you have to lock an object so that it is not selectable, more info here: https://help.apple.com/pages/mac/5.0/#/tan5eab46568). Duplicating/capturing a page is definitely missing, as are a ton other features. 🙁

    They re-architected the entire iWork suite so that it works seamlessly with iOS, resulting in a poor product for desktop users (who happen to be the only users who use iWork anyway!). It’s disappointing. I’m hoping they trickle in these missing features soon.

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    1. Thanks Crystal!! This is so helpful! I agree–I have to imagine that they will restore the missing features because the only reason people use Pages instead of Word is because it is is (was) so user-friendly AND capable. Otherwise, why would I go through the trouble of having to convert everything I create in Pages because the vast majority of the world uses Word? They had a good thing going 🙂

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