Filed under: Humor, Rumors, Odds and ends, iWork, Steve Jobs
Numbers: Mac Spreadsheet Program?
I have a suspicion that someone at Apple may actually be listening to me. Let me sketch this out for you: on June 5th, we posted our second podcast here at TUAW. In the podcast, I mentioned how I'd like to see something like what Pages is to Word come out in the land of spreadsheet programs, a Mac-branded version of Excel. I think I may have even used the word iNumbers.Now, according to AppleInsider, a mere three days later on June 8th, Apple filed to trademark the term Numbers: "Described only vaguely by the filing as 'computer software,' Numbers may pertain to Apple's recently released graphing calculator application. However, the company in recent months has filed for other marks that more accurately describe that application, such as 'Graphulator' and 'Grapher' -- that latter of which is used in the shipping version."
I hereby predict that Apple will come forth with a spreadsheet program for its iWork suite, named Numbers, and even should Steve Jobs himself descends from Infinite Loop and tell me otherwise, I will believe until the day that I die that the words I spoke in our podcast were heard by Apple's ear and made them decide to make this move.
Thanks, Barb!
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Scott Gardner said 4:39PM on 6-16-2005
Similar subject: Inside Mac trademarks. Browse uspto.org and you'll find all kinds of interesting possibilities Apple may be considering. For example, the IPOD TM's "Goods and Services" description lists a plethora of goods and services, at last mentioning what we know to be iPod, "Education; providing of training; entertainment; sporting and cultural activities; provision of electronic publications (not downloadable); providing on-line electronic publications; publication of electronic books and journals on-line; providing publications from a global computer network or the Internet which may be browsed; computer assisted education services; computer assisted teaching services; computer assisted training services; computer based educational services; education services relating to computer software; editing of audio-tapes; editing of tine-films; editing of video-tapes; editing of written text; film editing (photographic); videotape editing; digital imaging services; digital music provided from web sites on the Internet; digital music provided from the Internet; information, advisory and consultancy services relating to all the aforesaid"
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Bagel said 4:41PM on 6-16-2005
No brainer, they need a spreadsheet program for iWork. They also can't compete head-on with Office as this would risk Microsoft doing an Internet Explorer on them (you make your own browser? fine we'll pull ie-- not that ie was any good to start with). Besides, iWork really isn't meant to compete head-on with Office.
In light of this, I think that they should do a reconceived spreadsheet that's not just Excel Lite. A spreadsheet that makes works the way we do. Something along the lines of Lotus Improv. If some of the NeXT veterans here remember, Improv was somewhat of a special application developed by Lotus with input from his Jobsness himself that handled data differently from the tabular-centered data in traditional spreadsheets.
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Brian said 4:59PM on 6-16-2005
I would welcome an iWork spreadsheet addition anyday!! Anyone tried to insert and excel table into Pages? Yuck.
Oh please let it be so!!
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dalton said 5:07PM on 6-16-2005
I think that Apple might be able to give Microsoft a real run for the money in this area if they do a couple of things.
a) Make all of the iWork applications work seamlessly with documents created with their MS counterparts, and advertise the heck out of that fact. Get real buy in from IT type people, so when users ask their local IT guru about it, they won't have any reservations about recommending iWork for home users.
b) Release iWork for Windows, and get vendors like HP and Dell to include it on new PCs. Most new users don't need half of the functionality of MS Office. Charge $59 for it.
c) Gotta get Pages 2.0 out there. Pages 1.0 is OK, but not great.
d) Numbers is a great idea. I don't think you can sell an office suite without a spreadsheet.
finally, e) iWork comes free with Apple PCs. Might swing a few people toward a new Apple PC when considering alternative - the $59 add-on to their new Windows PC.
I don't think Microsoft can really hold IE over Apple anymore. They haven't updated it since *when*? I don't remember the last time I used it. Witholding Office is a much more significant threat, but maybe teh Steve is finally getting to the point where he can tell Bill G. to take a hike.
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glad said 8:10AM on 6-17-2005
I hope that as I've just recently bought iWork, if they do release the spreadsheet, as part of iWork, then I should get it free or reduced price etc.
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Small Paul said 1:49PM on 6-22-2005
Yeah, throw in a nice, simple, Apple-y spreadsheet and Pages 2.0 (clearing up the glitches in 1.0), and I'll buy it in a second. The spredsheet is the only thing I use regularly, so its absence is what's holding me back.
I'm currently using NeoOffice instead, which is free, and marvellous.
(And once upon a time, I used AppleWorks. Uuhhhhnn.)
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Geoffrey Hutchison said 12:41PM on 6-17-2005
I second the comment favoring Improv. It was a great spreadsheet, and I think it could be easier to use than Excel. (Whether Improv was, in fact, easier to use than Excel is debatable.)
I also second the comment that iWork should be included in all Macs as bundled software. Keynote is fantastic. Everyone I know who sees a Keynote presentation is impressed. Including it on every PowerBook would greatly increase its use -- which can only be a selling point for PowerBooks. (i.e., "No that's not PowerPoint -- it's something better.)
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Sunny said 10:26PM on 6-17-2005
Yes, iWork should be included in all PowerBooks and PowerMacs.
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Greg Swallow said 8:46AM on 8-30-2005
Let's hope this is true. I coule really care less about Keynote. No real need for a show or presentation when I have no native way to manage the data in the first place. Wordprocessing and Spreadsheet that' s all I really need. As for using MS products? Not on your life. What a waste of an OS and of my time to have ever gotten my MS Certs.
So common Apple, I'm a diehard convert. I NEED a spreadsheet in the iWorks.
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ADS said 6:38PM on 10-30-2005
With regards to Microsoft pulling IE from Apple's OS X, this really wasn't a big deal, IE is rubbish, you should try to have as little Microsoft software on your Mac as possible, as it is a liability. Most PC users have moved away from IE anyway, as it hasn't had an update in ages, and it is a major security risk to any Windows PC.
I welcome an iWork spreadsheet application, it would complete the suit and it would provide the basic tools that companies require, I'm not sure if there is a need to take on Access, but i could be wrong.
I have Office for Mac, but i use iWork in most cases its far quicker loading up, and it has never crashed, i find Office for Mac unstable, but as a Mac converted program, i actually think it is better than the Windows version, which is really strange!
As for compatibility, i have created all sorts of files in iWork and they export in to Office XP without any problems, i have tested it over my home network with a PC and they are 100% compatible.
I recommend iWork, its well worth the Money!
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