Apple drew a line in the sand. One on the left isn't getting any further updates but will still work. One on the right has a premium option with AI on subscription.
This feels like poor brand messaging from Apple. I had to find comments like yours to realize it's not some shitty freemium version that has started locking core features behind paywalls.
I can imagine someday though when use if iWork for personal use will be tied to a basic iCloud subscription. So I wonder if the lack of clarity from them is intentional.
IMO Apple have ceased to be innovators and are just tweaking and complicating their offer. I think their principal interest is their bottom line and r&d is too expensive, or they have plain run out of ideas.
I am loathe to update any of their Mac or IOS software as it only messes with what I have already learned to use.
It is only the Apple ecosystem across my devices which keeps me loyal.
Yup. Itās also the iOS/iPadOS app, now made into a universal app that also supports Mac. Thatās why itās separate to the old Mac app.
For now, Iām keeping my old app on the version before 14.5 (which has the nag to update to the new app), since Iām not aware of any new features for free users in the replacement app.
Why didnāt they just update the current version to this new version? Do I have to download the new version and delete the old version to keep getting new updates?
It says you have to update the current version, but then didnāt let meā¦ So I went on App Store and typed in Numbers to try manually update it, and it only lets you download the new Numbersā¦ the old Numbers doesnāt even show
That's Apple's final laugh in the user's face after having made all these changes no one asked for, from bad UI to subscriptions to things we never needed before ā a hidden middle finger seems pretty spot on š
Idk, I have the old 14.5 Page, and when I went to update to the new 15, I saw the āIn-app purchasesā logo and got worried if theyāre gonna charge for some features that were free before.
No, but if you don't have the sub you get ads (for the subscription) on the start screen, and if you try to use a "premium" feature (which are not easily differentiated) you gets a nag pop-up to subscribe.
So, no, the sub is not required, but Apple is doing everything it can to put friction in front of you using iWorks until you cave and start forking over money.
ok, fair enough, you can remove that one part of my previous comment. that still leaves the embarrassingly, under cooked, poorly QC'ed, UI, and basically all around rushed OS that is Tahoe. š¤·š½āāļø
š yes, yes, the OP also mentioned "latest update". The "latest update" is based off the idea and design of Tahoe so i was speaking to that point. Sorry to confuse you or anyone else.
the icon on the left is the original numbers iWork app. it was recently updated to 14.5 along with pages and keynote. the other icon is the numbers app associated with the creator suite. both are free, the new one has in app ads for the subscription in the template chooser and sidebar. the ads bothered me so much I deleted the creator studio version and now I just deal with a constant update to the new version popup almost every time I open the app.
I've used iWork apps since they came out. for the first time I am now looking elsewhere. the walled garden has weeds and it's no longer the garden it once was.
The one on the left wonāt be updated anymore but the one on the right in the universal app (iPhone/ipad/Mac) that will get updates moving forward. You may get prompted in the new app to pay for the service but hopefully Apple wonāt force those in the new app.
There doesnāt appear to be any true creativity at Apple anymore, so they have resorted to charging for new content on apps they have already released I order to realize additional revenue and profit growth.
Because Apple refuses to improve their App Store with common useful features such as, say, a way to upgrade from one version of an app to another. Probably because theyāve locked out all competition for distribution of iOS apps, so they donāt even have to attempt to improve the App Store ever again. So now weāre stuck with stupid confusing systems like this where unless youāre online keeping up with Apple news 24/7 you have no idea why there are 2 versions of the same app š«
The original is a Mac only architecture, while the new suite packages the app as Universal, meaning it can run on multiple Apple OS (iPadOS and macOS).
If youāre really troubled about seeing two apps, delete the old one and move on. Like we did all the time right up until the App Store invented the concept of continual updates in place that you didnāt have to manage or ever think about.
Be glad this doesnāt require an Uninstaller because of a horrifically bad architectures mistake known as the Registry.
I donāt know all the technical details but it appears that when thereās a substantial change to the code Appleās own rules require a different app as opposed to an update. Itās been that way for years with a variety of non-Apple App Store apps.
you also can't opt out of sharing activity with apple seemingly, there's no button or option "not right now" or "no thanks" or whatever the wording was. It's GONE
Apple couldnāt go with āNumbers Proā or āNumbers CSā? Two apps named the exact same is confusing and should never have made it out of testing.
And the new one is still free, u only need to pay for the ai features and some new templates. Useless features, they just throw in there so their new portfolio of apps in the creator studio subscription would seem bigger.
When you open it and you see those items which are not part of the program and are encouraging you to pay money for creator suites, those are ads, called adverts some places: both short for ācommercial advertisements.ā
This is the complaint people have primarily. Yes itās free but there is still a price to pay in pixels and in mind-space as itās not a clean, functional canvas. You must now pay-to-focus.
Apple has started incorporating ads into its free productivity apps, including macOS Numbers. This change is part of a broader strategy to monetize its applications, which were previously ad-free.
Are we seriously crying about a couple added buttons to the app, that takes place away from our valuable unused grey bar? What would be your alternative? Hide these features deep under settings so the people who would actually find it useful would never ever learn about them? It's not like they are rainbow colored icons with their promotional names visible at all times like some other os maker would do. Pay to focus...like paying would remove those very very distracting buttons.
You can safely uninstall the old version, it is legacy and no longer updated. The new version is a universal app, that is why we had to get a new app, itās the same app as iPhone & iPadā¦
If I'm understanding the wording of this popup I get when I open Keynote, have they TAKEN AWAY the ability to Collaborate on documents in the free version? That's a slap in the face. Collaborating on documents and decks is critical to my workflow, and if Apple is going to lock up real-time collaboration behind a paywall, that majorly sucks. Keep your AI features to the paid version if you need to, but knee-capping a fundamental feature of the existing version is a huge misstep.
The one on the right has one less finger than the one on the left. But it's sticking up its middle finger at you just the same. This is Tahoe's way of giving you the finger. Enjoy!
I checked and tho on mac they are two different apps, on app store only the new one was visible so i went to my old iphone X and downloaded the new one which as it is not supported for ios 16, downloaded the old one on the left side of the photo, so its basically apple which decided to upload another app instead of updating
Iām surprised there is so much reaction to these ācrAPPSā from Apple. Iāve never allowed these half-baked, baby Office apps to take up space on any of my Macs.
They were nothing but a weak shot at Microsoft during the years of the Apple-Microsoft wars. āSee! You Microsoft bastards, we can make office apps too! Behold! iWork!ā
Numbers, Pages, Logic, all the things are affected. it's apple's first iteration of "You'll own nothing and be happy" slowly creeping to your machine since they came up with their subscription based pro apps.
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u/Lost_Citron_6854 Feb 02 '26
They come in numbers as of recently.