Looking forward to the next version of Pages, Keynote and Numbers? Apparently they are finished, but Apple is waiting until the launch of the Mac App Store to release them. AppleInsider is reporting that according to its sources, the next iWork ’11 suite is already complete, but being held back until the Mac App Store is up and running. The suite was on track to be released along with iLife ’11, but Apple changed its plans at the last minute.
These sources also claim that Apple has not yet decided whether the iWork ’11 suite will be released in traditional boxed form, or whether it will be exclusive to the Mac App Store. The applications will also be available separately for the first time, and if the images from the Back to the Mac Apple Event held in October are any indication, they will be priced at $20 each.
If Apple does decide to make iWork ’11 an online exclusive, it will be a good test of the new model to see how people’s buying habits have been shaped by the iTunes App Store experience. I would be surprised to see iWork ’11 be an online exclusive, but if Apple is serious about this shift in paradigm, it would be in its best interests to support it fully.
Article Via MacNN
