When I first started writing this column in July I said we weren’t going to strictly do a help letters column. I say we, of course, because without your letters there is no help. This one’s going to be more of a commentary, partly because the letters are a bit thin this month (need help? click here!) and partly because an idea popped in my head. Something that’s been bugging me for a while.
AppleWorks 6 has been my main productivity application ever since I switched from Mac OS 9 to Mac OS X. I also have Microsoft Office 2004, but it doesn’t have a database and FileMaker Pro is too expensive, and overkill, for an individual. The only reason I have Office 2004 is because “everybody” has it. I get documents emailed to me from the city (I’m on the Planning Commission) in Word format, and from the schools. People always ask for everything in Word format. I only use it when I have to. It can’t replace AppleWorks, and something needs to.
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Hopefully this column won’t stink and disappear like Amanda’s first Rocketboom episode. I think her replacement is a poor imitation (that’s the worst Connecticut accent I’ve ever heard), and I can’t wait for Amanda’s big comeback. Anyway, we’re already off topic and we’ve just begun!
Welcome to the first edition of the MyMac.com Help Desk. This column will be along the lines of the Mac 911 and Ask Us columns in Macworld and MacAddict, not providing tech support but answering some of those nagging questions from readers. Unlike those columns, we’ll stray a bit from the letters from time to time. Tips, hints, ramblings, other stuff. You can send your questions to tom@mymac.com. I keep saying we instead of I because this is our column, not mine. Your letters will shape it. I will try to answer as many as I can (Obviously if I get hundreds some will be ignored. Sorry.), and put some in each column.
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Many people will see the announcement of a word processor from Apple as a statement of intent to reduce the dependency of the Mac platform on Microsoft. While AppleWorks (formerly ClarisWorks) had been around for years, it has always been seen too low-end to be much competition for Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint. But with arrival of Pages, a high-end word processor and page layout program, Apple is offering many professional and academic users a viable alternative to Word. If Pages turns out to be as successful as Safari and Keynote, does the Mac Business Unit at Microsoft have something to worry about? And if Microsoft stopped producing Office for the Mac, would it really matter?
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Believe it or not, we are only two months away from another Macworld Expo! (And even scarier, around seven weeks until Christmas! AHHH!) So I was thinking, and without going into the rumor mill, what can we expect at this Macworld Expo?
On the Apple side, I think it is reasonable to look for both a new hardware and software product announcement. The new iMac was just released, so I don’t expect anything new on that end. The PowerMac G5 line is still relatively fresh, but a huge speed boost would probably be in order come the first of the year. I would not, however, consider a G5 speed boost a Steve Jobs “One More Thing” moment. I expect he will mention it in passing during the keynote, however.
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