The launch of Apple Creator Studio this week successfully teams all of Apple’s productiveness apps underneath a single umbrella, however the firm appears to have launched the brand new bundle in a barely clunky manner. Reasonably than shifting the present variations of apps like Ultimate Minimize Professional, Logic Professional, Pages, and Keynote into the bundle, it determined to launch new variations for Apple Creator Studio, leaving the unique ones on the skin — though it nonetheless launched updates for almost all of them.
This was comprehensible for the flagship “professional” apps. Ultimate Minimize Professional and Logic Professional are nonetheless offered individually, so distinctive entries are wanted on the App Retailer to separate the variations with a $200–300 “Purchase” button from these that may be downloaded freely however require a subscription to unlock.
Alternatively, since Pages, Numbers, and Keynote are free, there’s hardly a necessity for standalone variations, which made issues a bit complicated when minor updates appeared for these on the similar time Creator Studio was launched.
Nonetheless, it seems the “bug fixes and efficiency enhancements” in these updates probably serve solely to behave as bridge variations for migration and immediate customers to hit up the App Retailer and set up the brand new Artistic Studio model.
Apple has truly drawn a versioning line within the sand between the 2 units of apps. Those with conventional icons are model 14.5, and would be the final of their sort. The truth is, they already really feel caught previously as they by no means obtained a Tahoe Liquid Glass replace — an omission that makes plenty of sense looking back.
The brand new model 15.1 apps, which you’ll be prompted to obtain as quickly as you open the up to date originals, characteristic the brand new unified “household” icons for Apple Creator Studio — and the complete Liquid Glass therapy. They’re additionally “Common” apps for the primary time, with the identical model used on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. The legacy variations had been Mac-only, with separate binaries for the iPhone and iPad.
Ought to You Replace?
Whereas Apple as soon as charged for these apps — again once they had been truly offered in a field labelled “iWork” — they’ve been free for therefore lengthy that few Mac customers probably bear in mind the times while you needed to pay for them (and set up them from a DVD).
It’s comprehensible that Apple’s choice to incorporate these client productiveness apps in a $129/yr bundle alongside its professional apps is making some of us understandably nervous, and one may even make a case that this was an odd choice on Apple’s half, because it blurs the traces between two very distinct households of apps which have lengthy been divided.
The excellent news is that Apple isn’t planning to begin charging for these free apps, though there’s additionally some nuance to that, because it’s muddying the waters by including some new options which are unique to Artistic Studio.
You’ll be able to proceed utilizing Keynote, Pages, Numbers, and Freeform without spending a dime. And whereas these apps stay free for everybody, an Apple Creator Studio subscription provides premium templates, a library of high-quality, royalty-free pictures and graphics, and highly effective intelligence options.
Apple
Essentially the most simply comprehensible of those is the Content material Hub, a library of professionally-designed templates, pictures, graphics, and illustrations. Most of these inventory supplies usually price cash, so few individuals count on Apple to provide them away without spending a dime.
The trickier half is that Apple can be limiting new AI instruments to paying subscribers. Proper now, these embody “Draft Presentation” in Keynote and “Magic Fill” in Numbers. The consensus is that these will stay behind a paywall, however in its unique announcement, Apple additionally described Creator Studio are together with “entry to options in beta,” so there’s a slight risk this can be extra about early entry, relying on the way you learn that.
I’m not holding my breath, however it’s additionally honest to say that Apple isn’t making you pay to entry any current options — and it guarantees it gained’t. The one query is whether or not Pages, Numbers, and Keynote preserve evolving to the purpose the place the free variations flip into “Lite” variations, changing into a shadow of what the paid ones are able to. “Magic Fill” already feels extra like a core productiveness characteristic that free customers might be lacking out on.
For now, although, the brand new Creator Studio variations of Pages, Numbers, and Keynote largely simply change the icon, undertake Liquid Glass, and shove in a couple of “invites” to get you to subscribe. Should you can abdomen these issues, then upgrading will not less than make sure you’re operating probably the most present variations and can proceed to get future updates.
Professional Tip: Should you plan to leap to the Creator Studio variations of Pages, Numbers, and Keynote, and you’ve got password-protected paperwork, be sure to set up the ultimate legacy 14.5 updates first and open every of them not less than as soon as emigrate any saved keychain passwords to the Artistic Studio variations. You are able to do this earlier than or after you’ve put in the brand new variations.
What Occurs to the Previous Apps?
The excellent news is that Pages, Numbers, and Keynote 14.5 will proceed to operate simply wonderful, so that you don’t want to replace simply but. Click on Not Now on the pop-up that seems and it seems you gained’t be requested a second time — not less than not immediately.
These apps will now not obtain any updates, however they nonetheless work in addition to they did three days in the past, and there’s no motive to imagine they’re going to interrupt anytime quickly. Which will change when macOS 27 comes alongside later this yr, however we will cross that bridge after we come to it.
Nonetheless, the opposite silver lining is that the Creator Studio variations obtain as separate apps from the legacy ones, successfully providing you with each variations dwelling side-by-side in your Purposes folder. This implies you possibly can return at any time. Opening the older variations after the brand new ones are put in will present you a immediate letting you possibly can delete the older one, however that’s merely a suggestion, not a request.
In different phrases, except you delete the legacy variations of Pages, Numbers, and Keynote out of your Mac, they’ll stay in place so long as you need, and proceed to run so long as they continue to be suitable with no matter model of macOS you’re operating. This implies you cannot solely return at any time, however you possibly can simply flip between the 2 variations — even operating them side-by-side in the event you like, as they are surely two completely separate apps.
Simply needless to say Apple has eliminated the legacy variations from the App Retailer, so in the event you do select to delete them, the one approach to get them again might be to dig via your buy historical past on the Mac App Retailer.
Professional Tip: Apple notes that you probably have a Pages doc (14.4 or earlier) linked to a Numbers spreadsheet for Mail Merge, that hyperlink might be damaged while you open the file within the new Pages 15.1. You’ll must manually re-link the info supply after shifting to the brand new model.
The Verdict: To Replace or Not?
- Informal Person? Replace. You get the recent Liquid Glass look and the brand new shapes without spending a dime, even in the event you by no means pay for the subscription. Simply preserve the outdated apps for every week as a backup.
- Skilled? Maintain off for 48 hours. Should you depend on complicated Mail Merges or third-party plugins, check your mission-critical recordsdata within the 15.1 model first whereas holding your 14.5 security web.
- Intel Mac Proprietor? Persist with 14.5. The brand new Common 15.1 apps are closely optimized for Apple Silicon, and also you probably gained’t see the efficiency advantages (or some AI options) on older {hardware}.