Just a reminder to please not post dumps from chatbot conversations. It’s just too much for readers to take in, and I’m assuming you haven’t fact-checked every detail to stand behind it. See the discussion at:
I noticed that too, not because it’s a big workflow issue for me, but because I use them (particularly Numbers) for such specific things that it took me a while to remember where I stored the actual files. It makes perfect sense—these are truly new apps—but it is an annoyance.
Interestingly, Apple seems to be doing something quite different, with these two keys instead:
I see that my installation of 14.5 has the CFBundleDisplayName. I missed that one.
Adding a CFBundleAlternateNames array to (a copy of) my installation doesn’t seem to change anything. And the copy is no longer executable, probably because it’s no longer part of the App Store sandbox that it was copied from.
How this is achieved, I’m not sure. It doesn’t seem to be in any extended attributes (at least not obviously). This isn’t just Apple apps either, so it’s not a hard-coded list somewhere (you’ll find plenty of third-party app folders in there that have multiple folders with seemingly the same name). Maybe Howard Oakley knows, it is the kind of thing he tends to investigate.
However this works I assume they’re using the same mechanism for these new iWork apps.
Ok, here are my questions (which I believe has not yet been addressed): When the free version of Numbers, or Pages, or Keynote gets updated by Apple (that is, beyond v15.1), will the method of updating be the same as it was, for the pre-creative-studio versions of these same apps? That is, updates (either manually, or automatically) are available through the Apple App Store?
According to the dialog that pops up to prompt you to update to the new versions, there will be no more updates to 14.5. Adam’s article has screenshots of those dialogs showing that message.
I understand no more updates to the 14.x line of apps.
What I am wondering is, is the method for going forward for updating the (free version) of the new creative-studio Numbers, Pages, Keynote (for v15.x and beyond), going to be the same method as before, that is, updates to (non-subscription) Numbers, Pages, Keynote (for 15.x and beyond) are going to be provided via the Apple App Store?
I think it should be clarified that there isn’t a free version and a creative studio version. They are the same app, and the subscription will unlock features unavailable to people who use it for free.
At least for now - who knows if Apple decides to split them out in the future.
So new Apple Macs will no longer come with Numbers & Pages? Or perhaps they will but only work for a couple of weeks before you have to subscribe? I foresee a massive increase in LibreOffice Mac downloads.
New Macs will almost certainly come bundled with the latest version (currently 15.x), with the AI/cloud features requiring a subscription, and everything else being free.
I read your post that only the versions up to 14.5 were bundled. I took from that the 15.x versions would NOT be bundled. Hopefully they will be bundled; I won’t be surprised when Apple only allows the bundled 15.x+ versions to run for a short period before requiring the entire Creator suite be bought to continue use. It would match up with Apple’s current “make a buck” philosophy.
Keynote, Pages, Numbers, and Freeform will remain free for all users to create, edit, and collaborate with others, including Apple Creator Studio subscribers. These apps will continue receiving updates, with the latest versions adopting the beautiful new visual design language with Liquid Glass on all platforms, and supporting the new windowing and menu bar improvements in iPadOS 26.
And, lower on the page,
Free versions of Keynote, Pages, Numbers, and Freeform continue to be available and are included with every new iPhone, Mac, and iPad.
Oh. Sorry for the confusion. I was replying to a message claiming that this new policy violates some terms with respect to copies that were previously preloaded on hardware. To which I replied that those preloaded copies aren’t going anywhere.
Going forward into the future with hardware purchased today, after version 15 has shipped, it’s anybody’s guess. Apple is under no obligation to preload any apps. It is safe to assume that the bundled apps will change over time, with some being added and some going away.
But for now, I think it’s pretty safe to assume that they will continue to ship the latest version of the bundle-formerly-known-as-iWork for the near-term. And that it will likely be dropped at some unspecified time in the future for the long-term.
Anything is possible, but given the fact that absolutely nobody at Apple has even hinted at a policy change like this, it is (at least for the moment) a baseless assumption.
You believe that Apple has become an evil company, and so you are assuming the absolute worst possible decisions, and will never be convinced otherwise. So further discussion is, IMO, pointless. So I’m going to stop now.
Let’s stop with the knee-jerk Apple bashing. It adds nothing constructive and just makes reading TidBITS Talk less enjoyable.
Criticism of Apple is entirely fine, but it should be specific, ideally constructive, and not just restating what has been said many times here before.
My complaint is a little different. I am an amateur photographer who would have liked to try Pixelmator Pro. I do not do video, so the other AV apps are of no interest to me. I can also happily keep using the former iWork apps without upgrading. So the Creator Studio bundle doesn’t work for me. The Adobe photography bundle is a much more useful option, with Lightroom and Photoshop. Perhaps if Apple ever releases a new App with professional photo cataloguing features, it will emulate Adobe and offer a photography focused bundle. More competition in that space would be a good thing.
