iWork

I recently purchased a family license for iWork because Beth's laptop was flaky, and I thought old reliable Appleworks might be linked. I've played around a little, and comparing it to Office comes next, naturally.

Numbers: I think the multiple tables per page is cool. I think that what it does automatically is great. I like the use of labels in place of cell column letters.
I wish it would work better with database or flat file sources. I wish there were better ways to import data into Pages. I really like Numbers. I wish Apples manuals were a little meatier.

Pages: Great product, but why isn't there a template for Avery label sheets? This should be rather easy. Again, how do I fill a table in Pages from information in Numbers.

Since I never use presentation software, I will leave any comaparison of Keynote and PowerPoint to someone who cares.

I think I've pretty much abandoned hope for software priced above $1 and less than $100. The comparative advantage over OpenSource projects is too low to support the price. Have you looked at a software aisle lately? There is nothing good in a box. I was happy to pay the price for iLife, since they super-optimised iPhoto. I'm also a little disappointed with the preference for .Mac integration over easily supported web export options (iWeb, iPhoto, I'm talking about you). These are just clumsy from iLife. And, since I bought a mac back when .Mac was still free, I'm just a little jaded about the price for a subscription. Lastly, since my camcorder fritzed out, there's little need for iMovie (to me, at least). It was a cheap product when I used it, and I preferred final cut express (discounted at $99 when I bought it).