Apple Pages

Apple Pages Review. A word processor that strives to differentiate itself as a specialized tool for eBook writing.

While the attempt to differentiate from Word is commendable, it still leaves a feeling of subpar compatibility…

In fact, the most widely used office tools worldwide, without question, are MS Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. In response, Mac’s office tools include Pages, Keynote, and Numbers, which correspond to Word, PowerPoint, and Excel, respectively. As someone who has used many writing apps, both on Mac and iPad, I feel like Apple’s official writing tools are indispensable. I’ve just reviewed it. It’s Apple Pages! official website

Table of Contents

• Apple Pages
  • Apple Pages Review. A word processor that strives to differentiate itself as a specialized tool for eBook writing.
    • While the attempt to differentiate from Word is commendable, it still leaves a feeling of subpar compatibility…
    • Apple Pages is a word processor, but it looks quite different from MS Word.
      • The formatting section being on the right side is the biggest feature. It’s similar to scenario writing apps in some ways…
  • Apple Pages is a word processor specialized for e-book writing.
    • • Of course, there are also minor features such as collaboration capabilities.
    • While it tried to differentiate itself from MS Word in its own way, don’t you think it needs innovation?
      • All three of Apple’s productivity tools are the same in that regard…
    • Apple Pages Conclusion
      • Good point
      • Bad point

Apple Pages is a word processor, but it looks quite different from MS Word.

The formatting section being on the right side is the biggest feature. It’s similar to scenario writing apps in some ways…

Apple Pages is Apple’s word processor, which can be considered as competing with MS Word on Windows. However, unlike other word processors like Polaris Office that have a design very similar to MS Word, Apple Pages has a significantly different design. First and foremost, the most noticeable difference is that while MS Word and most writing apps have formatting options at the top or bottom, Pages places them on the right side. Yet, despite being a word processor, it doesn’t have excessively large margins; rather, it maintains just enough space akin to what you’d find on actual paper. It’s quite a unique design in many ways.

Perhaps that’s why there are hardly any apps that adopt the design of this app. I actually thought there were none at all, but there are some apps like Fade In that have a similar design. Still, personally, I think if this design were objectively good, more apps would have adopted it. Because this app is an official Apple app. In fact, there are quite a few writing apps that resemble Apple Notes in design.

Nevertheless, I’ve analyzed why this design was chosen or if there are any advantages to it. One thing I noticed right away is that despite being a word processor, using the app doesn’t give off a rigid feeling. These days, for simple notes, I mainly use note apps like Evernote, but for writing reports or longer texts, I tend to use writing apps such as Scrivener or word processors. However, Pages has a strange feel of being in between these two apps, so you can just casually use it. If you think of it as a lightweight writing app, its performance is quite powerful, so it might be good to see it that way.

Also, the word count at the bottom of the screen is another aspect where it deviates from Word, opting for a different direction. Because in Word, to see the word count, you have to look in the “Review” tab of the document itself. As a result, there was a somewhat inconvenient feeling, but this app is well-considered in these minor aspects. It’s in a pretty prominent position. And while Word typically has documents scroll horizontally, Pages has them scroll vertically. This is another difference between the two. Also, it’s nice to have various templates available in its own right. Personally, the template section looks a bit more usable than Word. More precisely, it looks a bit more practical. It’s good for adding titles and using simple formatting.

Apple Pages is a word processor specialized for e-book writing.

Of course, there are also minor features such as collaboration capabilities.

When you consider these aspects, Apple Pages seems to be optimized for E-Book writing. A document that scrolls vertically, with word count displayed as default, relatively simple formatting options, and templates suitable for adding titles. Furthermore, Pages has a feature that allows users to upload their writing directly to Apple Books, and Apple Books has a large user base, especially outside of the United States. So, I think Apple has reasonably set a good direction for development. In fact, if it were just a mediocre word processor, it wouldn’t stand a chance against MS Word. Even though Mac users are relatively fewer, Word surprisingly runs well on Mac. That’s why I see it as a good differentiation. Even if it’s just like this…

I was quite disappointed that this app doesn’t support Markdown, but well, most word processors do support it now, I guess. However, if it’s specialized for e-books, then just writing the content fluently is the most important thing, so I can understand it. On the flip side, Pages offers the freedom to change fonts, which is another advantage. Most writing apps often provide only a few default fonts for simplicity’s sake. Moreover, most of those fonts typically support only English characters, and Korean fonts don’t usually change. Of course, Apple’s default fonts aren’t bad, but still, the freedom to change fonts is something I really appreciate.

In addition, there are various other minor features, with one notable example being the support for collaborative editing, a feature commonly found in many writing apps these days. Up to this point, it may not seem particularly special, but since Pages comes pre-installed on Apple devices, it’s available to all Apple users, which makes a difference, doesn’t it? I see this difference in accessibility as quite significant. Furthermore, since some time ago, Apple Pencil has also been supported, and translation features are available, so I believe the functionality is slightly better on the iPad. However, on the other hand, if there is a downside to the e-book part, it is that in Korea, people usually read a lot of web novels on platforms like KakaoPage, and they don’t read e-books that much, do they? It seems like only those who read e-books do so. Of course, these days, there are quite a few novelists who are quietly becoming hits in Korea, so for novelists, it’s a pretty good tool.

While it tried to differentiate itself from MS Word in its own way, don’t you think it needs innovation?

All three of Apple’s productivity tools are the same in that regard…

Apple used to sell Pages for a fee, but now it’s provided for free. And it tends to update somewhat quietly but frequently. However, to be honest, I feel like they’re updating too many minor details. While Microsoft Word has longer update cycles, it has quietly innovated a lot. The design is gradually improving, features are being added one by one, and soon, with integration with Bing AI, office work might genuinely become obsolete.

However, Pages, Keynote, and Numbers, counterparts to PowerPoint and Excel on Windows, are not undergoing significant feature updates. Of course, the basic designs of all three are quite distinctive. However, it’s a bit disappointing that there isn’t much beyond that… Despite having a user base, it seems like they don’t put in as much effort, perhaps because it’s now free. I’d rather pay for it if it means incorporating more of the advantages of other apps to make it a better tool. Still, it’s the official word processor from Apple…

Apple Pages Conclusion

Good point

1. A somewhat original design.
2. Font change is flexible.
3. Word processor optimized for e-book writing.

Bad point

1. Honestly, it lags behind MS Word quite a bit.
2. The e-book feature doesn’t hold much significance in Korea either…