Neither of these approaches is the “right” way to do things – they’re just different. Numbers takes an approach that spreadsheet novices will find less intimidating.

Excel is packed with more features than most of us will ever use, while Numbers takes a more basic approach.Įxcel also seems to be built for people who work with spreadsheets day-in and day-out and know exactly what features they need. This different approach gives you a glimpse of the difference between the two programs. Handles let you extend the grid in either direction, if you need to. With the default “Blank” spreadsheet, you get columns labeled from A through G and rows labeled 1 through 22. Numbers, on the other hand, starts you off with something more defined. When you launch Excel, you’ll see a grid that extends essentially infinitely in any given direction. Pages is basically a stripped down version of Word, but Numbers and Excel take different approaches to working with spreadsheets. When it comes to Numbers and Excel, the differences are greater. If you’re not sure, Apple has information on what Word and Excel features are supported in Pages and Numbers on its website. docx files back and forth, you’re probably going to need Word. Pages can export documents in this format, but if you’re working with someone and going to be sending. This is especially true in industries like publishing. Word has become an industry standard, and many people have come to rely on the “docx” format. One area where Pages doesn’t hold up as well as Microsoft Word is interoperability. Once you get started, you can change fonts, add images, and check your spelling and grammar, just as you would expect. The app includes templates for school reports, resumes, newsletters, and even books. Pages even has a whole range of templates to make it easy to get started on whatever you need. It lets you create and edit documents, as well as other basic functions. Pages does most everything you’d expect a word processor to do. If you’re aren’t positive you do need Word, then Pages might be perfect for you. In a lot of cases you’ll find you already know if you need Microsoft Word.

While they aren’t as feature-packed as Word or Excel, Pages and Numbers are more than capable enough for plenty of use cases. If Apple is giving the apps away, they can’t possibly hold a candle to the venerable Microsoft Office, can they? You might be surprised.

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