Item: Apple Numbers
Rating: 9
Author: François Lavallée

Overall Satisfaction with Apple Numbers

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Apple Numbers is my number 1 application for calculation and graphs production.
I have always had an aversion to Excel.
I found in Apple Numbers an application that circumvented al the obstacles that Excel threw at me.
Moreover, being and avid user of Apple Keynote, the integration with my slides is seamless and graphically impressive.

Apple Numbers help my organization in so many ways!
I love it!

Pros and Cons

Pros

easy of use
amazing charts and graphs
Seamless integration with other Apple product
Copy and paste into word processor and prensetaito software from Apple
Easy to use formulas
Professional looking tables
Easy Use of cell formatting features

Cons

Excel still rules for macros
Importation from Excel not perfect
Importation from Excel does not work well for complex macros
Very advanced Excel features still not available in Apple Numbers
Exporting to Excel (essential or non-Apple Clients) sometimes is defective

Return on Investment

Apple Numbers is a free software ...huge ROI!
Apple Numbers is upgraded frequently and automatically without charge
Enormous time saver when integrating Apple Numbers spreadsheet into word processor and presentation software
easily exporter in pdf format. Ideal to share information
On the negative side , it misses some advances macro and programmable functions features present in Excel
Exportation as an Excel document sometimes defective
Importation from Excel sometimes missions some features

Usability

Apple praises itself for its user-friendly softwares. This is very true for Apple Numbers
The fastest learning curve I know for such an application.
It's ease of use in directly proportional to its power.
A nice alternative for most Excel users and usages.
I rated a 9/10 for one reason : the advances features are not up to par to Excel, but for most purposes it does not mater to me or my organization.

Alternatives Considered

Apple Keynote, Microsoft Excel, Apple iCloud, Apple iCloud Calendar (iCal), Apple iWork, Microsoft Powerpoint, Microsoft Teams, Final Cut Pro, Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Access

Free software
Free upgrades
Easy of use
Graphical quality

Key Insights

Do you think Apple Numbers delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Apple Numbers's feature set?

Yes

Did Apple Numbers live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Apple Numbers go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Apple Numbers again?

Yes

Other Software Used

Apple Keynote, Microsoft Powerpoint, Microsoft Excel

Likelihood to Recommend

A very strong recommendation for people who have trouble undressing and mastering Excel.
Apple Numbers is easy to use. This is my number one concern when I try to convince people to use a new software. Being a professional educator , the ease of use and understanding is my main preoccupation.
Especially useful for integration into word processor of presentation software i.e. for communication purposes.
I use a Apple Numbers spreadsheet for my invoices and I have been commended repeatedly by my clients about the professional looking document I send them.
Similarly the chart I show on my presentation slides always have a strong impact on my message.

Evaluating Apple Numbers and Competitors

Products Replaced

Yes - Excel
I always had a hard Tim using EXCEL. I took a 2 day course to get introduced to it and the first time I tried to create a chart back to the office, I failed.
When I discovered NUMBERS in the first versions of the iWork suite back in 2005 I was stunned to see that I could do just that in a few click...no hassle, no difficulties.
I only got better in the follwing years!
I sometimes use EXCEL when clients and partners send me their file with macros but this is the only occasion I use EXCEL.

Key Differentiators

Cloud Solutions
Integration with Other Systems
Ease of Use

THE SINGLE most important decision criterion to use software is the EASE of using it.
Then come the integration with other software I use.

In both cases NUMBERS is vastly superior to EXCEL for my use.
I am not a very heavy user, however. NUMBERS is perfectly suited to MY needs.

Evaluation Lessons Learned

No change.
Easy of use and integration.

I have been using NUMBERS since 2005.

EXCEL (or it cline like OPEN OFFICE) is a mighty application, no questions about it. But NUMBERS is more suited to my need that anything else.

Integrating a NUMBERS table in ma PAGES document is a cinch, As is integration into KEYNOTE and , oh bonus, I can even animate the chart!!

Using Apple Numbers

Usability Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Like to use Relatively simple Easy to use Technical support not required Well integrated Consistent Quick to learn Convenient Feel confident using Familiar	None

Easy Tasks

integration of graph into PAGES or KEYNOTE
Possibility of 3D charts
Basic formulas by simply highlighting columns or rows
Easy to move colunn or rows
Very easy to copy formulas to next cells by pulling the vertical or horizontal holders
Very easy to copy tables or graph into word processors or presentation software

Difficult Tasks

Some complex formulas seem to be more difficult to program than EXCEL macros
Importing complicated EXCEL spreadsheets into Numbers is sometimes difficult
Some macros from EXCEL do not always function seamlessly.
Some fine tuning of graphs and charts is not always easy

Mobile Interface Availability and Impressions

Yes - Pretty good for basic functions but becomes cumbersome rapidly : not as intuitive without a mouse.
Most functions require more steps than the desktop version.
Accessing the files from Dropbox or icloud necessitates a few steps to be able to edit the file.
Posddible to do pretty much anything but doing it with a finger takes more time. A bit frustrating.

Comments

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Number #1 for Apple Numbers!