Apple iWork Free On New iPhones

Overshadowed by the unveiling of the iPhone 5S and 5C during today’s Apple event was the announcement that Apple iWork will be free on new iOS devices. iWork, which comes with programs such as iMovie, Pages, and Numbers which normally cost between $5-$10 per application.

Apple CEO Tim Cook stated:

We think that iWork is a really key advantage for our customers’ productivity, and iPhoto and iMovie are great for their creativity. Almost all of our customers want these apps.

Apple iWork is an alternative on non-Windows devices to applications in the Office suite. Now that iWork is free on new iOS devices, Apple may be able to take over the cloud market in a more significant way since Pages and Numbers will directly compete with Google Drive.

People with older Apple devices will still have to pay for the apps individually but everyone that purchases an iPhone 5S or iPhone 5C will get the apps for free. Presumably, Apple will also provide these applications for free to people that buy new iPod Touchs when they are released.

Earlier today, Apple announced two new devices, the iPhone 5S and the 5C. This was quite different from previous Apple iPhone events which have normally seen just one new smartphone announcement, not two.

The iPhone 5S is taking over as the flagship Apple smartphone, whereas the 5C is meant to attract people on a tighter budget. Even though the iPhone 5C should be available in most countries, it is expected to do extremely well in developing nations which tend to have a market which gravitates towards cheaper devices.

Apple’s iPhone 5S comes in three colors, gold, silver, and black. The phone will be available in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB versions costing $199, $299, and $399 respectively.

Both phones will be coming out on September 20, and Apple’s updated iOS will be made available on Sept. 18.