Who would not like to install Apple apps like the iWork suite, iMovie, and GarageBand without paying a single penny or buying a new device? Now MacOS and iOS users can do just that, as the Cupertino-based company made the entire iWork suite, GarageBand and iMovie free for all its users.
Big savings for MacOS or iOS users
Previously, these apps were free only to users who bought a new MacOS or iOS device; however, this new update means that a device purchase is not required for those apps anymore. On Tuesday, the Silicon Valley giant updated the apps and made them available for free to all Mac and iOS users. The apps are now listed in the App Store for free.
iWork is a suite of productivity apps that are meant to compete with Google Docs and Microsoft Office. The iWork suite includes Pages, Numbers, Keynotes and iPhotos. Apps like iMovie and GarageBand are more consumer-focused tools for video and music editing.
Among all, the iMovie app may prove to be the most useful, considering the trend among users to use smartphones to shoot video. iMovie allows you to choose from a library of clips and then add studio-quality titles, music, and special effects. It also allows you to create Hollywood-style movie trailers using several short sequences and images, with Apple’s software doing most of the work. It also allows you to work on multiple devices; for instance, you can begin working on an iPhone and finish your work on an iPad.
People who have not purchased a device recently and were interested in using these apps would previously have paid $19.99 for the Mac version of the iWorkapp and $9.99 per iOS version. Before this update, GarageBand and iMovie for the Mac were $4.99 and $14.99, respectively, and on the App Store, their counterparts were $4.99.
How the changes help Apple
In 2013, Apple started giving away the iLife and iWork suites for free to buyers of new iOS devices, like iPhones, iPod Touches and iPads. But by making the apps free to all users, the tech giant aims to expand the use of them.
Apple’s latest change will make it simpler for educational and business institutions to download GarageBand, iMovie, Pages, Numbers, and Keynote through the Volume Purchase Program Store, according to a support document. The support document says that business or educational institutions which are enrolled in Apple’s Volume Purchase Program (VPP) can get free managed distribution copies for Numbers, Keynote, Pages and iMovie in the VPP store.
“You can then use Apple Configurator or your Mobile Device Management (MDM) solution to assign these apps to an iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Mac that you manage,” the support page says.
Here is the list of free apps and the software version required to run the most recent versions: iMovie Mac – macOS 10.11.2 or later; iMovie iOS – iOS 9.3 or later; GarageBand Mac – macOS 10.10 or later; GarageBand iOS – iOS 10.2 or later; iWork Mac – macOS 10.12 or later; iWork iOS – iOS 10.0 or later.
