Numbers (spreadsheet)
Numbers is a spreadsheet application developed by Apple Inc. as part of the iWork productivity suite alongside Keynote and Pages.[2] Numbers is available for iOS and macOS High Sierra or newer.[3] Numbers 1.0 on Mac OS X was announced on August 7, 2007, making it the newest application in the iWork suite. The iPad version was released on January 27, 2010.[4] The app was later updated to support iPhone and iPod Touch.
Developer(s)
- macOS 12.3 or later
- iOS 15.4 or later
- iPadOS 15.4 or later
Numbers uses a free-form "canvas" approach that demotes tables to one of many different media types placed on a page. Other media, like charts, graphics, and text, are treated as peers. In comparison, traditional spreadsheets like Microsoft Excel use the table as the primary container, with other media placed within the table. Numbers also includes features from the seminal Lotus Improv, notably the use of formulas based on ranges rather than cells. However, it implements these using traditional spreadsheet concepts, as opposed to Improv's use of multidimensional databases.
Numbers also includes numerous stylistic improvements to improve the visual appearance of spreadsheets. At its introductory demonstration, Steve Jobs pitched a more usable interface and better control over the appearance and presentation of tables of data.
Description[edit]
Basic model[edit]
Numbers works in a fashion somewhat different from traditional spreadsheets like Microsoft Excel or Lotus 1-2-3. In the traditional model, the table is the first-class citizen of the system, acting as both the primary interface for work and as the container for other types of media like charts or digital images. In effect, the spreadsheet and the table are the same. In contrast, Numbers uses a separate "canvas" as its basic container object and tables are among the many objects that can be placed within the canvas.[5][N 1]
This difference is not simply a case of syntax. To provide a large workspace, conventional spreadsheets extend a table in X and Y to form a very large grid — ideally infinite, but normally limited to some smaller dimension. [N 2] Some of these cells, selected by the user, hold data. Data is manipulated using formulas, which are placed in other cells in the same sheet and output their results back into the formula cell's display. The rest of the sheet is "sparse", and currently unused.[7]
Sheets often grow very complex with input data, intermediate values from formulas, and output areas, separated by blank areas. To manage this complexity, Excel allows one to hide data that is not of interest,[8] often intermediate values. Quattro Pro commonly introduced the idea of multiple sheets in a single book, allowing further subdivision of the data; Excel implements this as a set of tabs along the bottom of the workbook.
In contrast, Numbers does not have an underlying spreadsheet in the traditional sense but uses multiple individual tables for this purpose.[5] Tables are an X and Y collection of cells, like a sheet, but extend only to the limits of the data they hold. Each section of data or output from formulas can be combined into an existing table or placed into a new table. Tables can be collected by the user onto single or multiple canvases. Whereas a typical Excel sheet has data strewn across it, a Numbers canvas could build the same output through smaller individual tables encompassing the same data.[9]
Reception[edit]
Numbers has been well received in the press, notably for its text-based formulas, clean look, and ease of use.[21][22][23] Macworld has given it high marks, especially newer versions, awarding Numbers '09 four mice out of five. They did point out several common issues, especially problems exporting to Excel and the inability to "lock" cells to prevent them from moving when the table is scrolled.[16] Numbers for the iPhone and iPad have received similar favorable reviews.[24]
However, version 3.0 of Numbers created an outpouring of complaints due to the loss of important business features,[25][26] with the Apple support community showing a 10 to 1 ratio of dissatisfied users with the newer version of Numbers. Versions 4 and 5 of the software put many of these features back and added many new features and functionalities.[27] In their review of Version 5, MacWorld concluded that "Numbers 5 for Mac advances the app, making it more useful for more purposes with less effort, but it’s still a shadow of full-feature business spreadsheet programs."[28]