Where's my free upgrades to iLife & iWorks?

I've recently upgraded from Snow Leopard to Mavericks and understood that I would have access to free upgrades to the latest versions of iLife and iWorks where I already have the apps on my computer. I have old Snow Leopard versions of iMovie and iPhoto but when I look at the App Store they want to charge me for upgrades, I don't understand.

Also I removed iWorks 08 before I installed Mavericks. If I reinstalled it would I then get the free upgrades for iWorks?

It doesn't work that way. If you want newer versions...you need to purchase them. If there were free "updates" for these apps...you would have received them while still running Snow Leopard.

Upgrading to Mavericks does not include any free iLife/iWork upgrades.

- Nick

Well it is free with a new Mac, not a new operating system. Bit too much to expect for a free upgrade. Either new machine or purchase as Nick advises. And iWorks 08 cannot be upgraded at all.


Apple - Press Info - Apple Introduces Next Generation iWork and iLife Apps for OS X and iOS

Funny you should say that Nick.... I was surprised to find that the MAS automatically upgraded my iWork and iLife apps to the latest versions automagically, just after upgrading to Mavericks. But I understood it the same way you did - that you only qualified for upgrades with a new Mac.

Now, with that said, I did have the most current iLife and iWork prior to the release of the latest. So, maybe that's the distinction...

There was a bug that doled out "free" upgrades for a short time to some people who already had iWork and who upgraded to Mavericks. They fixed the bug, and not a lot was said about it. Currently, you need to buy the iWorks applications, or get them when you buy new hardware. I bought an iPhone 5S and got free iWork for it, but didn't not get it on my 2012 MacBook Air. Such is life.

Okay. No problem then. I wonder if iWorks '08 works with Mavericks without problem?

After researching things a bit further...here are two points:

1. We've covered this in some other threads in the last month...and "XJ-linux" mentioned exactly what happened. There was some sort of glitch where 30-day trial versions of iWorks and iLife were able to be upgraded to full versions for free:

Mac App Store bug allows iWork trial users to update the entire suite for free (Update: Aperture, too) | 9to5Mac

2. I also came across this article:

Looking for Those 'Free' iWork and iLife apps? Start Here - The Mac Observer

...which seems to indicate that:

- New buyers of an iOS device or a new Mac get the iLife and iWork apps for free.

- Folks who have upgraded to Mavericks AND previously purchased an older version of iLife or iWork (I'm presuming thru the Mac App Store for tracking/verification purposes)...also seem to be eligible for a free upgrade to the latest version of iLife and iWork.

I'm going to guess that if someone purchased an older version of iWork or iLife on disk...then Apple (via the Mac App Store) would have no record of this. So these folks that bought these apps on disks...may not qualify for the free upgrades (because these purchases are not as easily trackable as Mac App Store purchases).

Hope this helps,

- Nick

Mikethebook said:

Okay. No problem then. I wonder if iWorks '08 works with Mavericks without problem?

Click to expand...

Nope. It will install, but will not allow data to be input. You must have at least iWork 09 in order for it to function right in Mavericks. However, if you had iWork 09 installed and the latest iLife it would have updated to the new versions during software update in Mavericks.

In any event, you might not like the new versions of Pages, Numbers, and Keynote. Apple left out some things that were in the former versions.

I will probably leave iWorks well alone the since I don't really need it. But I would like free updates to iPhoto and iMovie which are the 09 versions but MAS says I have to pay for them so maybe the fact that they came on disk with my Mac Mini means the MAS doesn't recognise them.

chscag said:

Nope. It will install, but will not allow data to be input. You must have at least iWork 09 in order for it to function right in Mavericks. However, if you had iWork 09 installed and the latest iLife it would have updated to the new versions during software update in Mavericks.

In any event, you might not like the new versions of Pages, Numbers, and Keynote. Apple left out some things that were in the former versions.

Click to expand...

When I upgraded my iMac & MBPro to Mavericks, the newest versions of iWorks were also updated; interestingly, the iWorks 09 apps were but in a folder in 'Applications' and labeled "iWork '09" - so assume 'useable' on the new OS, if desired? Dave

RadDave said:

When I upgraded my iMac & MBPro to Mavericks, the newest versions of iWorks were also updated; interestingly, the iWorks 09 apps were but in a folder in 'Applications' and labeled "iWork '09" - so assume 'useable' on the new OS, if desired? Dave

Click to expand...

Yes, as a matter of fact you can use both versions. It's important to keep your iWork 09 versions around if you use some of the features that Apple has removed from the newer Mavericks versions.

One such useful feature Apple removed was "scripting" from Pages (and likely from Numbers and Keynote also) which is important if you access "services". That was a feature I used quite often to automatically retrieve information from other apps.

However, I do like the new Pages for layout although for more serious layout work, I still refer back to my reliable copy of iStudio Publisher.

chscag said:

....................

However, I do like the new Pages for layout although for more serious layout work, I still refer back to my reliable copy of iStudio Publisher.

Click to expand...

Hi Chscag - my wife does a little DT publishing (for volunteer organizations) and Pages is not quite working out for her after our switch to an iMac back in May. I visited their website and saw that the latest version was released in Nov 2012 - any problems w/ working on Mavericks? Also is this a pretty easy & intuitive program w/ good help? She tends to just want to 'jump in' and get the job done which of course can be frustrating!

Thanks for any comments - Dave

I think your wife will like iStudio Publisher as it's very easy to use. If you're familiar with Microsoft Publisher from Windows, you can use iStudio Publisher without any help. The only drawback is the lack of templates. There are about 20 nice ones included but not anywhere near what you get with MS Publisher. However, since MS Publisher is still around $120 and iStudio Publisher is only $17.99 from the MAS, you can't go wrong.

I almost forgot to add... Yes, it works fine with Mavericks.

Thanks for you prompt response on my questions about iStudio - my wife has used MS Publisher through many versions, so should be a great program for her; I had just checked the website for prices and thought that $30 was going to be the price but seems that the MAS has negotiated w/ them for the educational discount price, so yet another good reason to buy!
Dave