First Look: Numbers '09, spreadsheet

View this article at: http://www.macnn.com/articles/09/01/09/first.look.numbers.09/

Friday, Jan 09, 2009 5:20pm

First Look: Numbers '09, spreadsheet

As the last new application for iWork, Numbers introduced superior features, but lacked calculating firepower when put head-to-head with Microsoft's Excel. Numbers '09 attempts to remedy this problem, while building on the unique paradigm of a canvas where you place objects like tables, charts and shapes to create a visually-pleasing spreadsheet.

One crucial feature is the addition of more than 100 new functions, boosting Numbers' library to over 250. The increase brings Numbers closer to Excel's function library, though it still falls short -- there are no AMORDEGRC and COUPNCD functions in the financial library, for example. If you need a particular function, or plan to import Excel spreadsheets that use omitted functions, you’ll have to create your own formulas from scratch.

Whether you use built-in functions or create your own, the biggest problem when dealing with formulas is trying to identify where all your calculations appear. To identify formulas quickly, Numbers '09 includes a Formula List icon embedded in the toolbar. Clicking this displays a list that shows the location of all formulas, along with the cells from which the formulas receive data.