Mac and iOS users are in for a treat as Apple announced to make several apps free. Apple has very recently updated iMovie, GarageBand, and the iWork suite including Keynote, Numbers, and Pages. These apps are now being offered for free at the App Store.
Those who have already purchased a new Mac or iOS device already got the apps for free. The said apps will now be offered for free even if there are no new hardware purchases involved. In other words, even owners of older devices with one of the two platforms don't need to pay for anything to get the apps.
As Tech Crunch reported, the Apple Store charged $19.99 and $9.99 for the Mac and iOS versions of the iWork for iOS, respectively. For the iMovie and Garageband apps, the respective asking prices were $14.99 and $4.99 for the Mac version. iOS users who wanted the two apps had to pay $4.9. Of course, all these were prior to the change. This also applied previously to those who haven't purchased any new Mac or iOS device in years.
The page for the iWork app, which is Apple's version of the Microsoft Office and Google Docs, still says it is yet to be updated as of this writing. The page also indicates that its productivity apps - Keynote, Numbers, and Pages - can only be downloaded for free after making an iOS or Mac purchase. However, expect the page to update its contents once the price drop starts rolling or takes effect.
According to MacRumors, these apps were already being offered for free to those who purchase new Mac and iOS devices since 2013. One reason why Apple decided to offer them entirely for free is to make fewer things less complicated as it may get confusing for users to know when they can download the apps for free or not. Another reason is to help businesses and educational institutions download the apps easier via the Volume Purchase Program store.
