Comments on: Switch to Apple Keynote? Laughing Out Loud!!

By: Simin

Simin — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 06:52:16 +0000

I take the points on both “sides” here, but for me Keynote edges it because the interface makes it faster to use. To put it brutally, I can get more done!

By: Terry Irwin

Terry Irwin — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 06:41:26 +0000

I agree Rick. It is not the software, it is the presenter’s skill that decides how good a presentation is.

I love Keynote, but a major defect is the absence of a Keynote player on the PC platform. The “export to PPT” function just doesn’t work reliably for me.

The transitions are beautiful – but we all know that can be a problem. Less is more.

I am not sure I agree about the typography. I find the fonts can be a little ornate and I usually change them.

I will continue to use both – unless someone pays me as well!

By: Geetesh Bajaj

Geetesh Bajaj — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 06:19:24 +0000

Love this sentence in your editorial: If all 3.5 bazillion people switched overnight to Keynote, would they all become better presenters?

By: Sandy J

Sandy J — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 03:24:02 +0000

Not in a kajillion years will I switch.

I will have Keynote on hand for those few clients who use it, but the point has been made over and over again — it’s not the *tool* that makes the presentation. It’s the presenter. Edward Tufte could have just as easily written, “The Cognitive Load of Keynote.” What’s going to stop a presenter from using Keynote to create a slides full of bullets?

That said, throwing away all slides and using life size cut outs would be more compelling than using a Keynote slide full of bullets — but wow — has a “cube transition…”

By: John Richardson

John Richardson — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 19:29:23 +0000

One of the best things any presenter can do is join Toastmasters and learn how to share effectively with an audience.

By: Dick Wilson

Dick Wilson — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 13:36:08 +0000

I also work in both Keynote and Powerpoint, and agree with Mike Pulsifer. Both programs have their strengths and shortfalls. All things considered, I prefer Keynote, but end up using Powerpoint simply because it’s what most people have.

Both programs have the same weakest link– users who don’t have a good sense of presentation. Regardless of the platform you prefer, simply having Word/Pages doesn’t make you a writer, having Excel/Numbers doesn’t make you an accountant, and having PowerPoint/Keynote doesn’t make you a presentations designer.

By: Mike Pulsifer

Mike Pulsifer — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 13:00:11 +0000

I use both. One when I can. One when I must.
I prefer Keynote because:
- Just starting out, you have defaults that work with those aiming for effective design. PowerPoint’s defaults have me fighting the software all along the way.
- Charts. With both, the default over-stylized charts need to be altered to more simpler, and more effective designs. Comparing the outputs of the two just makes PowerPoint look amateurish (http://mike-pulsifer.org/2008/12/improve-your-slides-charts/).
- blank slides. Yes, PowerPoint has blank slides, but the default slide in PowerPoint is one with a title and a section for a bulleted lists. I create one blank slide and the rest that follow are as well. This is important to me given that 90% of my sides start as a blank canvas.
- As Mr. Harrington said above, better attention to typography
- Presenter tools in Keynote are in my opinion superior
- Better object control (images, etc.)
- In the few occasions where transitions are useful, Keynote gives me better control.
- Better control over gradual builds, including bullets, when bullets are necessary.
I use both (PowerPoint on Windows and Mac) and Keynote ’09. I use Keynote when I can and PowerPoint when I must.
Sheer number of PowerPoint users doesn’t mean it’s better or higher quality. It’s just pre-installed on most computers, especially at work. An ill-begotten monopoly.

By: Craig Justice

Craig Justice — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 15:48:34 +0000

I have been stuck behind the PC for too many years — so long, I confess, this is the first time I’ve heard about Keynote. I’m going to check it out and unleash myself!

By: Simon Morton

Simon Morton — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 10:38:50 +0000

Here here! Many Keynote presentations fall into the same trap as the vast majority of PowerPoint presentations:
- Poor planning
- Too much text (bullet point or otherwise)
- Over reliance on animation to cover up for a lack of preparation/imagination (yes, Keynote may have a spinning box slide transition but is it helping me tell my story any more effectively?! Um…no)
Keynote snobs face the same perils as the gazillions of PowerPoint users…no end of fancy transitions or template backgrounds (BTW – they’re only refreshing because nobodys ever seen them before!) will disguise this fact. It all comes down to the human being driving the software.
Rant over. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to vent my spleen!

By: Richard Harrington

Richard Harrington — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 07:48:17 +0000

Well… I am a little biased.. But a tool is a tool. Here’s where I think Keynote has some advantages.
1. Better starter templates.
2. More robust tools for adjusting images right on the canvas.
3. A focus on typography (without options that allow you to easily cram a slide too full)
4. Easier support for multimedia content.
But… anyone can make a bad presentation… with or without Keynote. Just give them a stage and a flip chart (or even just let them open their mouths).
We all love our tools… but its ultimately the content that matters.