The point wasn't that people don't need office apps, it was that people don't need MS Office.

I don't doubt that people consume office documents on their iPad, but I'm less convinced that people sit down and create whole spreadsheets with it. So there still needs to be some program on a computer somewhere for document creation.

You can consume Office documents natively on iOS - no iWorks required. The only reason people would be buying these would be to either modify or create their own documents.

Why? What is wrong with them in your opinion?

They seem to work very well for producing documents.

Those numbers tell how many people have bought the apps, not how many actually uses it. I have all 3 on my iPad, but apart from some early playing around, I've not used them. On paper, it's a great idea, and they are very nicely made. However, it's just way too cumbersome in everyday business.

I'm sure a lot of people benefit from those apps, but I would be very surprised if the "regular-usage" numbers are anywhere near the sales numbers.

They imply that being featured drives sales.