.DOC(X) vs .PAGES vs .ODT -- usage/legacy/archiving questions...

(I know I know this has been discussed a lot I'm sure, but I still have some unresolved issues, so please try to bear with me.)
I know iWork is NOT the same as Office and is NOT meant as a replacement for Office (regardless of most Apple Store staff misrepresenting this "Save As" MS Office file extension functionality). However still longterm legacy issues persist that I'm wanting some help on from users here so that I won't have problems opening files in 10+ years time without in some way losing the original document formatting.
Just bought recently Macs, and I like Pages and Numbers usability, and understand they are not Office replacements when it comes to what they do and especially the formats you can save to while using (yes there's a script to save continuously CMD+S as .doc/.xls, but still the formatting allowed in iWork apps is usually not then allowable!).
My main issue then, is if Apple have changed their native formats (.pages & .numbers) heavily between '08 and '09 versions, so much so that users are complaining of losing formatting even on Apple's own upgraded products, then what is going to be the state of opening these things in 5-10-20 years time?
Is it really worth the risk of having HUGE legacy issues when archiving current files with Apple's format types, as Office formats are being ISO standardised?
The reason I raise this, is that from what I have read, MS Office is currently using these "Office Open XML" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OfficeOpenXML ) standards (.docx, .xlsx, pptx) which will be an International ISO standard. Thus ANY office program in the future will be able to open and edit cleanly WITHOUT losing any formatting on the original program.
Why is Apple outside of this with it's proprietary iWork formats, which are not very compatible. And more to the point, as a user who doesn't want format issues in the future when opening older files, what would be the benefit of saving to the iWork extensions?
I also have read about this other competing 'open' standardised format of OpenDocument/ODF (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenDocument ) —.odt, .ods, .odp, etc.— which only OpenOffice/NeoOffice seem to be going down (yes, I know TextEdit can open but limited).
But seeing as .doc & .xls have been the business formats of choice (MS Office legacy), are being ISO standardised, and still remain high % universal with most other users, why use ODF or iWork fomats AT ALL?
How do others around here deal with all these choices, when it comes to archives in the future?
Yours perplexed, Jim

Read this press release from MS in May 2008:
http://www.microsoft.com/Presspass/press/2008/may08/05-21ExpandedFormatsPR.mspx
To summarise:
Basically MS Office are supporting BOTH formats: OOXML (Office Open XML: .docx, .xlsx, .pptx) and ODF (Open Document Format: .odt, .ods, .odp). So users will have the choice of which ISO standard to use.
This makes Apple's iWork completely redundant and out of the equation, as it only supports fully its own proprietary extensions (.pages, .numbers, .keynote). With half-exportable abilities to the old pre-XML Office formats (ie. without the "x" on the end) of .doc, .xls, .ppt.
So, if you really want a paid-for product (rather than the free, but not very good graphically "GUI" programs), you should almost certainly go for MS Office For Mac 2008. At least then you'll know that you'll be able to use BOTH the leading file standards going forward into the future.
Even if macro's are not on Office Mac 2008, the next edition will almost certainly have the full suite that the Office Windows 2010 will get.
...shame cause I really like iWork's interface more. Why Apple didn't focus on the iWork user interface and productivity rather than their own special not-widely-adopted proprietary formats, seems lacking in business sense, given us users are not completely thick and can work out a future dead-end format when we see it. (pages 08 not even working with pages 09 - outrageous IMO?!?)
Surely they realised that these two format systems are the future, yet are attempting to go completely against the grain WRONGLY trying to gain some kind of market share for themselves at the loss of interoperability with other users and platforms.
You can understand it from a straight money point of view (gaining a market share of users to keep for their own products only), but with online Google Apps now and MS's online offering improving soon, both using these two ISO standard formats; why would anyone want to be stuck on their own with the Apple iWork ones?
And hence why staff in store tell half-truths about iWork working with Office. As a relatively new Apple user I expected some specialities, but this I am most unimpressed about. Bad Bad Bad Bad.

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