This isn't me trying to convince you of anything, just adding some anecdata.
I find Word a miserable working environment. On the other hand, I find Pages a delight to work in. It's one of those "it just works" programs for me, and I find documenting editing so easy and intuitive.
It reminds me of those who swear by WordPerfect and wouldn't dream of using Word unless forced to; it's not the class of application they care about it; it's the specific set of tools, their presentation, and how the app matches their work habits.
(Same reason that I just can't use Google Docs, no matter how many workplaces make its use a soft requirement)
I wouldn't characterise it as underpowered so much as wrongly-powered. Just the ability to use macros etc. is not the same as being a real text editor.
I actually started out using word processors, and really wish I had discovered proper text editors sooner. For me, word processors are just miserable working environments.