EXHIBIT 5.1

WILMER CUTLER PICKERING
 HALE AND DORR LLP

July 29, 2004                                                60 STATE STREET
                                                             BOSTON, MA 02109
Applix, Inc.                                                 +1 617 526 6000
289 Turnpike Road                                            +1 617 526 5000 fax
Westborough, MA 01581                                        wilmerhale.com

      Re:    2001 Employee Stock Purchase Plan
             2004 Equity Incentive Plan

Ladies and Gentlemen:

We have assisted in the preparation of a Registration Statement on Form S-8 (the
"Registration Statement") to be filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission (the "Commission") under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the
"Securities Act"), relating to an aggregate of 1,500,000 shares of common stock,
$0.0025 par value per share (the "Shares"), of Applix, Inc., a Massachusetts
corporation (the "Company"), issuable under the Company's 2001 Employee Stock
Purchase Plan and 2004 Equity Incentive Plan (the "Plans").

We have examined the Articles of Organization and By-Laws of the Company, each
as amended and restated to date, and originals, or copies certified to our
satisfaction, of all pertinent records of the meetings of the directors and
stockholders of the Company, the Registration Statement and such other documents
relating to the Company as we have deemed material for the purposes of this
opinion.

In our examination of the foregoing documents, we have assumed the genuineness
of all signatures, the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as
originals, the conformity to original documents of all documents submitted to us
as certified, photostatic or other copies, the authenticity of the originals of
any such documents and the legal competence of all signatories to such
documents.

We assume that the appropriate action will be taken, prior to the offer and sale
of the Shares in accordance with the Plans, to register and qualify the Shares
for sale under all applicable state securities or "blue sky" laws.

We express no opinion herein as to the laws of any state or jurisdiction other
than the state laws of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the federal laws of
the United States of America.

It is understood that this opinion is to be used only in connection with the
offer and sale of the Shares while the Registration Statement is in effect.

Please note that we are opining only as to the matters expressly set forth
herein, and no opinion should be inferred as to any other matters.

        BALTIMORE    BERLIN    BOSTON    BRUSSELS    LONDON     MUNICH
 NEW YORK    NORTHERN VIRGINIA    OXFORD    PRINCETON    WALTHAM    WASHINGTON



Applix, Inc.
July 29, 2004
PAGE 2

Based on the foregoing, we are of the opinion that the Shares have been duly
authorized for issuance and, when the Shares are issued and paid for in
accordance with the terms and conditions of the Plans, the Shares will be
validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.

We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion with the Commission in
connection with the Registration Statement in accordance with the requirements
of Item 601(b)(5) of Regulation S-K under the Securities Act. In giving such
consent, we do not hereby admit that we are in the category of persons whose
consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act or the rules and
regulations of the Commission.

Very truly yours,
 WILMER CUTLER PICKERING
HALE AND DORR LLP

By: /s/ Patrick J. Rondeau
    ----------------------
    Patrick J. Rondeau, Senior Partner