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Apple today updated its iWork for iCloud software suite, adding new features to Pages, Keynote, and Numbers (via The Loop). All three cloud-based applications now remember a user's last used document settings and a user's most recent screen name when opening a shared document.

iworkforicloud.jpg
The apps also now include tips on how to perform certain actions using keyboard when right-clicking on objects and they've also gained the ability to mask images with a right-click. Here's a list of the updates to each app:
Pages for iCloud now remembers your last used document settings including zoom level, show/hide format panel, show/hide guides, and more.

Numbers for iCloud now remembers your last used document settings including zoom level, last selected sheet, show/hide format panel, show/hide guides, and more.

Keynote for iCloud now remembers your last used document settings including zoom level, last selected slide, show/hide format panel, show/hide guides, and more.
Prior to this update, iWork for iCloud was last updated in May, adding several new collaborative features. Apple has promised to continually improve iWork for iCloud and its other iWork apps for iOS and Mac in an effort to bring feature parity to the software across all platforms.

The iWork for iCloud software is available to all users for free, and it can be accessed through Apple's iCloud.com website.

Article Link: iWork for iCloud Gets Minor Update, Will Remember Last Used Settings
 

jayducharme

macrumors 601
Jun 22, 2006
4,517
5,935
The thick of it
Slowly but surely, iWork is regaining some important functionality. I'm still miffed that Pages no longer allows flowing between text boxes. But I wouldn't be surprised if that extremely important and useful feature resurfaces soon. I do love being able to work on a document on any device at any time, and I'm glad that it looks pretty much the same on all of the devices. It's just a shame that iWork had to be "dumbed down" first.
 

AngerDanger

Graphics
Staff member
Dec 9, 2008
5,452
29,002
Slowly but surely, iWork is regaining some important functionality. I'm still miffed that Pages no longer allows flowing between text boxes. But I wouldn't be surprised if that extremely important and useful feature resurfaces soon. I do love being able to work on a document on any device at any time, and I'm glad that it looks pretty much the same on all of the devices. It's just a shame that iWork had to be "dumbed down" first.

Agreed. It seems that Apple's method of operation is to have something that is feature rich and well-liked, completely overhaul it to run more efficiently and strip away loads of features, and then slowly add the features back as people come out of shock. :apple:
 

CosmoPilot

macrumors 68000
Nov 8, 2010
1,537
373
South Carolina
Love these changes. Apple keeps improving iWork. So glad we are off the yearly software and have a constantly improving software suite.
 

IJ Reilly

macrumors P6
Jul 16, 2002
17,909
1,496
Palookaville
Slowly but surely, iWork is regaining some important functionality. I'm still miffed that Pages no longer allows flowing between text boxes. But I wouldn't be surprised if that extremely important and useful feature resurfaces soon. I do love being able to work on a document on any device at any time, and I'm glad that it looks pretty much the same on all of the devices. It's just a shame that iWork had to be "dumbed down" first.

Agreed. It seems that Apple's method of operation is to have something that is feature rich and well-liked, completely overhaul it to run more efficiently and strip away loads of features, and then slowly add the features back as people come out of shock. :apple:

Way too slowly, if you ask me, pretty much on all fronts. They have a long way to go before Pages 5 is anywhere close to as functional as 4.1.

Is it really about feature parity? I wonder. If so, it seem odd to me how Apple doesn't seem to have a problem releasing (if only as a beta) iCloud versions of these apps that don't come anywhere close to feature parity with the mobile and desktop versions of the apps. This is an issue with real-word consequences, as anyone who's tried them has likely discovered.
 

PocketSand11

macrumors 6502a
Jun 12, 2014
688
1
~/
First things first, fix the GUI. Of all the things could have fixed with the iWork '09 GUI, they tried to fix things that weren't broken and messed it up. I'll stick with iWork '09 until they fix this mess and then add all the features that Numbers was always missing that Excel always had.

----------

Agreed. It seems that Apple's method of operation is to have something that is feature rich and well-liked, completely overhaul it to run more efficiently and strip away loads of features, and then slowly add the features back as people come out of shock. :apple:

I'm still waiting for iMovie to catch up to iMovie HD '06. So far, it hasn't happened, and iMovie '08 definitely did not run more efficiently than iMovie HD '06.
 

sracer

macrumors G4
Apr 9, 2010
10,271
12,994
where hip is spoken
First things first, fix the GUI. Of all the things could have fixed with the iWork '09 GUI, they tried to fix things that weren't broken and messed it up. I'll stick with iWork '09 until they fix this mess and then add all the features that Numbers was always missing that Excel always had.
----------

I'm still waiting for iMovie to catch up to iMovie HD '06. So far, it hasn't happened, and iMovie '08 definitely did not run more efficiently than iMovie HD '06.
It seems like the more popular Apple's OSX devices become, the less incentive they appear to have to raise the bar on what they deliver (software-wise at least). I'm pleased that I was able to install my iWorks 09 on a newly purchased MBA. After spending 6 months with MS Office, I had forgotten how productive I could be with iWork (Pages and Keynote)
 

szw-mapple fan

macrumors 68040
Jul 28, 2012
3,453
4,299
Is it really about feature parity? I wonder. If so, it seem odd to me how Apple doesn't seem to have a problem releasing (if only as a beta) iCloud versions of these apps that don't come anywhere close to feature parity with the mobile and desktop versions of the apps. This is an issue with real-word consequences, as anyone who's tried them has likely discovered.

The feature parity is mainly parity with the iOS apps. The web versions can never match the desktop/iOS versions because there are things that are sometimes just on the web.
 

Nevaborn

macrumors 65816
Aug 30, 2013
1,086
327
iWork for iCloud is still unusable to myself as I have no control over the rulers.I need to be able to adjust vertical and horizontal space.

There is a lot of work to go but I am hopeful it will get there. still waiting on all the updates Apple promised end of last year.
 

Traverse

macrumors 604
Mar 11, 2013
7,688
4,399
Here
First things first, fix the GUI. Of all the things could have fixed with the iWork '09 GUI, they tried to fix things that weren't broken and messed it up. I'll stick with iWork '09 until they fix this mess and then add all the features that Numbers was always missing that Excel always had.

----------



I'm still waiting for iMovie to catch up to iMovie HD '06. So far, it hasn't happened, and iMovie '08 definitely did not run more efficiently than iMovie HD '06.

I agree. I'm not completely opposed to a sidebar, but the current one is way too big and poorly designed. Why do I have to click to show bullet styles when there is already a ton of unused space in the sidebar!?
 

JustinePaula

macrumors 6502a
Mar 14, 2012
561
234
The iwork software, pages, keynote and numbers is $9.99 for each on on the app store, where is the free part???
 

RedPlanet

macrumors newbie
Apr 2, 2010
19
14
Iwork in practice is not there yet

I have been using iWork over the last couple of months and there are still a lot of little and bigger annoyances and basic features missing. Just a selection:
- Right click "copy paste" is horrible, for without adding extra lines first the next style (e.g. chapter title) are disappearing. (this is really annoying)
- chapter numbering is a pain in the **s
- creating bullets takes much to many mouse clicks, combing it with a style? additional mouse clicks every time you make a bullet.
- rearranging paragraphs is cumbersome (outline mode of MS word comes to mind)
- creating a universal style template to use in multiple documents? Maybe I just did not find it?
- I used internal links to help readers navigate in the document often in MS Word... can not do this in pages.
etc etc

I really like the clutter free approach of pages, especially for shorter documents it works really well. For bigger documents the limitations are really serious.

To me the addition of new features and correcting the copy paste issue can not come fast enough.
 

IJ Reilly

macrumors P6
Jul 16, 2002
17,909
1,496
Palookaville
The feature parity is mainly parity with the iOS apps. The web versions can never match the desktop/iOS versions because there are things that are sometimes just on the web.

My point being, this is an arbitrary distinction of no value to users. If feature parity was the real goal, it would be feature parity with the version with the least features.
 

JustinePaula

macrumors 6502a
Mar 14, 2012
561
234
The lead article is misleading, having emailed the editor, it has still not been updated, not sure why....:confused:
 

LV426

macrumors 68000
Jan 22, 2013
1,831
2,256
The iwork software, pages, keynote and numbers is $9.99 for each on on the app store, where is the free part???

It's been free to purchasers of new equipment since last Autumn. Owners of older equipment still have to pay for it, I believe.
 

JustinePaula

macrumors 6502a
Mar 14, 2012
561
234
Yes, I know, believe me, I know, I bought my ipad less than a month before the new launch, lost out on the free apps...Trust me, I have been in touch with Apple, who could care less, and said exactly that, "More fool you..."
 

gri

macrumors 6502a
Jul 17, 2004
841
175
New York City, aka Big Apple
All these "updates" are still not bringing iWorks any where near its predecessors. As long as Apple hasn't restored it to its old, full capabilities I am not using any of that crap. Why did Apple have to dumb down a perfectly good program. I use keynote for all of my presentations and just hope they will get it back up to where it was.
 

PocketSand11

macrumors 6502a
Jun 12, 2014
688
1
~/
It seems like the more popular Apple's OSX devices become, the less incentive they appear to have to raise the bar on what they deliver (software-wise at least). I'm pleased that I was able to install my iWorks 09 on a newly purchased MBA. After spending 6 months with MS Office, I had forgotten how productive I could be with iWork (Pages and Keynote)

Yeah, but they should at least not lower the bar. I only use MS Office for Excel.
 

jthompson666

macrumors member
Aug 20, 2011
80
82
Can honestly say I have never had a problem with the new iWork apps. Yes they have been dumbed down a little but they are 100% usable for most people. iWork for iCloud is also super handy - in my experience those web apps beat Google docs and office (web apps) hands down. Plus the new Mac apps are much more stable!
 

PsykX

macrumors 68020
Sep 16, 2006
2,356
3,088
Judging by the trend, iWork is never going to compete with Office, and you have no idea how many Macs would be sold with a solid version of iWork.

The only app that's worth it is Keynote, but then again there are features Apple keeps for themselves (i.e. the slide where they do an iPhone demo).
 

IJ Reilly

macrumors P6
Jul 16, 2002
17,909
1,496
Palookaville
Judging by the trend, iWork is never going to compete with Office, and you have no idea how many Macs would be sold with a solid version of iWork.

The only app that's worth it is Keynote, but then again there are features Apple keeps for themselves (i.e. the slide where they do an iPhone demo).

The irony, if we can call it one, is that the previous version of iWork very much competed with Office (or so those of us who explored its depths discovered).
 

PsykX

macrumors 68020
Sep 16, 2006
2,356
3,088
The irony, if we can call it one, is that the previous version of iWork very much competed with Office (or so those of us who explored its depths discovered).

The truth is it didn't.

No support (or equivalent in this case) for VBA macros (Swift should come rescue us), no pivot tables (!!!), a lack of versatility regarding the styles, a lack of user-friendly mathematical formulas built-in in Pages (it's already in Apple's Grapher, why not in Pages ?), the absence of many important mathematical functions in Numbers, the absence of many graph types, the lack of compatibility with other apps, the lack of collaborative work, a lack of synthax analysis (at least in French), ... too many elements where Word and Excel... well, excel over Pages and Numbers.
 
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