Apple Updates iWork Apps With iOS 18, watchOS 11, and macOS Sequoia Features

[MacRumors]

Apple today updated its iWork apps Keynote, Numbers, and Pages for the iPhone and iPad with some new features that require iOS 18 or watchOS 11.

The latest versions of each app are rolling out on the App Store now for the iPhone and iPad. Apple's release notes for each update follow.

Keynote:

• Advance your slides hands-free with the double tap gesture on supported Apple Watch models. (Requires watchOS 11)
• See HDR images and movies in greater dynamic range on supported devices. (Requires iOS 18 or iPadOS 18)
• Squeeze Apple Pencil Pro to quickly switch tools, line weights, and colors.
• Use the new document browser to easily create a new presentation or find a recent one. (Requires iOS 18 or iPadOS 18)
• Additional bug fixes and performance improvements.

Numbers:

• Squeeze Apple Pencil Pro to quickly switch tools, line weights, and colors.
• Use the new document browser to easily create a new spreadsheet or find a recent one. (Requires iOS 18 or iPadOS 18)
• Additional bug fixes and performance improvements.

Pages:

• Squeeze Apple Pencil Pro to quickly switch tools, line weights, and colors.
• Use the new document browser to easily create a new document or find a recent one. (Requires iOS 18 or iPadOS 18)
• Additional bug fixes and performance improvements.

Apple also updated Keynote for the Mac with a few new features that require macOS Sequoia.

• See HDR images and movies in greater dynamic range on supported displays. (Requires macOS Sequoia)
• Play your slideshow during a FaceTime call or video conference to automatically start sharing your presentation window. (Requires macOS Sequoia)
• Additional bug fixes and performance improvements.

Numbers and Pages for Mac only received bug fixes and performance improvements.

Apple released iOS 18, watchOS 11, macOS Sequoia, and other software updates on Monday.

Article Link: Apple Updates iWork Apps With iOS 18, watchOS 11, and macOS Sequoia Features

 

[orbital~debris]

Always feels like the Grand Upgrade is complete once Apple have dished out the iWork updates 🙌

 

[krakman]

I occasionally use Numbers for basic calculations but it doesn't fully support some complex functions found on Excel spreadsheets that is use for work.

New versions of iWork abandon older OSes, so I stick with Excel which works fine on older OS ( I'm using Monterey.... its only 3 years old!)

You get what you pay for!

 

[Adora]

Do you see them in updates on macOS? On iOS I haven't installed them.

I had to search them for updating on Mac.

On iOS it's really bad with app updating. I just got to the updates section and there were many from 5 or 6 days ago although I updated everything yesterday and the day before. It's also set to automatic updates, but it feels this never happens.

 

[coffeemilktea]

Nothing brings me more joy than an update to Numbers. Every time I open the app right after an update, it's like Tim Cook himself is crooning "good morning!" to me as I'm briefly blinded by the brilliant, all-encompassing light of these all-white no-dark-mode spreadsheets. 😵

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Beware if you keep older macOS Macs going. These updates often alter the file structure: you open something in the new, edit even a minor thing, save and then it won't open in the older version. If you are not prepared to update ALL devices, be careful with these updates. I don't know if that is the case with these updates as I'm opting NOT to update Macs for several dot generations. You might want to wait for someone to confirm if these do this and to what extent.

Can you open a Sequoia-edited version in Sonoma? In Ventura? In Monterey?

Else, ye have been warned.

 

[Adora]

Nothing brings me more joy than an update to Numbers. Every time I open the app right after an update, it's like Tim Cook himself is crooning "good morning!" to me as I'm briefly blinded by the brilliant, all-encompassing light of these all-white no-dark-mode spreadsheets. 😵

This is really annoying. I have only one spreadsheet and need to fill in some things the whole day, also while I am almost sleeping. But what has it to do with updates? It opened exactly like the version before.

 

[Velroy]

Does anyone actually use these tools?

I can't imagine a scenario where even Apple accountants or engineers would use Numbers of all things over Excel

 

[WarmWinterHat]

Does anyone actually use these tools?

I can't imagine a scenario where even Apple accountants or engineers would use Numbers of all things over Excel

I've never seen anyone using iWork apps.

 

[Adora]

I finally found that lightweight spreadsheet editor I was missing since years. Already switched from Pages to Bean and now from Numbers to TableEdit again.

Edit: seems they stopped development in 2015. Don't even find a download there.

TableEdit 1.0.0 beta 12 - CoreCode

TableEdit is a simple, clean & elegant spreadsheet application designed specifically for Mac OS X.TableEdit features a minimalistic yet intuitive

www.corecode.at

Edit 2: Strange there is a version from 2021. (Intel only but working on 15.1)

Download TableEdit for Mac | MacUpdate

Download the latest version of TableEdit for Mac for free. Read 18 user reviews and compare with similar apps on MacUpdate.

www.macupdate.com

Edit 3: This is the latest version:

Mac TableEdit - edit spreadsheets in a simple, clean & elegant way

free mac app to view and edit spreadsheets

www.corecode.io

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Pages is remarkable- especially as a simple DTP app (in what is called Page Layout mode). It does all of the basics well and can be a "for dummies" tool for DTP. I have convinced select clients to "go Mac" solely to use Pages before.

Keynote is better than PowerPoint for many presentation needs.

I use both like crazy.

And I'm NOT a fanboy type. That gush is real gush from a consumer who happily owns Windows PC too and regularly faults Apple when my opinion of them is negative on other Apple things.

Numbers? It's OK but weak link of the group. Excel is far superior.

 

[orbital~debris]

Does anyone actually use these tools?

I can't imagine a scenario where even Apple accountants or engineers would use Numbers of all things over Excel

I've never seen anyone using iWork apps.

Use Numbers daily, to keep track of household finances (have a new spreadsheet for every month, to budget etc.).
Use Pages frequently, to create documents and occasionally to write letters that need printing or sending as a PDF.
Use Keynote less often (now), to make the odd presentation or slideshow.

They are all fantastic apps, and make so many things easier than being constrained to the 'traditional' Microsoft way.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

Use Numbers daily, to keep track of household finances (have a new spreadsheet for every month, to budget etc.).
Use Pages frequently, to create documents and occasionally to write letters that need printing or sending as a PDF.
Use Keynote less often (now), to make the odd presentation or slideshow.

They are all fantastic apps, and make so many things easier than being constrained to the 'traditional' Microsoft way.

I don't see Microsoft's way as constrained considering they are cross platform, on the mobile and desktop/laptop/web side. If Apple wants to play in the same sandbox, they need to release a full set for windows, that doesn't require an iCloud account.

I guess it's because I live in Excel for work, but numbers comes no where close, and the collaboration and tracking isn't even in the same ballpark. Numbers just doesn't have half the features I need. For example. Twice a week I pull six 80+ mb excel files, open a new sheet, run a vb script that combines them, cleans up the info, organizes and shifts the data into a pivot table. After that, I add about 20 people that acccess and modify the sheet several times daily, with tracking.

For home and small business use, they are fine.

 

[aUniqueName]

Does anyone actually use these tools?

I can't imagine a scenario where even Apple accountants or engineers would use Numbers of all things over Excel

I use them all the time. F Microsoft and their subscriptions. Also, anything you do in windows, Microsoft apps, android or google suit is meta data mined. I don’t trust any app but native apple apps.

that said my needs are simple and Apple should definitely bring the iWork suite up to Microsoft Office level capabilities. They have been but super slow. They should get on this.

 

[citysnaps]

Does anyone actually use these tools?

I can't imagine a scenario where even Apple accountants or engineers would use Numbers of all things over Excel

I've used Numbers from almost the beginning in my work as both a systems engineer and an electrical engineer. Ditto on Keynote for presentations to customers and colleagues.

I much prefer them over Microsoft's.

 

[orbital~debris]

I don't see Microsoft's way as constrained considering they are cross platform, on the mobile and desktop/laptop/web side.

I guess it's because I live in Excel for work, but numbers comes no where close, and the collaboration and tracking isn't even in the same ballpark.

Ah, a different perspective I think – I meant constrained in the sense that you have to learn a lot of background on how to achieve something with Microsoft, there's no room for a fresh approach (due to that Microsoft need to not break with the old).

Whereas the iWork apps over the years have been a breath of fresh air (just as a couple of examples: aligning items on a presentation/spreadsheet with the guides that appear, being able to create multiple free-floating tables in a spreadsheet canvas, having a more natural way to interact with data in a table by highlighting it and looking at the formulae bar where the results are shown in real time).

The collaboration & tracking in Numbers works really well through iCloud – my partner & I can use it daily to update our household finances spreadsheet.

The one main thing in Numbers I'd like Apple to address is the feeling of the 'stalling' when opening spreadsheets stored in iCloud.

 

[aloysiusfreeman]

Does anyone actually use these tools?

I can't imagine a scenario where even Apple accountants or engineers would use Numbers of all things over Excel

I use Pages. It's not bad, and being able to work on something from MBA to iPad to iPhone is nice. I used to use Google Docs but their iPad app is god awful

 

[harriska2]

I use Excel, Numbers, and Sheets. I like Numbers with icloud. I use Excel at work because I’m too cheap to have a subscription. I use Sheets for sharing spreadsheets and doing basic accounting for my tiny nonprofit.

 

[GlassFingers]

Keynote is actually pretty slick! I’m super happy about this update where you could start presenting while on FaceTime and it would immediately show.

 

[stephenschimpf]

Does anyone actually use these tools?

I can't imagine a scenario where even Apple accountants or engineers would use Numbers of all things over Excel

I certainly do! I used the Microsoft Office apps for my business, but when I switched 100% to Apple for my home computing needs, I decided to try Pages and Numbers. Why pay Microsoft for products that do way more than I need? I found Pages and Numbers to be both fun to use and also to product great results!

 

[DanVM]

I use them all the time. F Microsoft and their subscriptions. Also, anything you do in windows, Microsoft apps, android or google suit is meta data mined. I don’t trust any app but native apple apps.

that said my needs are simple and Apple should definitely bring the iWork suite up to Microsoft Office level capabilities. They have been but super slow. They should get on this.

You can make a one-time purchase of MS Office, no subscription needed.

MS Office 2021

 

[KooL BeAnZ]

Still no dark mode icon?

 

[Ctrlos]

The double pinch Apple Watch gesture is one of those small Apple innovations that is an absolute game changer. Now if I’m lecturing or presenting I can just quietly tap my fingers together behind my back or as I’m talking with no button press to break the flow of things. Genuinely useful.

 

[gk_brown]

Does anyone actually use these tools?

I can't imagine a scenario where even Apple accountants or engineers would use Numbers of all things over Excel

I'm an engineer. Can't stand Excel - very happy with Numbers.

 

[BWhaler]

I love iWork. It is some of the best software Apple makes. It's the best tool for work and personal needs. Iknow it's not for everyone, and I wish icloud plugged into corporate cloud life better, but it's still fantastic software.