Apple Updates Pages, Numbers, and Keynote With New Features

[MacRumors]

Apple today updated its iWork suite of apps, introducing new features for Pages, Numbers, and Keynote on both iOS devices and Mac. These are minor version 12.1 updates, and each app has received a few new features, as outlined below.

Keynote

The Keynote apps for Mac, iPhone, and iPad include an option to add subtle movement and visual interest to presentations with dynamic backgrounds that move as you transition from slide to slide.

There are new animated themes that feature dynamic backgrounds, and there is an option to skip or unskip all slides in a collapsed group.

Numbers

Numbers for iPhone, iPad, and Mac got the fewest updates, with Apple improving performance when inserting rows and columns in large tables.

Pages

Pages for iPhone, iPad, and Mac gains a new feature that allows mail merge to be used to create personalized letters, cards, and envelopes for multiple recipients, and it offers new templates for event invitations and certificates. Pages documents can also now be exported as TXT files.

The iWork apps for iOS and Mac are available for free from the App Store and Mac App Store.

Article Link: Apple Updates Pages, Numbers, and Keynote With New Features

 

[funkypepper]

TXT export is nice. Still waiting for Open Document Format support, though. It’s long awaited at this point.

 

[Jerry Fritschle]

I think I last used Mail Merge with Claris Works and System 7.5

 

[TinaBelcher]

Those apps are, in my opinion, awful. I can't work with the toolbar being to the right side, and the tables interaction is awful. I hate to say it, but make it look like Docs/Word

 

[Danfango]

Those apps are, in my opinion, awful. I can't work with the toolbar being to the right side, and the tables interaction is awful. I hate to say it, but make it look like Docs/Word

I run a business through Numbers and Pages. It's fine. It's just different to Office.

The only thing that shafts me is the lack of engineering units in Numbers. Have to divide a lot of stuff regularly or use constant multipliers.

 

[EugW]

The updates are not showing up for me... yet. I tried on two machines.

Those apps are, in my opinion, awful. I can't work with the toolbar being to the right side, and the tables interaction is awful. I hate to say it, but make it look like Docs/Word

Translated: I don't like Pages because it's not MS Word.

 

[iDento]

Those apps are, in my opinion, awful. I can't work with the toolbar being to the right side, and the tables interaction is awful. I hate to say it, but make it look like Docs/Word

That’s almost a standard macOS UI, and with UWD it‘s very practical and a joy to use.

 

[erthquake]

Those apps are, in my opinion, awful. I can't work with the toolbar being to the right side, and the tables interaction is awful. I hate to say it, but make it look like Docs/Word

It's more like Adobe apps. I'm bummed it took this long to bring mail merge back. I had kept the old iWork versions installed because I could use mail merge to make numbered tickets and student/staff ID cards.

 

[xxFoxtail]

Still can’t copy and paste multiple iMessages/SMS at once into Pages.

 

[IllinoisCorn]

Office is ubiquitous, as is Google Docs. Who uses Pages?

Don’t get me wrong—I would if I could—no question

 

[ackmondual]

My 9th gen iPad came with these, but I'll doubt I'll ever use them. I still need to look up how to transfer files to and from there with my windows PC (this sort of thing used to be plug and play). Regardless, great to hear Apple's apps are getting regular updates!

 

[adamw]

Glad to see iWork apps getting updated and maintained, and not neglected by Apple.

 

[Windoes]

Yay, an update day for the apps

 

[macsound1]

Office is ubiquitous, as is Google Docs. Who uses Pages?

Don’t get me wrong—I would if I could—no question

Whats amazing about pages vs google docs is its a native app. I can open and save files without downloading and uploading.
Personally, I'm ridding myself, my clients and my family of MS Office as they upgrade their macs to avoid the license fee, showing them there's no drawback.
And for design focused individuals, iWork blows MS Office out of the water. Try and make a PowerPoint slideshow with 100 pictures. In Keynote, you drag photos into the left sidebar and it makes a slide per image. Easy!

 

[Scubaman]

Suggestion for Apple! Stop trying to compete with Office - it’s game over. Redeploy these resources to Apple AirPort Extreme and Airport Express WiFi Routers! These are critical devices - I’m still using mine and they’re 5 years out of date!

 

[MauiPa]

Those apps are, in my opinion, awful. I can't work with the toolbar being to the right side, and the tables interaction is awful. I hate to say it, but make it look like Docs/Word

Na, you are totally wrong, but it is a preference, so go with the one you like. In comparison the iWork interface is simple clean and professional, the MS Office looks like it was made by kindergarten kids with a box of crayons - especially that stupid annoying ribbon interface. And after all these years, only 1 table per sheet in Excel? the Numbers build is far better. I converted over some years ago, and Numbers is soooo much better.

But, if you like Office, go of it. being hard to use wastes so much time, it is not worth it.

 

[headlessmike]

Office is ubiquitous, as is Google Docs. Who uses Pages?

Don’t get me wrong—I would if I could—no question

I do. The support for Word documents is so good in Pages at this point that I rarely need Word anymore. For more serious writing I use LaTeX anyway.

 

[MauiPa]

Suggestion for Apple! Stop trying to compete with Office - it’s game over. Redeploy these resources to Apple AirPort Extreme and Airport Express WiFi Routers! These are critical devices - I’m still using mine and they’re 5 years out of date!

they are not trying to compete with office. google open office etc are office competitors. no if you want a simple, clean, professionally designed program that gets the job done - that is iWork. that stupid one honkin table per sheet paradigm in excel is a deal breaker. so stupid to have every row the same height or column the same width - really dumb. MS. I converted years ago, numbers is so much better - never going back

but, it is more preference and familiarity so go with what you like

 

[headlessmike]

Suggestion for Apple! Stop trying to compete with Office - it’s game over. Redeploy these resources to Apple AirPort Extreme and Airport Express WiFi Routers! These are critical devices - I’m still using mine and they’re 5 years out of date!

Keynote is the best presentation app bar none. Microsoft should consider shelving PowerPoint.

 

[Shirasaki]

oh yeah iWorks, so few people uses them simply cause macOS is expensive to obtain (legitimately). Wonder what would happen if Apple somehow magically decide to port them to another system, which may never happen.

As for numbers, I tried, but it was far from the same Level as Excel. Pages and Keynotes are fine, but converted Word and PowerPoint doesn't always look And function properly. Also, nobody I know bother about using iWorks for works. Either google doc etc, some other fancier tools or just plain old Microsoft office.

 

[MauiPa]

My 9th gen iPad came with these, but I'll doubt I'll ever use them. I still need to look up how to transfer files to and from there with my windows PC (this sort of thing used to be plug and play). Regardless, great to hear Apple's apps are getting regular updates!

seriously? open excel docs in numbers, export numbers to excel. nothing could be simpler

 

[Danfango]

Keynote is the best presentation app bar none. Microsoft should consider shelving PowerPoint.

To be fair it's also better at being abused into other jobs it wasn't designed for than PowerPoint is too.


Anyway, the two comments I see in order are:

1. How can I get microsoft office for free.
2. Ok I'm not paying monthly. What now?

If they have a Mac it's numbers/pages. If it's Windows I throw LibreOffice at them.

Because actually owning your files and having full offline support that isn't total boiled anus is what tends to not blow up in my face down the line like it does with Google Docs.

I had someone crying once because their Internet was down and they couldn't get to their PhD thesis in Google Docs. Sent them to the local coffee shop 🤦🏻‍♂️. Eventually they learned how to use MacTeX

 

[AdeFowler]

Good to see the return of Mail Merge.

These are solid updates to the iWork suite. I use them a lot on Mac and iPad. I imagine they are suitable for the majority of users. Power users probably need to look elsewhere.

 

[erikkfi]

All I want them to do is roll back the Mac app to the last release before they made it look like an iPad app. What is that toolbar in Numbers? Why are “Shape” and “Media” two of the few default buttons??

 

[Wildkraut]

I run a business through Numbers and Pages. It's fine. It's just different to Office.

The only thing that shafts me is the lack of engineering units in Numbers. Have to divide a lot of stuff regularly or use constant multipliers.

That’s what I call courage!