Microsoft today released updates to its suite of Office apps for iPad, including Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. Notably, Excel for iPad now supports Split View, which allows you to open two spreadsheets simultaneously side-by-side to view and edit. Word and PowerPoint received support for Split View in May 2020.
Split View can be accessed by touching and holding on a spreadsheet document in any file view and then dragging it to the left or right side of the screen. To exit Split View, grab the slider in the middle of the screen and drag it to either the left or right to close one of the spreadsheet documents and take the remaining one full-screen.
Meanwhile in PowerPoint, users can now rehearse their presentations with the new Presenter Coach feature, which offers feedback on the things that keep an audience engaged, such as pacing, pitch, filler words, sensitive phrases, and more.
Microsoft has also been working to implement full support for the iPadOS trackpad controls that were introduced in iPadOS 13.4, and the latest version of Word (2.45) does just that. Following the update, users can connect a trackpad and mouse to their iPad to interact with documents. Keyboards with trackpads include Apple's Magic Keyboard and Brydge's Pro+ for the iPad Pro and Logitech's Combo for the 10.2-inch iPad and the 10.5-inch iPad Air.
Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below.
Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
Friday December 5, 2025 10:08 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Intel is expected to begin supplying some Mac and iPad chips in a few years, and the latest rumor claims the partnership might extend to the iPhone.
In a research note with investment firm GF Securities this week, obtained by MacRumors, analyst Jeff Pu said he and his colleagues "now expect" Intel to reach a supply deal with Apple for at least some non-pro iPhone chips starting in 2028....
Monday December 8, 2025 4:54 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple is actively testing under-screen Face ID for next year's iPhone 18 Pro models using a special "spliced micro-transparent glass" window built into the display, claims a Chinese leaker.
According to "Smart Pikachu," a Weibo account that has previously shared accurate supply-chain details on Chinese Android hardware, Apple is testing the special glass as a way to let the TrueDepth...
Monday December 8, 2025 10:18 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple today seeded the second release candidate version of iOS 26.2 to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming one week after Apple seeded the first RC. The release candidate represents the final version iOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found.
Registered developers and public beta testers can download the betas from the Settings app on...
Monday December 1, 2025 2:40 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max.
One thing worth...
Apple's senior vice president of hardware technologies Johny Srouji could be the next leading executive to leave the company amid an alarming exodus of leading employees, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports.
Srouji apparently recently told CEO Tim Cook that he is "seriously considering leaving" in the near future. He intends to join another company if he departs. Srouji leads Apple's chip design ...
Monday December 8, 2025 9:23 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple's chipmaking chief Johny Srouji has reportedly indicated that he plans to continue working for the company for the foreseeable future.
"I love my team, and I love my job at Apple, and I don't plan on leaving anytime soon," said Srouji, in a memo obtained by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
Here is Srouji's full memo, as shared by Bloomberg:I know you've been reading all kind of rumors and...
You'd expect things to be starting to wind down for the holidays by now, but that doesn't seem to be the case yet in the world of Apple news, with Apple just about ready to release iOS 26.2 and other operating system updates to the public.
There was also a flurry of news this week about Apple executive departures, some expected and some not so expected, while we also learned that Apple and...
Monday December 1, 2025 3:00 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone next year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that 2026 could indeed be the year that Apple releases its first foldable device.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that ...
trackpad on the ipad is so stupid. doesn't belong on a touch first device.
i knew arm MacBooks were coming out (redesigned ones are coming soon that will be far lighter and thinner than an iPad Pro with magic keyboard attached) and have said it before it even came out: you don't need a cursor on an iPad.
Totally disagree. I use my iPad 12.9 Pro with Magic Keyboard for almost everything for work and home. Barely use my work laptop. Have trackpad and touch is awesome. I am sure you are in the minority here, but that is why we have choices. :)
Totally disagree. I use my iPad 12.9 Pro with Magic Keyboard for almost everything for work and home. Barely use my work laptop. Have trackpad and touch is awesome. I am sure you are in the minority here, but that is why we have choices. :)
I agree - a touchscreen is fine for many applications, and probably better for some; but a mouse/trackpad and cursor make using the iPad much more viable as a laptop replacement for many use cases.
excel still cannot handle date before 1900? shame on microsoft!
Is this a joke?
No. if you are doing analysis or work that includes dates prior to 1900 you cannot easily calculate durations, sort, etc. Granted it is a bit of an edge case but still highlights how decisions made in development (computers are a new phenomena so if develop a date code structure that starts in 1900 we'll be fine) impact software usability.
The problem is edge cases are often written off as low probability events and thus not worth addressing; I has a situation where emergency parameter logging software was not programmed to allow for daylight savings time switches, so when we has an emergency and the computer automatically adjusted for DST, the logging software went haywire. When we asked the developers about this, they said we figured the chance a serious event would occur at that exact time was too small to worry about; well guess what?
This was announced many months ago and shipped the 17th of december as per: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/microsoft-updates-office-apps-for-ipad-with-mouse-and-trackpad-support.2263715/post-29405848
Regarding Word and trackpad: anyone notice a difference in capabilities or handling compared to 2.44? I don't see any at first glance, trackpad integration was already offered with 2.44 ....
I don’t think this is a new feature to 2.45. I think MS just repeats the same recently added major features for a few updates for those who don’t update as often.
