Apple Updates Pages, Numbers, and Keynote With New Features

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.

iWork macOS Trio Feature

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.

Top Rated Comments

EugW Avatar
19 months ago
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.
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
adamw Avatar
19 months ago
Glad to see iWork apps getting updated and maintained, and not neglected by Apple.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macsound1 Avatar
19 months ago

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!
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Danfango Avatar
19 months ago

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.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
headlessmike Avatar
19 months ago

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.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
citysnaps Avatar
19 months ago
I use all three apps frequently. And all are a delight to use. Dumped Office around 15 years ago.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

apple card 1

Apple Ending Apple Card Partnership With Goldman Sachs

Tuesday November 28, 2023 3:09 pm PST by
Apple is ending its credit card partnership with Goldman Sachs, according to The Wall Street Journal. Apple plans to stop working with Goldman Sachs in the next 12 to 15 months, and it is not yet clear if Apple has established a new partnership for the Apple Card. Apple and Goldman Sachs will dissolve their entire consumer partnership, including the Apple Card and the Apple Savings account....
iOS 17

Everything New in iOS 17.2 Beta 4

Tuesday November 28, 2023 12:18 pm PST by
Apple is wrapping up development on iOS 17.2, with the update expected to come out in December. While we're getting to the end of the beta testing period, Apple is still tweaking features and adding new functionality. We've rounded up everything new in the fourth beta of iOS 17.2. Default Notification Sound Under Sounds & Haptics, there's a new "Default Alerts" section that allows you to ...
ios 17 namedrop

Police Departments and News Sites Spreading Misinformation About How iOS 17 NameDrop Feature Works

Monday November 27, 2023 5:11 pm PST by
Apple with iOS 17.1 and watchOS 10.1 introduced a new NameDrop feature that is designed to allow users to place Apple devices near one another to quickly exchange contact information. Sharing contact information is done with explicit user permission, but some news organizations and police departments have been spreading misinformation about how NameDrop functions. As noted by The Washington...
All New CarPlay Five New Features Article 2

What to Expect From All-New CarPlay, Still Listed as Coming 'Late 2023'

Tuesday November 28, 2023 7:44 am PST by
At WWDC in June 2022, Apple previewed the next generation of CarPlay, promising deeper integration with vehicle functions like A/C and FM radio, support for multiple displays across the dashboard, increased personalization, and more. Apple's website still says the first vehicles with support for the next-generation CarPlay experience will be announced in "late 2023," but it has not shared...
iOS 17

iOS 17.1.2 Update for iPhone Likely to Be Released This Week

Monday November 27, 2023 8:24 am PST by
Apple will likely release iOS 17.1.2 this week, based on mounting evidence of the software in our website's analytics logs in recent days. As a minor update, iOS 17.1.2 should be focused on bug fixes, but it's unclear exactly which issues might be addressed. Some users have continued to experience Wi-Fi issues on iOS 17.1.1, so perhaps iOS 17.1.2 will include the same fix for Wi-Fi...
Apple 5G Modem Feature Triad

Apple to Discontinue Custom 5G Modem Development, Claim Reports

Wednesday November 29, 2023 4:19 am PST by
Apple is discontinuing in-house modem development after several unsuccessful attempts to perfect its own custom 5G modem chip, according to unconfirmed reports coming out of Asia. According to the operator of news aggregator account "yeux1122" on the Naver blog, supply chain sources related to Apple's 5G modem departments claim that the company's attempts to develop its own modem have...
Apple Logo

Apple Discontinued These 5 Products This Year

Monday November 27, 2023 7:03 am PST by
As the end of 2023 nears, now is a good opportunity to look back at some of the devices and accessories that Apple discontinued throughout the year. Apple products discontinued in 2023 include the iPhone 13 mini, 13-inch MacBook Pro, MagSafe Battery Pack, MagSafe Duo Charger, and leather accessories. Also check out our lists of Apple products discontinued in 2022 and 2021. iPhone Mini ...
Google Drive

Some Google Drive Users' Files Have Mysteriously Vanished

Tuesday November 28, 2023 3:55 am PST by
Google Drive users have been warned not to disconnect their account within the Google Drive for desktop app, after a spate of reports of files going missing from the cloud service. Alarm bells began ringing last week on Google's community support site when some users reported files mysteriously disappearing from Google Drive, with some posters claiming six or more months of data had...