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.

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Vertical Camera Feature

iPhone SE 4 Production Will Reportedly Begin Ramping Up in October

Tuesday July 23, 2024 2:00 pm PDT by
Following nearly two years of rumors about a fourth-generation iPhone SE, The Information today reported that Apple suppliers are finally planning to begin ramping up mass production of the device in October of this year. If accurate, that timeframe would mean that the next iPhone SE would not be announced alongside the iPhone 16 series in September, as expected. Instead, the report...
iPhone 17 Plus Feature

iPhone 17 Lineup Specs Detail Display Upgrade and New High-End Model

Monday July 22, 2024 4:33 am PDT by
Key details about the overall specifications of the iPhone 17 lineup have been shared by the leaker known as "Ice Universe," clarifying several important aspects of next year's devices. Reports in recent months have converged in agreement that Apple will discontinue the "Plus" iPhone model in 2025 while introducing an all-new iPhone 17 "Slim" model as an even more high-end option sitting...
Generic iPhone 17 Feature With Full Width Dynamic Island

Kuo: Ultra-Thin iPhone 17 to Feature A19 Chip, Single Rear Camera, Semi-Titanium Frame, and More

Wednesday July 24, 2024 9:06 am PDT by
Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today shared alleged specifications for a new ultra-thin iPhone 17 model rumored to launch next year. Kuo expects the device to be equipped with a 6.6-inch display with a current-size Dynamic Island, a standard A19 chip rather than an A19 Pro chip, a single rear camera, and an Apple-designed 5G chip. He also expects the device to have a...
iPhone 16 Pro Sizes Feature

iPhone 16 Series Is Less Than Two Months Away: Everything We Know

Thursday July 25, 2024 5:43 am PDT by
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series around mid-September, which means we are about two months out from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. To bring ...
icloud private relay outage

iCloud Private Relay Experiencing Outage

Thursday July 25, 2024 3:18 pm PDT by
Apple’s iCloud Private Relay service is down for some users, according to Apple’s System Status page. Apple says that the iCloud Private Relay service may be slow or unavailable. The outage started at 2:34 p.m. Eastern Time, but it does not appear to be affecting all iCloud users. Some impacted users are unable to browse the web without turning iCloud Private Relay off, while others are...
iPhone 17 Plus Feature Purple

iPhone 17 Rumored to Feature Mechanical Aperture

Tuesday July 23, 2024 9:32 am PDT by
Apple is planning to release at least one iPhone 17 model next year with mechanical aperture, according to a report published today by The Information. The mechanical system would allow users to adjust the size of the iPhone 17's aperture, which refers to the opening of the camera lens through which light enters. All existing iPhone camera lenses have fixed apertures, but some Android...

Top Rated Comments

EugW Avatar
27 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
27 months ago
Glad to see iWork apps getting updated and maintained, and not neglected by Apple.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macsound1 Avatar
27 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
27 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
27 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
27 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)