By Dan Moren
October 15, 2015 2:20 PM PT
Pages, Numbers, Keynote get updated with iPad productivity features
Note: This story has not been updated for several years.
You know what: there’s nothing like being proved wrong. So I’m thrilled that Apple has rolled out version 2.6 updates for Pages, Numbers, and Keynote on iOS, each of which add support for all those iPad productivity features in iOS 9. (Hat tip to Michael Skrzypek on Twitter.)
Slide Over, Split View, and Picture in Picture are all now supported, along with the Shortcut Bar on the keyboard, multitouch text selection gestures, and the keyboard shortcuts cheat sheet when you hold down the command key. There are also 3D Touch capabilities on the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, previews of shared documents on iOS and Android browsers (oh ho!), the ability to view and restore changes made to documents over time, new templates, and improved export capabilities.
For those who rely on accessibility features, there are a ton of VoiceOver-related improvements, including the ability to add and review comments, track changes, and edit chart data and elements.
Well, all of that means a weight off my mind, especially since just a couple weeks ago I was opining over at Macworld that Apple’s productivity apps might be the subject of less attention these days. As I said, I’m glad to be proved wrong on that front. I use all three of these apps pretty regularly, and I couldn’t be more happy that they’re now taking advantage of all those new iOS 9 features. Hopefully, the iWork apps will continue to persist for a long while to come (even if that moniker has itself bitten the dust).
Now, if the iCloud sync within those apps would just work a little bit faster…
[Dan Moren is the East Coast Bureau Chief of Six Colors. You can find him on Mastodon at @dmoren@zeppelin.flights or reach him by email at dan@sixcolors.com. His latest novel, the supernatural detective story All Souls Lost, is out now.]
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