iPad gets some iWork love

by Jason Parker |

Keynote lets you move slides around with your fingertips and offers touch-screen buttons for actions.
(Credit: Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET)


Today's Apple event obviously had the new iPad as its main focus, but there were also hints of new software releases optimized for the iPad. We saw the unveiling of iBooks, a book reading software connected to Amazon for book downloading and reading on the nearly 10-inch touchscreen interface. But Apple had another software surprise as well, with downloadable iWork apps made specifically for the iPad interface.

Pages autowraps text around your images for better looking documents.
(Credit: Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET)

During the presentation, Steve Jobs demonstrated new iWork apps optimized for the iPad's unique interface. All three of the main iWork apps will be available as separate purchases, including Pages (word processing), Numbers (spreadsheets), and Keynote (presentations). Apple will charge US$9.99 for each iWork app on the iPad. These should become available once the iPad is ready to launch, which is in 60 days for the Wi-Fi-only (non-3G) iPads.

According to Apple, the new iWork app versions will add new touchscreen features including new menu overlays, new gestures, and new ways of working on your projects. We saw them quickly demo Keynote, using touchscreen gestures to organize slides and set up smooth presentations. Pages lets you use the touchscreen to design your page layouts and drag and drop images into your project with autoformatting so your text wraps around the image. With Numbers, they showed how to create spreadsheets with touch input, including resizing columns using the "pinch" and drag gestures, and quickly adding rows using an overlay menu. A pop-up calculator will make it easy to edit formulas within fields all on your iPad's touch screen.

Create rich documents with inline graphs and spreadsheets, just like iWork on the Mac.
(Credit: Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET)

There have been mixed reviews so far for the iPad based on the presentation, but the addition of touchscreen compatible iWork apps will be a big advantage to those who use their iPad to work on the go. As more news materializes in the coming days and weeks, we expect to see many more apps optimized for Apple's latest device. We hope we'll see more Apple software like GarageBand and other useful apps land on the iPad as we get closer to release.

What do you think? What apps would you like to see for Apple's new iPad? Do you think you will be purchasing an iPad when they come out? Let me know in the comments!

Via CNET

Latest comments

"the medium is the message" people (now) keeps on comparing the iPad with the iTouch, and this is a misconception. the larger screen of the iPad which also serves as its major user-interface sets it apart from the iPhone & iPod-Touch. now, its possible to display interactive menus with popups and 'whatever' possible onto its touchscreen as new apps rolls out, though the gaming experience would still be a challenge. this first iteration comes perfectly as touch-enabled devices becomes prevalent and user expectation heightened with this totally new experience, so what else does your wife+kids, grandma/grandpa goin to complain about ways of using it? its being intuitive & (very) user-friendliness sets it apart from other competing gadgets, it will be the user experience that'll counts, and this shall follow the same craze as Nintendo-Wii's definition of a ubiquitous computer/gamin device: to be used by all from 6-to-65 year olds, and that would pave the way for improved hardware, better user interface, and more enjoyable & productive apps. cheers to Apple!

Posted by ferdiei
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