Apple unveils new slate of updates to Keynote, Pages and Numbers | ZDNet

Apple announced a slate of updates to its iWork suite of productivity apps on Tuesday, unveiling new features within Keynote, Pages and Numbers. 

For Keynote, Apple added a live camera view allowing presenters to engage directly with their audience as they work through slides. The tool takes advantage of the front-facing camera on iPhones, iPads and Macs to allow presenters to stand alongside their presentations as they move through the slideshow. 

Apple said it was ideal for lectures, how-to videos and remote presentations through video conferencing apps. Using masks, frames, drop shadows and reflections, users can resize and stylize video objects “for a more elegant look.” 

Those who have external cameras can hook them up to their Mac for multiple video angles and iPhones or iPads can be used for live demos through a feature that allows a presenter to show the screen on a connected device. 

To help those presenting remotely, the new multi-presenter option allows multiple people to take turns moving through a slideshow and pass on control once they finish. 

Pages now has a feature that automatically displays text and images in a single-column flow that has been optimized specifically for the iPhone. 

Apple said it made the changes to make it easier for people to work on-the-go, noting that many people now read Pages documents on their smartphone more than any other device. 

“With the latest update, Screen View automatically displays text, images, and other elements in a single-column, continuous flow optimized for the iPhone screen. Text is enlarged to improve readability, photos and drawings are sized to fit the display, and tables can be scrolled horizontally,” Apple explained. 

“Screen View is available for all word processing documents and doesn’t require any additional setup. When enabled, users still have access to the complete set of editing tools in Pages. And Screen View can be switched off at any time so users can see the page layout for their document before printing or publishing.”

The Numbers app on iPhones, iPads and Macs has been updated to add pivot tables that bring new data analytics capabilities.

The pivot tables feature helps Numbers users summarize and rearrange information in a way that makes it simpler to identify trends and patterns, according to Apple. 

“Users can visualize their pivot tables with insightful charts, share pivot data with others while keeping the source data private, and even import or export pivot tables to and from Microsoft Excel,” Apple added, noting that it was adding a new “Radar” chart type that makes it simpler to compare multiple variables. 

Bob Borchers, Apple’s vice president of worldwide product marketing, said users like Keynote, Pages and Numbers “for their powerful features, ease of use and seamless experience across iPhone, iPad, and Mac.”

“Today, we’re adding even more power and capability to these apps with new productivity and collaboration features that enable anyone to create more personal and compelling presentations, make working with documents on iPhone a breeze, and bring full-featured pivot tables to mobile for the first time,” Borchers said. 

All three apps now come with a new translation feature that allows users to select text, see a translation, hear it spoken out loud and more.