Going forward in its initiative to expand software coverage for mobile devices, Apple has announced new versions of iWork productivity applications for the iPod Touch and iPhone. This application has already been available on the iPad since the latter’s launch in April this year.
First released in 2005 for OSX and iOS operating system, iWorks is billed by Apple as a successor to AppleWorks which includes Pages, Numbers, and Keynotes, which are Apple’s word processor, spreadsheet and presentation creator respectively. Word, Excel and PowerPoint are Microsoft’s application for the same purposes, also available on the Mac.
Talking about iWork’s exciting new features, Philip Schiller, Apple’s Senior VP of worldwide product marketing said that company has decided to extend the iWork framework to the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch because the powerful software, incredible display, and superior touch interface of these devices makes it very easy to create, edit, and share presentations, spreadsheets and documents.
The app will users allow to import and export documents from OSX as well as Windows, and in short, imitates many of their features. It also allows users to print remotely via AirPrint, another Apple application. The Pages, Keynote and Numbers applications have also been updated with better document management, including a new navigation feature called ‘Smart Zoom’, and allowing users to organize files into folders.
Although typing on an iPhone and iPod is not regarded as the best typing experience, experts suggest that iWork on mobile devices has good chances of succeeding in acquiring market share from other business apps which imitate MS Office functions, but the numbers are still not clear. Interoperability of the app with Microsoft Office documents also remains a big question.
Conversely, Microsoft, apart from OneNote, has not created an iOS app edition for its Office suit of applications, instead offering only basic online versions named Office Web Apps for iPhone and iPad users. It is widely believed that the restrictive policy of Microsoft comes keeping in mind the success of Windows Phone 7, and more importantly, the future of Windows 8. Speculated to release in 2012, Windows 8 is expected to run on tablets, which Microsoft knows will require Office support. Hence, it seems to be playing it safe by restricting the Office experience to just Windows devices.
Each of the iWork productivity applications is available for $9.99 each on iTunes, for devices powered by iOS 4 only. iPad owners already using iWork will get the new upgrade for free and also an app called Keynote Remote, which converts the phone into a remote navigation device for presentations, for $0.99 only.
