Apple Launches iWork ‘08, Introduces Numbers

August 6th, 2007 at 3:00 PM - News by Jeff Gamet

The third big announcement on Tuesday from Apple was iWork i08. The updated version of the business suite includes Keynote, Pages, and a new spreadsheet application dubbed Numbers.

Keynote i08
The new version of Keynote, Appleis presentation application, added new text effects, new animated text effects, and new transitions. It also gained an Instant Alpha feature that automatically removes the background from an image.

Keynote i08 added A-to-B animations, making it easier to build build dynamic and fluid presentations. Apple CEO Steve Jobs said the feature is so easy that "mere mortals can learn to use it."

Pages i08
The new feature list for Pages i08 isnit as long as some of the other applications Apple introduced today, but the changes are significant. The update added several new formatting options and modes, added a contextual format bar, and new templates.

It also gained a track changes feature that will likely prove useful for organizations that are looking for the ability to manage document version control.

Numbers
The new addition to the iWork family is Numbers, a spreadsheet application that hopefully will offer the same ease of use and visual quality as Keynote and Pages.

Numbers offers Intelligent Tables that let users more easily build formulas, column sorting and filtering, and Flexible Canvas that displays multiple tables on a single page. It also includes an interactive printing feature, and customizable templates.

Appleis spreadsheet application also includes the ability to import and export Excel documents. Mr. Jobs claims that it can handle "almost all" Excel documents.

iWork i08 will be priced at US$79 even though it now includes a third application.