Apple adds new languages to iWork for iCloud, including Spanish, German, French & Chinese
Apple's Web-based iWork suite was updated Friday with new languages for Pages, Numbers and Keynote, expanding international support for the beta iCloud productivity apps.
Users logging into their iCloud account and opening the browser-based Pages app on Friday were informed that support for Simplified Chinese, Hebrew, French, Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese, German, and Japanese. Pages has also gained bidirectional support for Arabic and Hebrew.
In addition, Apple has said that Pages for iCloud now has more than 50 new fonts, including options for Arabic and Hebrew. The cloud-based word processor has also gained the ability to undo deletion of section breaks, rename a document in the editor, drag wedges from a pie chart, and move and resize chart legends.
Both Keynote and Numbers for iCloud, meanwhile, are now available in French, German, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Simplified Chinese, and Japanese. They also gains more than 50 new fonts.
With the November 2014 update, users of Keynote and Numbers can now show or hide the slide navigator, rename a document in the editor, drag wedges from a pie chart, and move and resize chart legends.
iWork for iCloud can be accessed through Safari 8 or later, Firefox 22 or later, or Google Chrome 28 or later on a Mac, while support is also available for Internet Explorer 10 on a Windows PC. Pages, Numbers and Keynote are all still in beta, and are accessible to anyone with a free iCloud account.
Users logging into their iCloud account and opening the browser-based Pages app on Friday were informed that support for Simplified Chinese, Hebrew, French, Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese, German, and Japanese. Pages has also gained bidirectional support for Arabic and Hebrew.
In addition, Apple has said that Pages for iCloud now has more than 50 new fonts, including options for Arabic and Hebrew. The cloud-based word processor has also gained the ability to undo deletion of section breaks, rename a document in the editor, drag wedges from a pie chart, and move and resize chart legends.
Both Keynote and Numbers for iCloud, meanwhile, are now available in French, German, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Simplified Chinese, and Japanese. They also gains more than 50 new fonts.
With the November 2014 update, users of Keynote and Numbers can now show or hide the slide navigator, rename a document in the editor, drag wedges from a pie chart, and move and resize chart legends.
iWork for iCloud can be accessed through Safari 8 or later, Firefox 22 or later, or Google Chrome 28 or later on a Mac, while support is also available for Internet Explorer 10 on a Windows PC. Pages, Numbers and Keynote are all still in beta, and are accessible to anyone with a free iCloud account.
Comments
Apple needs to promote this more. They've got it out there, but I don't think I've ever seen mention of it outside of the occasional keynote glimpse.
It's still beta, by definition not suitable for the general public. As a matter of fact, it's so beta that it didn't support any other language than English until today.
When it's out of beta, they will likely promote it to everyone with an Apple ID account.
But not today.
Plus, the three beta iWork cloud apps are quite prominent when you log into the iCloud website. It's not like Apple is hiding them or forcing people to jump through hoops to be able to try the beta cloud apps.
Yeah, I'd really like to know what keeps iCloud iWork in beta (not that it isn't).
But I – and many others – could easily tell why Mac iWork 5.5 is still in beta, although not officially. And that is a shame. I use it since about a decade on a daily basis. iWork 09 was rock solid, although not perfect. And now this ...
Well, I'd say the paltry language support (up until today) was one prime reason why it's still in beta. Perhaps the cloud apps are also short on features and/or reliability. Maybe Apple hasn't been able to scale the cloud service for a full load of regular uses. Maybe they don't have a support team in place. Maybe there are other reasons, like the development of an iCloud app API so third party developers can build their own iCloud web apps. Maybe the general release will coincide with a new device.
In any case, it's Apple's decision when to remove the "beta" tag.
It's just the iCloud iWork web apps that are beta anyhow. The OS X and iOS iWork apps are fully supported releases.
It's not like consumers are being underserved.
I use Numbers and Pages only for their respective purposes, though it is very unusual to ever need Pages. Keynotes, never. I haven't used anything else for a very long time. I am curious about the need for and use of iWorks iCloud. Who uses it and why? If I ever need to open a document when I don't have my Mac with me I can use my iPad, or even iPhone. iCloud apps just seem like so much the slower versions of the real thing so why even bother? I realize there is a use for these apps but I wonder how much they are used, and I can't help but think it is a lot of investment for very little.
I guess Pages could be a good contender for a web app: Start a new document at home, in Pages, design it the way you want and punch in a whole monologue of text when at the office.
I guess Pages could be a good contender for a web app: Start a new document at home, in Pages, design it the way you want and punch in a whole monologue of text when at the office.
Yes, I can see that people will work at home and use the iCloud version of whatever app at work. For numbers, or keynote, perhaps, but Pages? The simplest way to develop a text based project is to use email imo. Then copy and paste into whatever app. Anyway, as I said, I can see the utility - just wondering if anyone uses it.
I am curious about the need for and use of iWorks iCloud. Who uses it and why? If I ever need to open a document when I don't have my Mac with me I can use my iPad, or even iPhone. iCloud apps just seem like so much the slower versions of the real thing so why even bother? I realize there is a use for these apps but I wonder how much they are used, and I can't help but think it is a lot of investment for very little.
iCloud iWorks apps are potentially useful for people who have iOS devices but a Windows PC. Based on current Mac marketshare, that's a large number of people.
Like Google Docs, this is an attempt to dethrone the Microsoft Office hegemony.
I've installed LibreOffice (an OpenOffice fork) on my Macs and have dabbled a few times with CloudOn (cloud-based Microsoft Office 2010 apps). There's more than one way to skin a cat.
Like you, my use of office apps on my Mac and iOS devices is very rare. However I would venture to say that the two of us do not represent the entirety of iWork usage cases.
How much does the development of Cloud iWork correlate with web standardisation, anyone know?
I 'm actually happy this is still in beta, web apps such as this take time, care and a lot of thinking UI wise, bug wise, optimisation wise, browser support wise.
Just ask google, how long they've been working on google docs, and they 're still, pretty much shit, as a fella once said. Of course they have the added benefit of syphoning all your content in and out for google to parse and make sure everything is fine lexicographically.
Apple has done a stellar job with them, kudos to the team: slowly and steadily that's the only way to do it, with patience and persistence, that's how they 've always done things, and that's how things should and can be done.
Plus the palette Jony and co chose is vibrant and fresh.
The iWorks iCloud is designed for enterprise workers to collaborate on documents. There are hundreds of thousands of iPad/iPhone users in enterprise that are using the free iWorks suite, they need a version of the MS Office 360 to meet and collaborate on documents. SInce other workers (read: drones on peecees) can log into the iWorks iCloud too, it's a place where everyone in an enterprise office can exchange documents or collaborate on them. And now, of course, it's even more friendly to multi-national corporation workers and language students. I don't otherwise see much use for the iWorks iCloud for the average Android-level intellect user (texting, Facebook, and Candy Crush).
I wonder why Spanish isn't available in Pages, while it is in Numbers and Keynote?
too quixotic on a word processor for now.
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