Hands-on: iWork for iCloud beta almost as good as Mac, iOS versions
Over the past several weeks, Apple has been expanding the preview program for iWork for iCloud so nondevelopers can give it a try; on Friday, the company finally opened the beta to the public at large. This online version of the iWork suite offers Web-based versions of the three iWork apps—Pages, Numbers, and Keynote—enabling you to create and edit iWork documents stored in iCloud from almost any Web browser.
I’ve spent several hours playing with the iWork beta and my initial impression is that—beta bugs and caveats aside—the online versions of these apps could easily become the document, spreadsheet, and possibly even presentation tools of choice for almost anyone with an iCloud account.
I tried the apps on both a Mac and a PC. Given a decent Internet connection, the apps were quick, editing proceeded as I expected, and the overall experience nearly matched what I typically get with a desktop app.
When you log in to the iCloud beta, three iWork buttons appear beneath the buttons for Mail, Contacts, Calendar, Notes, and Reminders—for online versions of Pages, Numbers, and Keynote. Clicking one of these opens a new window displaying the app’s documents stored in iCloud, along with a single button for creating a new document. Clicking the Create Document button opens a small window where you can choose from more than a dozen templates or create a new blank document. Once the document is open, you can begin working on it just as if you were using the desktop app.
To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
http://www.macworld.com/article/2047239/hands-on-iwork-for-icloud-beta-almost-as-good-as-mac-ios-versions.html#tk.rss_all
