Apple touts Office compatibility with iWork for iOS updates

Apple is stepping up its iWork game by publishing compatibility charts that show which Microsoft Office features are supported by the corresponding iWork apps for iOS. The charts accompanied an update to iWork for iOS on Tuesday, which the company described as a "major compatibility update" with desktop software like Office and iWork for the Mac. (iWork for Mac was also updated, largely to support the compatibility updates that came with iWork for iOS.)

Perhaps the most significant update that will interest regular Word users is that Pages can now perform Word-compatible "Track Changes." When you edit a Pages document on your iPad or iPhone, you can keep track of what's being edited and send it back to a Word user with (presumably) no major compatibility problems. The updated version of Pages can also accept or reject individual changes, or import Pages or Word documents with change tracking already in place. I know plenty of iOS-using writers, editors, and business users who are undoubtedly rejoicing at this, especially since there has yet to be an official release of Office for iOS.

Numbers and Keynote received a number of Office- and Mac iWork-compatible updates as well. Numbers for iOS can now hide/unhide rows and columns, lock/unlock objects, and preserve rich text in tables when importing or exporting files. (And don't forget the most important change: you can add reflections to objects—fancy.)

Keynote users will undoubtedly be thrilled with the added ability to import/export all PowerPoint and Mac Keynote slide sizes, in addition to the ability to import presentation themes (along with master slides). As anyone who has used Keynote to update a PowerPoint knows, few things are more painful than trying to reformat a poorly imported presentation.

Indeed, when it comes to compatibility with Office, this latest update to iWork for iOS generally aims to make life less painful. Although the long-rumored version of Office for iOS has yet to make a public appearance, Apple is undoubtedly making an effort to boost its compatibility options in hopes of keeping its iWork users around once Office does arrive for the mobile OS (which is expected next year).