iWork update should make it easier to create data-rich documents on an iPad

There’s a new update making the rounds for Apple’s iWork suite – Keynote, Numbers and Pages – that’s bound to make it easier to create data-rich documents using an iPad, be it a regular iPad, an iPad Mini or an iPad Pro.

The release introduces support for voice-recording in Keynote, Numbers and Pages, letting you record, edit and listen to sound bites – something students should find useful for taping lectures to review and take notes at a later date.

It also bundles the option to export Keynote presentations as movies for editing in iMovie, as well as a number of much-requested tweaks, including an enhancement that results in Smart Annotations wrapping to follow your text as you edit.

Related: iOS 12

Here’s a breakdown of all the changes:

Keynote

• Edit existing or create new master slides.
• Easily record, edit, and play audio directly on a slide.
• A new option in Settings > Keynote lets you use Apple Pencil to select and scroll.
• Export a presentation as a movie or images.
• Give charts a new look with rounded corners on columns and bars.
• Add mathematical equations using LaTeX or MathML notation.
• Enhance your documents with a variety of new editable shapes.
• Add gradient and image fills to shapes and text boxes.
• Improved support for Arabic and Hebrew.

Numbers

• Easily record, edit, and play audio directly in a spreadsheet.
• A new option in Settings > Numbers lets you use Apple Pencil to select and scroll
• Give charts a new look with rounded corners on columns and bars.
• Add mathematical equations using LaTeX or MathML notation.
• Enhance your documents with a variety of new editable shapes.
• Add gradient and image fills to shapes and text boxes.
• Easily browse templates by category.

Pages

• Easily record, edit, and play audio directly on a page.
• Smart annotation marks now stretch and wrap to follow your text as you edit.
• Quickly switch between drawing and smart annotation modes on iPad.
• A new option in Settings > Pages lets you use Apple Pencil to select and scroll
• Track text changes in shapes and text boxes.
• Add colours and images to backgrounds in page layout documents.
• Give charts a new look with rounded corners on columns and bars.
• Add mathematical equations to page layout documents using LaTeX or MathML notation.
• Enhance your documents with a variety of new editable shapes.
• Add gradient and image fills to shapes and text boxes.
• Easily browse templates by category.
• Save a different auto scroll speed per document when using presenter mode.
• Improved support for Arabic and Hebrew.

A similar update is also rolling out for macOS – here’s what’s new:

Here’s what’s new:

Keynote

• Add mathematical equations using LaTeX or MathML notation.
• Give charts a new look with rounded corners on columns and bars.
• Enhance your documents with a variety of new editable shapes.
• Improved compatibility with Microsoft PowerPoint.
• Improved support for Arabic and Hebrew.

Numbers

• Give charts a new look with rounded corners on columns and bars.
• Add mathematical equations using LaTeX or MathML notation.
• Enhance your documents with a variety of new editable shapes.
• Improved compatibility with Microsoft Excel.
• Improved CSV and text import.

Pages

• Track text changes in shapes and text boxes.
• Add colors and images to backgrounds in page layout documents.
• Give charts a new look with rounded corners on columns and bars.
• Add mathematical equations to page layout documents using LaTeX or MathML notation.
• Enhance your documents with a variety of new editable shapes.
• Improved support for Arabic and Hebrew.

What feature are you hoping to see make its way to iWork? Let us know over on Facebook or Twitter @TrustedReviews.