Apple Realeased I-Works For Everyone

Apple forays into cloud-based software have traditionally been limited to its own ecosystem, but the upcoming iWork for iCloud marks one of Cupertino’s most direct attempts to compete with Microsoft and Google head-on.

iWork’s transition to the cloud means that- much like Google Drive and Office 365 – the popular productivity suite will soon be available not only on Apple’s own computer, but also on Windows machines. That’s a significant shift for Apple – which has traditionally limited its cross-platform options to iTunes and the Safari browser for Windows – and one that could have far-reaching implications for the company as a whole.

Bringing iWork to the cloud means that consumers with or without Apple devices will have access to Apple’s pages word-processing software, its numbers spreadsheet program, and it’s keynote presentation software. By all accounts the loading times for iWork for iCloud are quick and the transition between documents mimics the smooth actions of the native desktop versions. Drag a photo from one of your system’s folders in an iCloud menu into pages, Numbers, or Keynote, and it instantly pops up on the document, complete with editing capabilities such as resizing and masking. Open a Numbers spreadsheet in a Windows web browser, and you have access to the same range of number-crunching functions. In short, iWork for iCloud is exactly what it says it is; it’s the same Apple productivity suite we’ve been using since 2009, but ported to the web, down to desktop-based design idiosyncrasies such as the need to double-click on documents to open them. Criticisms of the beta version lean toward relatively minor issues, such as the fact that keyboard shortcuts have yet to be implemented.

iWork for iCloud is currently slated to be available cross-platform via Safari 6.0.3 or later, Chrome 27.0.1 or later, and Internet Explorer 9.0.8 or later. Unfortunately, if you’d like to try it out on Firefox or opera, you’re out of luck. In the time since it’s announcement in early June at the Worldwide Developers Conference, experimentation has revealed some other restrictions, as well. Want to send links to documents as you can with popular cloud-based applications like DropBox or Google Docs? Not happening. Eager to see a document’s version history or edit tables in Pages? Out of the question. Further limitations include the inability to view presenter’s notes in Keynote or edit charts, and (strangely) you can’t even print. On the bright side, Apple says these will be “future features.”

Some specifics, however, remain a mystery. Apple hasn’t revealed, for instance, if the product will be free – a significant consideration if Apple wants to properly compete with Google Drive. Given Apple’s track record, they may merely make it available to users who already have iWork installed on their desktop, similar to Microsoft’s Office 365 service. It’s also unknown if iWork for iCloud will be able to sync documents across multiple devices, or whether it’ll even run on iOS 7. while there’s some indication that users will be able to share edited documents of varying file types with multiple machines through iCloud mail, it’s unrevealed whether iWork for iCloud will function with Google Docs or for users who have no access to Apple devices at all. That’s a big step , as the impressive flexibility of Google’s system played a large role in its widespread adoption.

Longtime fans may recall that this isn’t the first time Apple has attempted to create such a project. Back in 2009, Apple announced a web-powered productivity suite called iWork.com to much fanfare, but it was hobbled by one significant law: users couldn’t edit their work – only view it – and the public beta had shut down for good by July 2012. Additionally, Steve Jobs famously turned at developers when Apple’s subscription-based MobileMe collapsed almost right out of the gate, and even now, iCloud isn’t quite as dependable as it could be.

Still, based on multiple early tests of the beta, Apple may have the makings up a great product on it’s hands. That could mean that Apple’s making it’s first major steps toward “getting” the concept of web-based productivity, which could spell greater success for the company at a time when they arguably need it. For devoted Apple users, this means that they won’t have to resort to switching to Word or Google Docs if they’re away from their Apple machine, which could lead to a more widespread adoption of iWork in general. There’s no word as to whether iWork for iCloud will operate on Android devices, but if it does, it could provide a subtle means for Apple to win over Android users without explicitly stating their intentions. Microsoft already announced that they’re taking that crucial step with Office Web Apps in May; it only makes sense for Apple to follow suit.

But perhaps most importantly, success with iWork for iCloud could point to greater success with web apps in general which rival Google has long staked out as its territory. If Apple could achieve that same success with other apps – especially the desktop-bound iTunes – the company could be sitting on the powder keg of a small revolution with the explosive force to transform the tech giant into an entirely different beast.