Techspert: Apple's iWork apps

If you appreciate Apple's iWork software suite of Pages, Keynote and Numbers and its iLife programs iPhoto, iMovie and GarageBand, you have much to download though not all of it is good.

Apple has updated its iWork apps so that they have a similar feel and look across desktop and mobile platforms.

IF YOU appreciate Apple's iWork software suite of Pages, Keynote and Numbers and its iLife programs iPhoto, iMovie and GarageBand, you have much to download though not all of it is good.

Apple has revamped its apps, giving them a uniform look and feel across desktop and mobile systems. When you buy a new Apple device, you also get the apps for free.

PAGES KEY FEATURES

Both mobile and desktop versions of Pages now have the same 60 templates, but one of the biggest changes to Pages is how it can be used in collaboration with colleagues.

If you want to send someone a copy of a document, you can tap and share it via email or AirDrop if they have a compatible iOS 7 device.

But, interestingly, more than one person can work on the same document simultaneously - a feature notably missing from Pages.

If you're working in Pages on iOS 7, for example, you can tap on the Share icon and get the option to share a link via iCloud.

The recipient does not need an iCloud account to view and edit the document, nor do they need to have Pages on their computer. They can edit it through the iWork for iCloud beta, which opens up a Pages document in a web browser.

If you are working in Pages on the desktop, you'll need to save the document to the cloud rather than your Mac to share it.

If your collaboration becomes overrated, you can tap on View Share Settings and Stop Sharing so the document goes back to private.

THE DOWNSIDE

To improve parity between the mobile and desktop versions of Pages, Apple removed features from the desktop version rather than adding them to mobile versions.

You can go to the Apple Support Communities (discussions.apple.com) to see debate from power users, including one discussion that found more than 20 features no longer in the desktop version of Pages.

Some features that have been dropped in the new Pages version include having a vertical ruler next to your page and being able to save your document in rich text format.