Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has announced that iWork will be getting real-time collaboration features as part of the company’s competitive strategy.
The company announced the real-time collaboration features for iWork during the launch event of the iPhone 7 which was the highlight of the day. The company’s plan with real-time collaboration is to make sure that iWork competes more efficiently with Microsoft Office from Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) as well as Google Apps from Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL).
Apple demonstrated how the collaboration features work using an iPhone, iPad, Mac or through the web. Real time collaboration has been a feature that the rivals have already embraced and Apple seemed to be lagging behind but the wait is finally over for Apple fans. The feature is expected to make Apple machines more appealing for work especially in corporations.
The live demonstration of real-time features for iWork was carried out by Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of application and product marketing. Prescott was able to make edits to a shared document while on stage and work on it with some of her colleagues who were not on stage. She demonstrated that individuals can add texts, images, and graphics to a document instantly or simultaneously. Apple CEO Tim Cook also talked about the real-time capabilities for iWork and demonstrated a slideshow as he spoke.
“We have never edited a deck live on stage before, but we’re so excited to show you our real-time collaboration, we’re going to do it,”said the CEO.
The feature gives every person who has access to a document a different color bubble that represents them as they participate on editing the same document. Such features are however not new in the market and have been demonstrated by rival companies. However, it is good to note that Apple is catching up with the competition and offering similar services to those offered by the competition.
“iWork is all about making beautiful and engaging documents. For people who want the power of iWork, there is a great way to work with colleagues or classmates to work together,” stated Prescott.
