Anyone with an Apple ID can now access productivity tools like Pages, Keynote and Numbers for iCloud, regardless of their device.
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This cross-pollination of productivity apps is becoming ever so prevalent ever since cloud services such like Google Drive and Office Online, which are accessible regardless of the user’s operating system, became more and more widespread.
Last year Microsoft’s Office suite — specifically Word, Powerpoint and Excel — became the most downloaded apps after they were introduced to iTunes with very cheap price tags. This move essentially enabled Microsoft to “hijack” Apple’s users.
Last time checked, Google Drive is saw over 190 million users while Microsoft’s Office is being used by more than 1.2 billion people on the planet. Furthermore, over 80 million people are using Office on iPhones and iPads. It’s still unclear what the numbers are behind Apple’s productivity suite.
Read more: Microsoft Word becomes top downloaded app after price changes
More importantly is the fact that while Apple’s already dominating the smartphone market, one way for it to expand its reach further is to open up its product offering to a wider audience. Will productivity apps be the name of the game going forward?
For now, access to iWork is still in beta phase but you can still use it on regardless of your hardware or browser. All you need is an Apple ID.
The best part is that when you sign up for iCloud, you automatically get 1 GB of free storage. If you need more storage, you can upgrade to a larger storage plan.
