Microsoft today released updates to its suite of Office apps for iPad, including Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. Notably, Excel for iPad now supports Split View, which allows you to open two spreadsheets simultaneously side-by-side to view and edit. Word and PowerPoint received support for Split View in May 2020.
Split View can be accessed by touching and holding on a spreadsheet document in any file view and then dragging it to the left or right side of the screen. To exit Split View, grab the slider in the middle of the screen and drag it to either the left or right to close one of the spreadsheet documents and take the remaining one full-screen.
Meanwhile in PowerPoint, users can now rehearse their presentations with the new Presenter Coach feature, which offers feedback on the things that keep an audience engaged, such as pacing, pitch, filler words, sensitive phrases, and more.
Microsoft has also been working to implement full support for the iPadOS trackpad controls that were introduced in iPadOS 13.4, and the latest version of Word (2.45) does just that. Following the update, users can connect a trackpad and mouse to their iPad to interact with documents. Keyboards with trackpads include Apple's Magic Keyboard and Brydge's Pro+ for the iPad Pro and Logitech's Combo for the 10.2-inch iPad and the 10.5-inch iPad Air.
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices.
Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025:
Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
Apple may have updated several iPads and Macs late last year and early this year, but there are still multiple new devices that we're looking forward to seeing in 2025. Most will come in September or October, but there could be a few surprises before then.
We've rounded up a list of everything that we're still waiting to see from Apple in 2025.
iPhone 17, 17 Air, and 17 Pro - We get...
Tuesday April 15, 2025 6:31 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple is preparing a "bold" new iPhone Pro model for the iPhone's 20th anniversary in 2027, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. As part of what's being described as a "major shake-up," Apple is said to be developing a design that makes more extensive use of glass – and this could point directly to the display itself.
Here's the case for Apple releasing a truly all-screen iPhone with no...
The first iOS 19 beta is less than two months away, and there are already a handful of new features that are expected with the update.
Apple should release the first iOS 19 beta to developers immediately following the WWDC 2025 keynote, which is scheduled for Monday, June 9. Following beta testing, the update should be released to the general public in September.
Below, we recap the key...
Apple's upcoming foldable iPhone (or "iPhone Fold") will feature two screens as part of its book-style design, and a Chinese leaker claims to know the resolutions for both of them.
According to the Weibo-based account Digital Chat Station, the inner display, which is approximately 7.76 inches, will use a 2,713 x 1,920 resolution and feature "under-screen camera technology." Meanwhile, the...
A common complaint about the iPad Pro is that the iPadOS software platform fails to fully take advantage of the device's powerful hardware.
That could soon change.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said that iPadOS 19 will be "more like macOS."
Gurman said that iPadOS 19 will be "more like a Mac" in three ways:Improved productivity
Improved multitasking
Improved app window management...
Apple is working on a new version of the Vision Pro with two key advantages over the current model, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
Specifically, in his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said Apple is developing a new headset that is both lighter and less expensive than the current Vision Pro, which starts at $3,499 in the U.S. and weighs up to 1.5 pounds.
Gurman said Apple is also...
Apple has confirmed that it will be permanently closing its retail store in the heart of Bristol, England, and there is no replacement in sight.
Apple Bristol in 2023
Apple Bristol will be closing its doors on Saturday, August 9, due to redevelopment plans at the Cabot Circus Shopping Centre, and the adjacent Bristol Shopping Quarter. According to news reports, and a building application, the ...
Thursday April 10, 2025 4:19 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple in October 2024 overhauled its 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, adding M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max chips, Thunderbolt 5 ports on higher-end models, display changes, and more. That's quite a lot of updates in one go, but if you think this means a further major refresh for the MacBook Pro is now several years away, think again.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has said he expects only a small...
trackpad on the ipad is so stupid. doesn't belong on a touch first device.
i knew arm MacBooks were coming out (redesigned ones are coming soon that will be far lighter and thinner than an iPad Pro with magic keyboard attached) and have said it before it even came out: you don't need a cursor on an iPad.
Totally disagree. I use my iPad 12.9 Pro with Magic Keyboard for almost everything for work and home. Barely use my work laptop. Have trackpad and touch is awesome. I am sure you are in the minority here, but that is why we have choices. :)
Totally disagree. I use my iPad 12.9 Pro with Magic Keyboard for almost everything for work and home. Barely use my work laptop. Have trackpad and touch is awesome. I am sure you are in the minority here, but that is why we have choices. :)
I agree - a touchscreen is fine for many applications, and probably better for some; but a mouse/trackpad and cursor make using the iPad much more viable as a laptop replacement for many use cases.
excel still cannot handle date before 1900? shame on microsoft!
Is this a joke?
No. if you are doing analysis or work that includes dates prior to 1900 you cannot easily calculate durations, sort, etc. Granted it is a bit of an edge case but still highlights how decisions made in development (computers are a new phenomena so if develop a date code structure that starts in 1900 we'll be fine) impact software usability.
The problem is edge cases are often written off as low probability events and thus not worth addressing; I has a situation where emergency parameter logging software was not programmed to allow for daylight savings time switches, so when we has an emergency and the computer automatically adjusted for DST, the logging software went haywire. When we asked the developers about this, they said we figured the chance a serious event would occur at that exact time was too small to worry about; well guess what?
This was announced many months ago and shipped the 17th of december as per: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/microsoft-updates-office-apps-for-ipad-with-mouse-and-trackpad-support.2263715/post-29405848
Regarding Word and trackpad: anyone notice a difference in capabilities or handling compared to 2.44? I don't see any at first glance, trackpad integration was already offered with 2.44 ....
I don’t think this is a new feature to 2.45. I think MS just repeats the same recently added major features for a few updates for those who don’t update as often.
