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Apple updates iWork for iOS and OS X El Capitan with support for multitasking, 3D Touch, VoiceOver, more

Apple on Thursday updated its iWork suite of apps for both iOS 9 and OS X 10.11 El Capitan, bringing new hardware support for iPhone 6s and iPad, including 3D Touch, tablet multitasking options, keyboard shortcuts for wireless accessories and more.

Pages, Numbers and Keynote all hit version 2.6 on iOS 9, while the same titles reached version 5.6 on OS X 10.11 El Capitan, each bringing enhancements specific to Apple's latest operating systems.

Among the more substantial improvements for iOS 9 is support for Slide Over, Split View and Picture in Picture multitasking on iPad Air 2, iPad mini 4 and the upcoming iPad Pro. The apps can also take advantage of the new shortcut bar in iOS 9, as well as keyboard shortcuts for wireless keyboards. On iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, iWork apps are now compatible with pressure-sensitive 3D Touch controls.

Other upgrades include the ability to open iWork '08 and '06 documents and preview shared documents via Web browser, while compatibility with Microsoft's Office suite has also been improved.

Accessibility features received a boost with new VoiceOver commands for editing documents and navigating each app's user interface. Enhancements include adding, editing, reading, interacting and previewing document items, or accessing various menu functions. An exhaustive list of features for all iWork apps can be found on Apple's dedicated What's New webpage.

On OS X 10.11 El Capitan, Pages, Numbers and Keynote bring support for Split View, Apple's new two-up viewing option. Newer MacBooks with Force Touch, or iMacs with Force Touch trackpads, receive haptic feedback when editing document assets like images, while additional VoiceOver commands add to the user experience. Like their corresponding iOS 9 apps, Mac versions of Pages, Numbers and Keynote can open iWork '08 and '06 documents. A full list of features can be found on each app's store page.

Existing users can download Apple's iWork updates for free via the iOS or Mac App Store. Pages, Numbers and Keynote for iOS come in at 275MB, 233MB and 510MB, respectively, while the same apps weigh in at 224MB, 166MB and 465MB on Mac. New users can purchase the apps on iOS for $9.99 each, or on Mac for $19.99 each.