Apple iWork '05

Apple's iLife software suite has proved popular with many Mac users, so Apple has extended its software line-up with a second suite called iWork.

The iWork package contains two programs: KeyNote and Pages. KeyNote is a presentation program that has been around for a couple of years, but has been upgraded with new features, such as the ability to create auto-running presentations for use in shops and showrooms. There are also some good text animation effects that can add a professional gloss to your work.

Most business users will already be using PowerPoint for their presentation work (included in the Mac version of Microsoft Office), so KeyNote will mainly be of interest to teachers or students who don't want to pay £100 for Office.

It's the new Pages program that will have the widest appeal. This is a word processing and desktop publishing program that will be handy for home users, students and business users alike.

There are two ways of working with Pages. You can start with a blank page and type away as though you were using an ordinary word processor, making use of tools such as spell check and word count. The program can open and save documents in the same file format as Microsoft Word, so you can share work with other Mac or PC users who have Word.

The other option is to select one of the ready-made templates and use it to create a more sophisticated page layout. There are about 40 templates available, covering documents such as newsletters, invitations and brochures.

The flexible page layout tools allow you to modify the look of a template by moving graphics around or altering the number of columns on a page. It's a shame, though, that Apple didn't include templates for documents such as greetings cards and calendars.

Even so, iWork is good value and is well worth buying if you need affordable presentation or desktop publishing software for a Mac.