Microsoft shows off upcoming Office app updates for the iPad Pro, iOS 9 and WatchOS 2

Apple announced the iPad Pro, iOS 9 and WatchOS 2. We’ve developed a number of new features for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook and Translator to take advantage of these enhancements. This post provides an overview of some of the most useful new features, including multitasking, inking, intelligent search, wireless keyboard support and updates to Outlook and Translator on Apple Watch.

Multitasking on the iPad

Slide Over and Split View on iOS 9 will help you get things done faster by allowing you to quickly First up, the ‘Slide Over’ and ‘Split View’ features on the iOS 9 will now let users access two Office apps side by side on the same screen. For example, while editing a Powerpoint file, you can easily slide over to open OneNote and take notes at the same time. Moving on, the update will add a new inking feature to the Office apps that makes it easier for users to create documents and collaborate with others using the Apple Pencil that was introduced yesterday for $99.

Use two apps simultaneously. With Split View, you can have two apps open and active at the same time. Copy numbers from Excel into PowerPoint or rehearse a PowerPoint presentation while reviewing background information in Word.

  Run Outlook side-by-side with Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Tap on a Word, Excel or PowerPoint file attached to an email message and Outlook will automatically launch the corresponding app with the file ready for editing, right next to Outlook. While you edit the Word document, you can still view the email message. After your edits are made, tap the back button in Word and the document will be attached to a new email message in Outlook, ready to be sent.

 Use OneNote and PowerPoint to present with confidence. While you’re projecting a PowerPoint presentation to an external display, Presenter View provides tools like a laser pointer, pens, highlighters and slide thumbnails. Use Split View and OneNote to scroll through your talking points while the audience sees only your slides on the big screen.

With the new iPad Pro, we’re adding inking to the Office apps and making it easier than ever to create documents and collaborate with others. The new tools include pens, highlighters, an easy-to-use thickness control and a new color wheel. Using Apple Pencil, you can mark up documents just like you would with pencil and paper—making the collaboration process natural and intuitive. And with inking-specific features like shape recognition in PowerPoint, the apps turn the pencil into a first-class content creation tool.

Complications are important pieces of information you can see right on the face of an Apple Watch. With the new WatchOS 2, data from apps can be Complications, too. Now, Outlook will show you essential information about your next appointment and incoming email. With Time Travel, you can turn the Digital Crown of the watch to check your Outlook calendar appointments for later today and tomorrow.

Microsoft Translator for iPhone and Apple Watch was introduced a month ago and is getting rave reviews in the App Store. With the upcoming update, a recent or pinned translation can be played back later through the watch speaker. When you’re abroad, the watch face will automatically show you common phrases like “good morning” and “goodbye” in the local language based on your location and the time of day. Using Time Travel, you can see phrases for a later time, like “good night.” This makes it easier to communicate when traveling.

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