Apple Updates iWork.com Beta, Adds iPad Compatibility

The iWork.com public beta has been receiving quite a bit of attention lately, with Apple adding the ability to use a public URL to share documents on Twitter and Facebook, and a revamped iWork mobile website for better access on iPhones, the iPod touch and the iPad. The feature presumably works on any mobile Webkit-based browser.

“iWork.com makes it easy to share your document with large groups, websites, and social networks by creating a public link,” Apple explains, addressing those who’ve applied for the iWork.com public beta. “Anyone with the public link can see your document in a clean, high resolution view without comments or document notes,” the company informs beta testers.

Apple claims that creating a public link for a document you've shared on iWork.com is super easy: “Just open your document and select Public in the Document Info pane,” it goes to describe the process. “Click Show Public URL and copy the link so you can paste it in an email or post it on a website,” the instructions flow over at Apple’s iWork.com Beta News site. Users can also track how often their uploaded docs are viewed, and can choose to remove public access to a document at any time, by turning off the public link in the Document Info pane, the company explains.

As far as compatibility with Apple portables is concerned, Apple mentions that iWork.com users can access their documents on the go, by using the redesigned Sign In and Shared Documents pages for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch. The service now boasts a new interface that has been optimized for fingertip scrolling, making it easier to find something.

“You can see a high resolution view of your document right on your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch and even download it to edit with Keynote, Pages, or Numbers on your iPad,” Apple confirms. To access and view their shared documents on their iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch, users simply need to direct mobile Safari to www.iwork.com, according to the Mac maker.

An updated FAQ of the iWork.com service is also available on Apple’s website. The knowledge base article (ID: HT4041) was last modified on March 16th, 2010, and includes answers to questions like “What does iWork.com cost?,” “How do I report abuse on iWork.com?,” and “What web browsers work best with iWork.com?”