Apple has started to invite members of the public to join its beta program for the iWork for iCloud web-based productivity suite.
Selected iCloud users were granted access to the Pages, Keynote and Numbers apps on Friday, the first time they have been available to those outside of the developer community.
Those with access can now create, edit and share documents, presentations and spreadsheets from the iCloud.com portal within their web browser.
Naturally,if users so desire, also sync up with the latest versions of documents created using desktop and mobile versions of the apps, giving users easy access across their devices.
Apple going into over-Drive?
The expansion of iWork within iCloud gives Apple a shot at matching rival products from Google and Microsoft.
The well-established Google Drive platform continues to be a favourite for cloud-based document creation and storage, while Office 365 is proving a popular solution for Microsoft users.
Apple is yet to reveal when the iCloud beta will officially go public, but this weekend's limited roll out is definitely a step in the right direction.
The company first confirmed iWork for iCloud at WWDC back in June.
Via CNET
