12 Facts About Apple Numbers

Apple Numbers uses a free-form "canvas" approach that demotes tables to one of many different media types placed on a page.

Apple Numbers includes features from the seminal Lotus Improv, notably the use of formulas based on ranges rather than cells.

Apple Numbers includes numerous stylistic improvements to improve the visual appearance of spreadsheets.

In contrast, Apple Numbers uses a separate "canvas" as its basic container object and tables are among the many objects that can be placed within the canvas.

Apple Numbers uses a hybrid approach to the creation of formulas, supporting the use of named data like Improv, but implementing them in-sheet like Excel.

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In basic operation, Apple Numbers can be used just like Excel; data can be typed anywhere and formulas can be created by referring to the data by its cell.

However, if the user types a header into the table, something one normally does as a matter of course, Apple Numbers uses this to automatically construct a named range for the cells on that row or column.

Apple Numbers '09 contains 262 built-in functions that can be used in formulas.

Many of the functions in Apple Numbers are identical to those in Excel; missing ones tend to be related to statistics, although this area was greatly improved in Apple Numbers '09.

Apple Numbers '09 includes a system for categorizing data similar to pivot tables.

Apple Numbers allows sheets to be emailed in Excel format in a single step or shared through Apple Numbers for iCloud.

Apple Numbers has been well received in the press, notably for its text-based formulas, clean look, and ease of use.