Pages has been overdue for an update for awhile now, so a new version of Pages (and iWork in general) is not at all unlikely. Likewise, users have been clamoring for iBooks on OS X since iBooks was announced with the first iPad in 2010.

Whatever Apple has in store is bound to be interesting, though. The announcement is scheduled for 10 AM Eastern time. Check back soon for more details.

The apps have been redesigned for the touch interface of iOS (which will be getting an upgrade of its own next month). Each of the apps runs $9.99 (though existing iWork for iPad users can upgrade for free).

“Now you can use Keynote, Pages and Numbers on iPhone and iPod touch to create amazing presentations, documents and spreadsheets right in the palm of your hand,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “The incredible Retina display, revolutionary Multi-Touch interface and our powerful software make it easy to create, edit, organize and share all of your documents from iPhone 4 or iPod touch.”

Apple says the apps come with improved document management, with thumbnail images and “use of “intuitive” gestures, as well as easy sharing of presentations, documents, and spreadsheets without leaving the app.

With the Keynote app, users can play presentations in Full Screen view on the Retina display or connect to a projector or HDTV. There is also a separate Keynote remote app that lets your iPhone or ipod Touch control a presentation on any iOS device or Mac.

Pages also utilizes the Retina Display, and includes Smart Zoom, which lets the user zoom in to follow the cursor while editing, and zooms back out when done. The same goes for Numbers.

Each of the apps runs on iPad and iPad 2, iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4, and iPod touch (3rd & 4th generation). They’re $9.99 a piece, except for the Keynote remote app, which is only 99 cents.

Apple also announced today that Steve Jobs will be appearing at the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference in June, where Apple will reveal the next versions of Mac OS X, iOS, and new cloud services called iCloud.

– Pages ’09
– Numbers’09, and
– Keynote ’09

Pages is the word processor/page layout tool, and its new features include:

– full-screen view
– dynamic outlines
– mail merge with numbers
– template chooser
– MathType and Endnote
– More ways to share.

Numbers, which is for creating spreadsheets, charts, tables etc includes these new features:

– Easy formulas
– Formula list View
– Table Categories
– Advanced charts
– Template Chooser
– More ways to share

And finally, Keynote, the presentation tool now features:

– Magic Move
– Theme Chooser
– More Transitions
– Chart animations
– Keynote Remote
– More ways to share

Apple has also introduced an online version at iWork.com, as a public beta, which allows users to share ’09 documents online, cloud-style. You can use your Apple ID and simply click the iWork.com icon in the toolbar for Keynote, Pages, or Numbers to upload your content and invite others to view it.

Read Write Web notes, "Phil Schiller announced this as ‘the beginning of a great new service,’ which leads us to believe that Apple is indeed working on a more advanced online version of iWork."

The future is looking cloudier by the day is it not?