Apple has added an "Intelligent Assistant" to Keynote, Numbers, and Pages, but only Creator Studio subscribers can use it, and it is still labeled beta (an early version that is expected to change).
The update also marks the return of the three apps after their temporary removal from the App Store. The reason was not given.
The assistant takes plain-language requests, and what it does depends on the app:
- Numbers: builds formulas, generates tables, and visualizes data.
- Pages: starts a first draft, drafts sections, adjusts tone, and generates images or shapes.
- Keynote: builds and refines slides, adds animations, writes presenter notes, and generates images and shapes.
In all three, it can search the web for a topic and add what it finds to a document. Apple also says it can walk users through advanced features or suggest things to try.
Subscribers also get new templates and themes, plus curated videos in the Content Hub. Creator Studio costs $12.99 per month and covers all of Apple's creator apps. Everyone else gets bug fixes and performance improvements. Keynote also gains an Interchange Format for importing and exporting presentations.
The feature list is familiar. Microsoft and Google already build assistants into their office suites, and Apple's version covers the same ground: drafting, formulas, slide help. What differs is the packaging. iWork has long been the free option that comes with Apple devices, and the assistant sits behind a monthly fee instead. Apple is betting that people will pay for help inside apps they already open without paying.
For now, that makes the assistant a paid, beta add-on to apps most Apple owners are used to getting for nothing.