If you are not interested in subscribing to the new Apple Creator Studio bundle introduced today, you will officially start to miss out on some new features.
Apple said some “exciting new intelligent features and premium content” in Final Cut Pro, Pixelmator Pro, Keynote, Numbers, Pages, and Freeform will only be accessible with a Creator Studio subscription. In the U.S., a subscription costs $12.99 per month, or $129 per year, while college students can pay a lower $2.99 per month or $29 per year.
This means that if you bought Final Cut Pro or Pixelmator Pro via one-time purchase, which will still be an option going forward, you will no longer have access to all new features. However, Apple promises the apps will continue to receive updates.
From the Final Cut Pro page on Apple’s website, for instance:
A one-time purchase will still be available, but access to some of the premium content is available only to Apple Creator Studio subscribers. If you already own Final Cut Pro, it will continue to be updated.
There are some exceptions, as Apple says Logic Pro and MainStage will have all the same features whether they are subscription or one-time-purchase versions.
It looks like most if not all of the new features that will be limited to Creator Studio subscribers will be powered by AI, as Apple repeatedly describes them as “intelligent” features. The apps are continuing to receive other new features that do not require a subscription over time, so one-time purchasers are not completely left out.
As for Keynote, Numbers, Pages, and Freeform, those apps will remain free, but some new intelligent features and content will likewise require a Creator Studio subscription. This means these apps are now effectively “freemium.”
Here are a few of the first new features coming to Creator Studio subscribers:
- Pixelmator Pro: A new Warp tool lets you twist and shape image layers.
- Keynote, Pages, and Numbers: A new Content Hub provides access to high-quality photos and graphics, and there are new premium templates and themes.
In summary, existing users of Final Cut Pro and Pixelmator Pro never had to worry about paying extra to have every new feature, but that is no longer the case going forward. And while the Keynote, Numbers, Pages, and Freeform apps never cost money, some new features will now be locked behind a subscription. These changes will undoubtedly disappoint some Apple customers, while helping to boost the company’s services revenue.
This article, “These Apple Apps Will No Longer Receive All New Features Without a Subscription” first appeared on MacRumors.com
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