Apple has started selling extra AI usage, a first for its Apple Intelligence features. The latest Logic Pro update offers an “intelligence usage pack” as a one-time purchase of US$49.99 (about $71 at the Bank of Canada’s latest rate), 9to5Mac reports. Apple’s Canadian pages don’t list a price for the packs, and App Store prices in Canada don’t always match a straight currency conversion.

Canada is one of eight countries where the packs are on sale, along with Brazil, France, Germany, India, Mexico, the U.K. and the U.S., according to Apple’s Canadian support page.

Who this affects

Only subscribers to Apple Creator Studio, the bundle of Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Pixelmator Pro and premium features in Keynote, Pages, Numbers and Freeform. In Canada it costs $17.99 a month or $179 a year, or $3.99 a month for verified post-secondary students and educators.

The subscription already includes a monthly AI allowance. Apple says that at a minimum, if you use one feature exclusively, you can generate 50 images, 250 shapes, 50 presentations of roughly 8 to 10 slides, or presenter notes for 700 slides each month. The allowance resets monthly. Usage of Logic Pro’s assistant depends on how complex your conversations are, and the assistant only works in U.S. English.

Some of these features run on outside models: Google Gemini powers image and shape generation, presenter notes and the Logic Pro assistant, while OpenAI powers Generate Presentation. Apple says the providers don’t store your requests, unless the law requires it, and can’t use them for training.

How the packs work

  • One-time purchase, not a subscription. The extra usage only kicks in after you’ve used up the month’s allowance.
  • It rolls over. Unused usage carries from month to month and expires 12 months after purchase.
  • One person only. Packs don’t work with Family Sharing.
  • No refunds, except where the law requires them.

For now you can only buy them in Logic Pro on the Mac, under Logic Pro > Intelligence Features > Show Usage > Buy More Usage. 9to5Mac expects the option to reach Final Cut Pro, Pixelmator Pro and the iWork apps as more Creator Studio updates arrive this month.

Why it matters: Apple Intelligence features have been free on Apple devices until now, and Apple has said that won’t last forever. This is the first paid tier, and it’s narrow for now. If you subscribe to Creator Studio, check your usage under Show Usage before buying a pack.