Apple has just released new versions of its iWorks office suite that have been tailored for the iPad and the iPhone. The 3 apps (Keynote, Pages, and Numbers) provide a fair amount of functionality and retail for $10 each.

Withe the new apps you can print docs (using AirPrint), import and export to and from MS Office, and create original work on iOS. Pages in particular should interest the eBook user; it can export Epub files.

Update: An early adopter can’t find the Epub export option, so it’s probably not included (even though Pages on OSX got this ability in August 2010).

Of course, the larger story here is what this release might say about Apple’s future plans. Releasing iWorks for iOS makes it a step closer to being used  independent of a computer. iTunes is still required, though, so it’s only a small step.