Apple Acquires Photo Editing App Maker Pixelmator

[MacRumors]

Apple has reached an agreement to acquire Pixelmator, the company behind popular photo and image editing apps Pixelmator Pro, Pixelmator for iOS, and Photomator. The acquisition is subject to regulatory approval, according to an announcement made by the Pixelmator team on Friday.

Based in Vilnius, Lithuania, Pixelmator has developed a suite of well-regarded creative tools that compete with Adobe's offerings while maintaining a focus on ease of use and performance. The company's apps have been exclusively available on Apple's platforms, including Mac, iPad, and iPhone.

In their announcement, the Pixelmator team expressed enthusiasm about joining Apple, noting that they've been "inspired by Apple since day one" and have aimed to craft their products with a similar focus on design and user experience. The team believes the acquisition will help them reach a broader audience and increase their impact on creative professionals worldwide.

For current Pixelmator users, the company stated there will be "no material changes" to their existing apps at this time, though they teased "exciting updates to come." Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. The deal marks Apple's latest investment in professional creative tools, following previous acquisitions in the space such as Logic Pro and Final Cut Pro.

Article Link: Apple Acquires Photo Editing App Maker Pixelmator

 

[sniffies]

Would’ve loved to see Aperture get resurrected.

But I’m not mad about this acquisition at all. Not at all.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Oh no

Hope they don't ruin it

 

[kagharaht]

I'm mixed with this one. I love Pixelmator and has been a user since I can't remember anymore. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed and hope for the best.

 

[cjsuk]

That is absolutely insanely huge.

 

[Mazda 3s]

Ughh. I love Pixelmator, and I gladly paid for the Pro version. So worried about what will happen next.

 

[TMRJIJ]

I’ve been using Pixelmator Pro ever since its release in 2017, and I absolutely love it. I hope Apple allows this team to take the app to the next level. Perhaps they could even invest more in the Photos app as well.

 

[mozumder]

Would’ve loved to see Aperture get resurrected.

The dream. Aperture still had the best workflow.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

I sure hope this doesn't become a subscription app or just get rolled into the OS and disappear. I bought the Pro version because it was a one-time purchase and have been using it for years.

A little nervous...

 

[ProbablyDylan]

I really hope they keep this a separate app and don't absorb it into an existing one like they did to Dark Sky. I'll never forgive Tim for that.

 

[turbineseaplane]

That is absolutely insanely huge.

It is?

Why?

They do this sort of purchase all the time

 

[DrJR]

This is exciting to me! Optimistic!

 

[Kylo83]

Would’ve loved to see Aperture get resurrected.

Same I wish we had a light room alternative built for apple silicon

 

[coffeemilktea]

If iWork is meant to be an Office competitor, I guess this will be the latest move to build competition for Adobe's products? Definitely an interesting move by Apple.

Also, as someone who's been using Pixelmator (and later Pixelmator Pro) for years, I really hope this means even more advanced features. 👀

 

[BarrettF77]

This is awful news. Unless they are going to do what they did on the video side, which I doubt, this is not good news. Look at the awful weather app and what they did there.

Apple is good at a lot of things, but this company is going to find its employees leaving and then Apple left with a shell of what made them great.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Sounds to me like they are just heading towards having their own "Creative Cloud" subscription bundle at some point

Remember folks -- they are 110% all in on "services revenue"

 

[krspkbl]

Disappointing.

Check out Affinity products.

 

[jaw04005]

Between this and the new push to bring AI to Final Cut, it’s like they suddenly care about Pro apps again!

 

[bladerunner88]

Would’ve loved to see Aperture get resurrected.

EXACTLY came here to say this. WTF ? You get rid of Aperture and now this!!!!!???????? Aperture ran my Life for Years Entire Movies and TV Shows and you jus woke up one Morning and said No not gunna support it anymore and stopped updating the Camera RAW Profiles.....

 

[turbineseaplane]

This is awful news. Unless they are going to do what they did on the video side, which I doubt, this is not good news. Look at the awful weather app and what they did there.

Apple is good at a lot of things, but this company is going to find its employees leaving and then Apple left with a shell of what made them great.

This is exactly my take ^^
Agree 100%

 

[Kissmo1980]

The dream. Aperture still had the best workflow.

I wish the same. I really miss that UI....
And I fear a Pokemon design might be brought to Pixelmator 😵

 

[Capeto]

Wow! Was not expecting this at all. I hope for the best and brace for the worst.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I really hope they keep this a separate app and don't absorb it into an existing one like they did to Dark Sky. I'll never forgive Tim for that.

I'm sure it'll get in-housed, the existing team will eventually leave and it'll be re-branded as Apple Photo Studio, available as part of the Apple One Pro subscription

Honestly, nothing about this is very likely to be good news

 

[c84216]

This was not on my Friday bingo card. Pixelmator is some of the best macOS software because it takes advantage of everything that Apple bakes in to make it hum. I've recommended Pixelmator to everyone I know with a Mac as a cheap, robust photo editing suite.

I bet Apple plans to bake some of it into Photos and then also sell something more advanced (a true successor to Apeture).

I just hope Apple doesn't do with Pixelmator what they did with Dark Sky, which they ruined and never properly integrated into the weather app...

 

[Mrkevinfinnerty]

'Exciting updates to come' = subscription pricing

RIP