Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
63,194
30,136



Apple has acquired Italian startup Stamplay, which offered an API-based back-end development platform, according to Italian newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore. The report claims Apple paid around five million euros for the company.

apple-stamplay-800x177.jpg

The report does not cite Apple's standard statement for acquisitions, which typically reads "Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans." We've reached out to Apple for our own confirmation, but we did not immediately hear back.

Nevertheless, one telltale sign of the acquisition or at least an acqui-hire is that Stamplay's website was almost entirely stripped of information within the past few weeks, as is usually the case following Apple acquisitions.

Stamplay describes itself as a "low code workflow automation platform, empowering organizations to streamline manual work by integrating data and business applications used every day." The "API-based development platform" enables developers to build and launch "full-featured cloud-based web apps."

From the startup's LinkedIn page:
The powerful web-based editor includes everything a developer needs to create and run a powerful backend for their app, including popular APIs like Stripe (payments), Sendgrid (email), Twilio (SMS and VoIP), Pusher (realtime notifications) and many more.
The report was brought to our attention by setteBIT:
Apple avrebbe acquisito l'italiana (emigrata in UK) Stamplay, startup che realizza app con "poco codice" (sito già svuotato e dipendenti a Cupertino. Anche @Giuliano84 & @NicolaMattina? https://t.co/Ib3DJ47sis). Lo direbbe StartupItalia (niente online) via https://t.co/eequAuI2K1 pic.twitter.com/BhgntGemAi - setteBIT (@setteBIT) March 21, 2019
Stamplay was co-founded by Giuliano Iacobelli and Nicola Mattina.

Update: In a press release via setteBIT, the Università Roma Tre in Italy has confirmed that Apple acquired Stamplay.

Article Link: Apple Has Reportedly Acquired Italian Startup Stamplay
 

AngerDanger

Graphics
Staff member
Dec 9, 2008
5,452
29,001
I am not bright enough to digest this. Can somebody smarter than I am break this down into what it could be used for?
Can't help you there, but from what I know, when developing an app that accesses the internet, there tends to be a front end and a back end.

The front end runs code on the user's computer, moving data around on one device alone and not needing to communicate with other users. The backend runs on computers elsewhere, and when the front end needs some bit of information stored online (an account balance, a picture, the number of likes your stupid GIF got), it requests it from the server. Because multiple people are interacting with data simultaneously on the servers, and they need to do it quickly and securely, programming the back end of an app can be far more daunting than the front end.

Stamplay seems to make it much easier for businesses to develop backends without writing a lot of the server-side code from scratch by providing a "low code workflow automation platform, empowering organizations to streamline manual work by integrating data and business applications used every day."

However, I think what Stamplay truly brings to the table is a goofy sounding name:

 
Last edited:

Marco Klobas

macrumors 6502
Jul 14, 2017
434
866
Italy
As far as I understand, they developed a platform to build easily apps with little coding based on APIs.

Maybe it could be used to enhance Shortcuts app or to provide further developing tools for developers.
 

asiga

macrumors 65816
Nov 4, 2012
1,023
1,327
Web cloud-based apps: A bad thing for us who want to use code locally, under our control, as opposed to the service-based model that many tech companies (Apple included) are trying to push (because of many things: more frequent payments from subscriptions, more chances of monetizing users behaviour and data, more chances of forcing into buying new hardware by not allowing you to avoid updating, etc, etc).

It fits with the latest Apple strategies.
 
  • Like
Reactions: needfx

Scooz

Suspended
Apr 9, 2012
339
348
Hm, Apple’s version of Google’s Firebase?

Backends tend to be tedious work otherwise and Apple might not want devs to depend on Google.
 

drdreric

macrumors newbie
Feb 10, 2015
2
3
Maybe it was bought for FileMaker, not Apple directly. Could that explain the lack of the usual Apple acquisition statement?
 
  • Like
Reactions: whoknows999

TinyTears

macrumors newbie
May 30, 2009
24
15
Lazy article.

1) They appear to be based in London, although founded by Italians.
2) It takes all of two seconds to confirm that they have been acquired by apple - https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/08168198/officers

I'm sure it's no coincidence that various lawyers with a registered address of One, Apple Park Way, Cupertino, California 95014, United States recently took on director roles at the company.
 

Sinfonist

macrumors regular
Jan 24, 2007
147
89
Can't help you there, but from what I know, when developing an app that accesses the internet, there tends to be a front end and a back end.


Basically, this lets you easily glue together an application that will run on a cloud server from several independent parts.
The "workflow" is how the pieces fit together.

The front end runs on the phone or other device, the back end provides the cloud support (e.g. access to cloud databases,
specific computations that run on cloud servers etc.).
 

Pakaku

macrumors 68040
Aug 29, 2009
3,107
4,334
I can't stop misreading their name as Steam, which ironically is something Apple loathes with a searing unfounded passion
 

adamw

macrumors 6502a
Sep 22, 2006
742
1,778
Apple gets another company. This time for developer related tools it seems.
 

whoknows999

macrumors newbie
Jun 1, 2019
1
0
Sounds like it would fit right in with FileMaker's latest strategy (an Apple subsidiary), which is to take their "Workplace Innovation Platform" and join the apps created on the FM platform into the "Internet of Things" with minimal effort via their cloud servers.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.