The positive aspect of this is Apple can't ruin something they're not updating. Every piece of software they touched recently have became worse.
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Apple Says 'Pixelmator' App on iOS Will No Longer Receive Updates
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Mac Fly (film)
macrumors 68040
This makes sense if the time and energy saved by not having to develop the consumer app goes to Pixelmator Pro. Subscription only, not so keep on.
Speaking of a suite of apps, Apple should develop a drag-and-drop design app for logos, app icons and general design creations. Less for photo tweaking and manipulation; I'm talking raw creativity.
I would use iWeb and its drag-and-drop functionality for mocking up things, it was so easy-to-use (wouldn't use it for publishing sites, just mockups) you could screenshot the result and share it with your team. "This is the kind of thing I had in mind."
Now take that concept and make it real for real work: "here's the button in the right format; here's the app icon finished; here's our new logo done and dusted."
Scrap the personal website nonsense iWeb had, add some more pro features for shapes and masking and trimming and removing background tools and let it be a canvas that has temples for things like as standard app icon and logo sizes and industry standard file types and allow Mac and iPad users to play and export their result.
A simple drag-and-drop design app inspired by iWeb. As no third party has really solved this problem in a meaningful manner, it's ripe for innovation and simplification. Creative people need less geeky apps with a steep learning curve and expert led courses. All many creative design types need to get going is a simple drag and drop UX with some cool built in tools and their creativity can be unleashed with barely any technical computer knowledge. As limited as iWeb was you would be surprised what you could achieve. A modern drag-and-drop Apple design app developed by the likes of the Pixelmator team would have huge potential. It would open up design to a whole new group of people.
Speaking of a suite of apps, Apple should develop a drag-and-drop design app for logos, app icons and general design creations. Less for photo tweaking and manipulation; I'm talking raw creativity.
I would use iWeb and its drag-and-drop functionality for mocking up things, it was so easy-to-use (wouldn't use it for publishing sites, just mockups) you could screenshot the result and share it with your team. "This is the kind of thing I had in mind."
Now take that concept and make it real for real work: "here's the button in the right format; here's the app icon finished; here's our new logo done and dusted."
Scrap the personal website nonsense iWeb had, add some more pro features for shapes and masking and trimming and removing background tools and let it be a canvas that has temples for things like as standard app icon and logo sizes and industry standard file types and allow Mac and iPad users to play and export their result.
A simple drag-and-drop design app inspired by iWeb. As no third party has really solved this problem in a meaningful manner, it's ripe for innovation and simplification. Creative people need less geeky apps with a steep learning curve and expert led courses. All many creative design types need to get going is a simple drag and drop UX with some cool built in tools and their creativity can be unleashed with barely any technical computer knowledge. As limited as iWeb was you would be surprised what you could achieve. A modern drag-and-drop Apple design app developed by the likes of the Pixelmator team would have huge potential. It would open up design to a whole new group of people.
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I think he means since Pixelmator Pro will be iPad and Mac only and no longer for iPhone, that he helps the features in the basic app they are discontinuing come to Apple Photos which would seem likely, since Apple Photos is more the basic general photo editor, so makes much more sense integrate that into Apple Photos, than having another separate app.
TracesOfArsenic
macrumors 65816
Which is exactly what Apple are trying to stamp out with making it harder and less convenient to run an app downloaded from the web (akin to iOS). The days of being a true power user on macOS are numbered under the current regime.
I rarely every use any Apple Apps. Why? Because they suck. Apple only updates them every 2 to 3 years and when they do, they don't give a f%^k about the users.
teaneedz
macrumors regular
This a million x. Tim Cook really needs to go. Sooner than later.
eveluvsrainbows
macrumors 6502a
um, yes there is? the app isn’t being pulled from people’s libraries. this is a giant misnomer considering the fact that every app i’ve downloaded or bought since 2013 is still available in my library, albeit the really old ones aren’t available for download anymore as a result of apple discontinuing 32-bit app support on iOS back in 2017.
This really isn't new. Here's the brief history.
Pixelmator (Classic) started back in 2007 on the Mac and then 2014 for the iPad and 2015 for iPhones. In 2017 the team launched Pixelmator Pro as a Mac application. That's where most of their efforts went and is when I switched to Pixelmator Pro from Pixelmator (somewhere around that time).
Then in 2019/2021 (iPad/iPhone) they launched Pixelmator Photo. Then Pixelmator Photo relaunched as Photomator in 2023 with iOS/iPadOS versions and then a Mac version. The team recommended people either stay with Photomator or switch to Pixelmator Pro. Pixelmator (Classic) was still supported, but the writing was on the wall starting in 2019. This was particularly clear once Photomator hit the Mac in May 2023 because the team officially had a modern replacement for both halves of the original Pixelmator app. This was all before Apple bought Pixelmator.
From that point on, the original Pixelmator (especially on iOS) was effectively a "zombie" app -- maintained for compatibility but receiving no new features -- until the official "end of updates" announcement today. Again, this effective EOL for Pixelmator (Classic) has been in process for 3+ years. Apple is now pulling the plug.
Pixelmator (Classic) started back in 2007 on the Mac and then 2014 for the iPad and 2015 for iPhones. In 2017 the team launched Pixelmator Pro as a Mac application. That's where most of their efforts went and is when I switched to Pixelmator Pro from Pixelmator (somewhere around that time).
Then in 2019/2021 (iPad/iPhone) they launched Pixelmator Photo. Then Pixelmator Photo relaunched as Photomator in 2023 with iOS/iPadOS versions and then a Mac version. The team recommended people either stay with Photomator or switch to Pixelmator Pro. Pixelmator (Classic) was still supported, but the writing was on the wall starting in 2019. This was particularly clear once Photomator hit the Mac in May 2023 because the team officially had a modern replacement for both halves of the original Pixelmator app. This was all before Apple bought Pixelmator.
From that point on, the original Pixelmator (especially on iOS) was effectively a "zombie" app -- maintained for compatibility but receiving no new features -- until the official "end of updates" announcement today. Again, this effective EOL for Pixelmator (Classic) has been in process for 3+ years. Apple is now pulling the plug.
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cmichaelb
macrumors 68020
Thye already killed the Mac app. What I miss about Pixelmator on the Mac, is the Automator Plugins, they are gone in the Po version.
gsmornot
macrumors 68040
So, what am I to think about Photomator? Looking in my subscriptions, it shows 29.99 per year. I see it went up to 34.99 per year starting in June 2025 or 119 for lifetime. I dont think I want Pixelmator Pro. I have been looking to stop paying for Lightroom but Apple does not support the HE* Nikon RAW format so I dont want to focus on these products. I use Apple photos to store my iPhone and JPEG outputs from Lightroom. Hmm.
Worst thing that can happen to a great app is being bought by Apple.
cjsuk
macrumors 68020
The lossy NEF format is a curse. It's patent encumbered and based on TicoRAW. The only products that can open it require you to pay for it or sign in. LibRAW will never support it and Apple will have to pay up to support it.
I would recommend going into your camera settings and turning it back to lossless and writing the whole format off. It's not open, documented or safe to use long term.
There’s Canva now. They just went free for life with a subscription tier only for AI goodies if you’re into AI slop. But even with the free version you get photo editing, vector illustration and even some desktop publishing.
cjsuk
macrumors 68020
Nope. Using their products after their recent change is dangerous.
You have to sign into the new products. You do not control them. Canva do. And if the AI market craps the bed, they'll use their now encumbered customers to cover those losses. Also to note, none of the Affinity product file formats are documented or reverse engineered (unlike Adobe PSD for example which is publicly documented) which means you're stuck with pay forever if they change their mind.
j-a-x
macrumors 68000
I love the app as it is, it works great. it doesn't really need any major updates. I purchased years ago and liked it better than Photoshop (and no subscription) so I've kept it all these yers and used it with many app related projects. I hope at the very least they keep the existing app functional for lifetime purchases - if so then I'm not too worried. I will be interested to see what Apple does with it.
PixelPanics
macrumors regular
Apple really needs to bring back a full one-time pay or included photo application.
The software included on their machines was one of the main reasons it could command the pricing. IMO
Are we to see Final Cut, Garage Band and others making the same transition?
The software included on their machines was one of the main reasons it could command the pricing. IMO
Are we to see Final Cut, Garage Band and others making the same transition?
The old perpetual license model was sustainable because you paid $x for a certain version of an app that you owned forever. If you wanted version 2.0 you bought it again but you didn’t have to. This allowed the development cost to be covered by people who wanted new features. Apple’s App Store didn’t allow for a way to charge for new versions so once you sold an app you had to rely on a constant stream of new customers which is difficult after you’ve been on the market for more than a decade. It’s a broken business model.
Apple places power and control right up there with premium pricing and maximum profits. As the saying goes “follow the money, that explains everything”.
Well that’s a kick in the nuts for anyone who bought it and uses it! You will own nothing and be happy being rather apt in this case… But Apple of course are far from the only ones doing this chasing subscription models for pro software.
Radeon85
macrumors 68000
And here we go, that was bloody predicable. Another company bought and destroyed.
Tim Crook knows he can do anything to Apple fanboys. They have a high tolerance.