From Newsgroup: comp.sys.mac.apps


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Apple is Acquiring Pixelmator
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In what may be the biggest acquisition news of the year for
Apple fans, the popular photo app developer Pixelmator has
announced that it's reached a deal to be acquired by Apple.

The Pixelmator Team shared the news in a blog post this
morning. While the deal is done in principle, it will still
have to clear the usual regulatory hurdles.

"Pixelmator has signed an agreement to be acquired
by Apple, subject to regulatory approval. There
will be no material changes to the Pixelmator Pro,
Pixelmator for iOS, and Photomator apps at this
time. Stay tuned for exciting updates to come."

The acquisition will include the entire Pixelmator Team of
employees and rights to the company's trio of apps,
Pixelmator Pro, Pixelmator for iOS, and Photomator.

Pixelmator was founded by "a small group of dedicated
people" from Vilnius, Lithuania, 17 years ago. It has always
been a very Mac-focused developer. Pixelmator Pro quickly
became a viable and powerful alternative to Adobe's pricey
(and subscription-based) Photoshop.

"We've been inspired by Apple since day one,
crafting our products with the same razor-sharp
focus on design, ease of use, and performance.
And looking back, it's crazy what a small group of
dedicated people have been able to achieve over the
years from all the way in Vilnius, Lithuania. Now,
we'll have the ability to reach an even wider
audience and make an even bigger impact on the
lives of creative people around the world."

Pixelmator has also been quick to take advantage of new AI
and machine learning features over the years that surpass
the Adobe behemoth, offering features like fast and
intelligent AI-powered background removal and Super
Resolution to resize photos with a minimal loss in quality.

The suite of tools began with the standard Pixelmator for
iPhone, iPad, and Mac, later expanding to a more powerful
Mac-exclusive Pixelmator Pro in 2017 (which, sadly, never
made it to the iPad).

Pixelmator Pro 2.0 was also one of the first photo editing
tools to support Apple's M1 chip, beating Adobe to the
punch by nearly six months. Pixelmator and Photomator were
available for the Vision Pro on day one.

The company also branched out with the more
photography-focused Pixelmator Photo in early 2019, which
won an Apple Design award only two months later, and was
eventually rebranded to Photomator and selected as Apple's
Mac App of the Year for 2023.

So, it's no wonder that Apple feels the Pixelmator Team
would be a good fit for its ambitions to improve its
photography apps and features. While it's unclear exactly
where the Pixelmator folks will fit in, the team says that
its trio of apps will remain available and unchanged for
now but that we should "stay tuned for more exciting
updates to come."

While Apple regularly acquires smaller companies, most of
these deals fly under the radar. A public announcement like
this is uncommon, but it's also bigger news when Apple
acquires a well-known app developer, as it did with Dark Sky
in 2020 and Shazam and Workflow in 2017. Much of what made
Dark Sky special was rolled into Apple's Weather app, while
Shazam has become a built-in feature, and Workflow became
Shortcuts in iOS 12. It will be interesting to see what
Apple does with Pixelmator's apps and technology.

Pixelmator Pro is available as a one-time purchase from the
Mac App Store for $50, while Photomator is a free download
for the Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Vision Pro with a $30 yearly
subscription to unlock all features. There's no word on
whether those pricing models will change after the
acquisition is finalized. Apple hasn't typically offered
subscription-based apps, although that's recently changed
with Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro for iPad, which each cost
$4.99 per month or $49.99 per year.


<https://www.idropnews.com/news/apple-is-acquiring-pixelmator/227682/>




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