Apple is set to acquire Pixelmator, the maker of popular image editing apps for iPhone and Mac, as announced by Pixelmator in a blog post on Friday.
Founded in Lithuania in 2007, Pixelmator has gained recognition for its flagship apps, Pixelmator and Pixelmator Pro, which are considered competitors to Adobe Photoshop. The company also produces Photomator, a dedicated photo editing app.
Apple has highlighted Pixelmator’s apps during various product launches over the years.
In 2018, Pixelmator Pro was named Apple’s Mac App of the Year, praised for its use of Apple’s machine learning and AI technologies, which enable features like removing unwanted objects from images or automatically adjusting colors.
“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,” Pixelmator shared in its post.
Apple typically favors smaller acquisitions over high-profile buys seen from its Silicon Valley counterparts, focusing instead on companies whose products or teams can enhance Apple’s offerings. Neither Apple nor Pixelmator disclosed the financial details of the acquisition.
According to Pixelmator’s blog post, there will be “no material changes to the Pixelmator Pro, Pixelmator for iOS, and Photomator apps at this time.”
Earlier in the week, Apple revealed Apple Intelligence, a new suite that includes AI-driven photo editing features like Clean Up, which uses AI to remove unwanted people or objects from images.
Apple has acquired several other popular apps recognized at its product events. In 2020, Apple purchased Dark Sky, a weather app now integrated into Apple’s default weather application.
In 2017, Apple acquired Workflow, an automation and macro app that later became Shortcuts on iPhone, laying the foundation for a more advanced Siri.
