Apple will likely leverage its Pixelmator acquisition as a new subscription revenue stream

As we found out earlier this week, Apple has acquired the popular photo-editing app Pixelmator, marking a significant move in the world of digital image editing. This acquisition comes roughly a decade after Apple’s last major foray into professional photo editing with its Aperture software. Pixelmator, known for its user-friendly interface and powerful features, has long been considered a natural fit for Apple’s ecosystem.

This isn’t the first time Apple has acquired a popular app. Remember Dark Sky, the hyperlocal weather app? Apple acquired it and then integrated its features into its own Weather app. There are other examples too, like Workflow, which evolved into the Shortcuts app, and others that were absorbed with varying degrees of success.

Pixelmator has earned a reputation for its intuitive design and comprehensive tools, making it a favorite among both amateur and professional photographers. The app’s interface and features align seamlessly with Apple’s design philosophy, making it feel like an Apple product.

However, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, while Pixelmator has assured users that no immediate changes are planned, there’s speculation about how Apple might integrate the app into its ecosystem. One possibility is that Pixelmator could be rebranded as “Photos Pro” and offered as a subscription service alongside Apple’s other professional applications like Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro. This would provide users with a more advanced photo editing option while keeping the current Photos app as a free, basic alternative.

An image of Photomator app on the iPhone

An image of Pixelmator’s Photomator app on iPhone. | Image credit — Pixelmator

Apple’s acquisition of Pixelmator aligns with its ongoing strategy to expand its services revenue. Gurman speculates that it is unlikely that Apple would integrate Pixelmator’s features into the free Photos app, as this would undermine the potential for a separate, subscription-based professional photo editing service.

Personally, I am excited to see how this acquisition will influence iOS, iPadOS and macOS in the future. I have been using Pixelmator since the first version of the app on macOS and was ecstatic when it expanded to iOS. Now, the apps have reached Pro levels and are my go-to for image — and even a little video — editing. However, I’m also slightly wary of the potential cost of a subscription-based service. It will be interesting to see how Apple balances the features and pricing of “Photos Pro” to appeal to a broad range of users.

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