One of my favorite Mac apps isPixelmator Pro , an image editing tool I use daily . On Friday , the company behind the app announced thatApple is acquiring it . While that sound like great news for the Pixelmator squad and Apple user , my first chemical reaction was a common sense of dread that an app I often habituate will be drastically different in the future or may no longer exist in its current form .
I go using Pixelmator primarily to escape Adobe ’s subscription - only poser for Photoshop . Pixelmator is available for a one - time leverage of $ 50 , which is much friendly to my wallet than Photoshop ’s $ 20 per calendar month or Photoshop Elements ’ $ 100 for a “ 3 - year terminal figure license , ” whatever that means .
I also want to endorse the Pixelmator squad in making Mac - only apps . While developer can make a life as a Mac - only developer , the market place is n’t as big as Windows , or even iOS . The Pixelmator squad wee-wee top - notch computer software and they merit as much reenforcement as they can get .
When I first started using Pixelmator Pro or else of Photoshop , I had a lot to learn about the app ’s user port . After using Photoshop for yr , undo all that muscle memory consider sentence . But it aid that Pixelmator Pro has a gravid UI that make sensation , and it did n’t take long to get well-fixed . But now , with the acquirement news , I ’m afraid that ’s all depart to be thrown out the windowpane . Pixelmator Pro is n’t going to deepen “ at this time , ” say the Pixelmator Team . That ’s not very reassuring .
My major concern is that the one - time purchase design is going to go away . Apple ’s Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro are one - time purchase Mac apps , so there ’s hope that this will be the eccentric with Apple Pixelmator Pro . But the iPad versions of Apple ’s Pro apps are subscription purchase , so there ’s a late case law of Apple implementing such leverage program . Apple ’s Services tax income isvaluable to its bottom lineand cause its Mac apps subscription - base is something the fellowship could do to help Services revenue rise .
Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro were Apple acquisitions , but Apple did n’t have a presence in those software family in the first place . They do with Pixelmator and Photos , so my other fear is baseless and far - fetched , but what if Apple decide to cease Pixelmator as a stand - alone app and incorporate it into the Photos app , possibly as a paid Photos+ option ? That ’s not ideal — exposure is an app for maintaining your photo library , and it ’s not ideal for my work . What makes more sense is if Apple incorporated thePhotomatorapp into Photos and left Pixelmator as its own app .
Overall , this seems like good news for the Pixelmator Team – Apple made a great acquirement and I ’m happy to see them follow . But let this be my plea to Apple to keep Pixelmator Pro as an low-cost , abide - alone app that I can rely on for years and twelvemonth .
