Google acquires Nik Software

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We’re incredibly grateful for all of your support and hope you’ll join us on the next phase of our journey as part of Google.


  • http://www.johncblandii.com John C. Bland II

    Good buy.

    • Canucker

      Hopefully not goodbye. I have the app and it works well but I doubt it the Mac/iOS versions are going to have as much attention paid to them. They were supposedly developing an Android app (not released yet).

      • http://www.johncblandii.com John C. Bland II

        Google continues to put all of their services on iOS. Why do you think they’d start ignoring iOS now with the purchase of an iOS developer?

        I’m thrilled for the developers though, as usual. It absolutely is good news.

        • Canucker

          Yes, great for the developers but Google has not been kind to Sparrow on the Mac. Today, the Verge has an excellent article on Google’s many acquisitions (Failure is a feature) and attributes this behaviour to its wide scope of interests – check out the chart of companies! For Google Maps and YouTube it is in Googles interest to provide excellent iOS apps as a means of ad revenue. I kinda doubt Google will be charging for new versions and will instead go to their fundamental business plan. I don’t want ads and am prepared to pay for the privilege. I don’t have to update the app either, of course, assuming it continues to be compatible with the OS.

          • http://www.johncblandii.com John C. Bland II

            Which Google iOS apps have ads?

            I saw the Verge post but hadn’t read yet, it was quite long. :)

          • Canucker

            Google Maps (on my iPhone) highlights (and pins) sponsored businesses close to where a query. These are typically entirely irrelevant to my purpose and can obscure other data. I don’t even like inobtrusive ads. :)

          • http://www.johncblandii.com John C. Bland II

            Oh yeah, the one Apple built. Yep…gotcha. ;-)

          • Canucker

            Don’t think they are Apple’s adverts though, or Apple is being paid by the advertisers do you? I haven’t looked at the Apple Map app in iOS6 yet.

          • http://www.johncblandii.com John C. Bland II

            No clue. I just don’t count it as a Google built iOS app because it wasn’t, just the data was Google’s.

          • http://www.theuniversalsteve.com SSteve

            “Which Google iOS apps have ads?”

            The new YouTube app.

          • http://www.johncblandii.com John C. Bland II

            Yep. Sounds like a pattern to me. ;-)

  • Crg

    This trend of Google buying successful iOS apps is starting to disturb me.

    • http://www.johncblandii.com John C. Bland II

      Why?

      Is Sparrow the only other one or did I miss some?

      • Mother Hydra

        pretty sure you were encyclopedic in you list. Good buy indeed, great app in all seriousness.

  • Lee Gillen

    I was just using their software this weekend thinking what a great company and great product. Now I am worried google will kill it.

  • No

    Just imagine how Nikon feels since Nik produces all their software for them. Capture NX for example.

  • pawhite524

    I have been a fan/user of Nik Software for many years. Their U-Point strategy was a blessing in the context of the pain in the ___ that was Adobe’s Masking for augmenting/correcting digital photos. Truly innovative by Nik and that it could be added to Aperture and Capture NX as a plug-in was a benefit at a fraction of the cost of the full Adobe product. Never as full featured as Adobe CSS but Nik seemed to stack up well for innovation, engineering, design, and development.

    I have no idea what the Snapseed app business contributed to Nik’s revenues but given Google’s interest it must be significant but not living up to its potential. I hope Google doesn’t limit Nik’s overall benefit to photography in the name of apps for smartphone cameras.

  • http://twitter.com/Moeskido Moeskido

    Nik did some highly regarded plug-ins for image editing, too. I’m wondering how professional photographers feel about this acquisition.

  • gabeponzanelli

    I agree with most. I fear Google will focus on Snapseed in an attempt to compete with Facebook/Instagram and will completely drop development and support for the awesome plugins Nik makes for Aperture (and Photoshop/Lightroom).