In a
post on the company blog today, Nik Software, developer of iOS photo editing/sharing app
Snapseed, announced that it had been acquired by Google. According to
The Verge, the
acquisition will see Nik's Snapseed developers relocating to Google headquarters in Mountain View in order to work directly on Google's social layer, Google+. The future of Snapspeed's iOS app, which provides image editing and sharing capabilities in a manner similar to Facebook's Instagram, is as yet unknown.
Aside from Snapseed, Nik produces noise reduction application Dfine, selective color editing application Viveza, and five other offerings for both Mac and PC platforms. Snapseed, though, is thought to be the main focus of the deal. Integrating Snapseed into Google+ would give Google another means by which to compete with Facebook, which
purchased popular photo sharing app Instagram earlier this year for $1 billion.
Observers note that the rest of Nik's software could be rolled into Google+ as well, with Snapseed serving as a portal to a larger image editing suite. Google has been working to
heighten Google+'s attractiveness as a portal for photographers, improving its photo management systems and organizing photography conferences to promote the site.
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