In a move that is far from shocking, Google has killed off Snapseed Desktop for Mac and PC.
“Beginning today we’ll no longer sell or provide updates for Snapseed Desktop for Macintosh and Windows,” said the Official Google Blog. “Existing customers will continue to be able to download the software and can contact us for support. We’ll continue to offer the Snapseed mobile app on iOS and Android for free.”
While I use Snapseed on my phone almost daily, the desktop version was not a staple of my workflow. What concerns me though is that this is likely a sign of things to come.
The Google Blog States
”We’re living in a new kind of computing environment. Everyone has a device, sometimes multiple devices. It’s been a long time since we have had this rate of change—it probably hasn’t happened since the birth of personal computing 40 years ago. To make the most of these opportunities, we need to focus—otherwise we spread ourselves too thin and lack impact. So today we’re announcing some more closures, bringing the total to 70 features or services closed since our spring cleaning began in 2011.”
What do you think? Are your favorite Nik plug-ins safe or do you think Google will just use the Snapseed technology as a way to compete against the Facebook/Instagram acquistiion?
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I think I have not used a NIK plugin since Google bought it. I have moved more to the OnOne Perfect Suite 7 instead. I think Goggle is in the process of Pissing off a ton of customers. Google reader, Snapseed, and anything else they don’t want to support will be gone as they see fit.
Change is going is going to happen no matter what, we as users just need to remain flexible or go insane. Google is not the only one in the change mode. Adobe’s move to the cloud is going to happen faster than most think. I guess they are tired of their software being ripped off, hence the creative suite will no longer be available via a disk.
Google is evil, loved Snapseed, don’t trust anything Google is up to, most closed computing environment in the world, they seem to advertise exactly the opposite of what they advertise.
The is no logical reason that Google would continue to develop and support Nik plugins.
I would consider them on a march to the grave.
It’s a shame. Adobe should have bought Nik and built the features into Lightroom or photoshop.
i’ve not used snapseed but i’m hoping they realize there is a dedicated group out there using silver efex! it’s the mainstay of my workflow and i’d be upset if it went away. i”m hopeful they’ll keep it given the status of many of the users….
Yeah it’s a shame but I’m pretty well convinced that the NIK line is going away. The sad part of that is that there isn’t a good replacement for some of their software like HDR Efex Pro. We’ll also lose the u-point technology which is very handy. Looks like there’s an opening for someone to reverse engineer the NIK line if that is possible.
Is it really possible Google would discontinue some of the most innovative and just plain useful plugins on the market? If so, I’m glad I’ve been investing in Topaz Labs plugins as well.
Large companies, such as google, are afraid of entrepreneurs becoming successful. The minute a new app or amazing idea starts to be popular, these companies, purchase them before they can make it bigger. It’s a way to kill competition before they get a chance to compete. NIK is great software and very popular with many professional photographers. I hope google doesn’t discontinue the plugins and continues to develop updates to increase the already existing popularity.
I sure hope support for the plugins continue. I bought the full suite last summer and have never looked back to Topaz or Photomatix since. They are part of my workflow each and every day.
I love Snapseed for my Mac. I don’t use it all the time, but it’s great for quick, creative adjustments. Sad they’re discontinuing it.
There is no question that Google bought Nik for Snapseed Mobile.
The followup question is … what do they do with the PC/Mac software – that’s not their space. My hope is that they are going to sell off the technology to someone who is interested in carrying forward the great Nik technology (OnOne perhaps? They would be about the only operation that could absorb that acquisition; Nik technology is developed in Germany, I believe, so the local guys could absorb the products, technology, and education fairly easily; maybe even embark on a convergence path – are you listening OnOne?).
In this context, killing the PC/Mac version of Snapseed makes some sense – they wouldn’t want to sell it with the others because they could lose control of the Snapseed technology. And they don’t want to continue supporting it on PC/Mac because the “future is mobile”, or so they say.
So, for me, I’d be OK with the sell-off path – I would hate to see such great technology disappear. But Google really doesn’t give a rat’s ass about what you and I want to see, so unfortunately Nik appears to be circling the drain.
Unless Google releases some upgraded versions of their product suite, you can bet the PC/Mac versions will be gone. I’ve held off buying Nik for this very reason. So not only are loyal users going to switch, even in the advent of “Nik Cloud,” Nikon (who bot part of Nik) users will be pissed.
The upside is that Nik engineers may see the dark at the end of the light tunnel and band for another company, whose products will probably more innovative and cost-effective than anything Google could offer.
I have a hard time wrapping my head around why a company would spend the kind of money they do to buy companies and then dismantle and destroy them. They do it all the time, but I don’t get it. I also don’t get why the folks that built Nik would sell the company they built into a premium business other than greed. Now they can sit and count their money while they watch the destruction of what they built.
Gravity always works. Google will only do what serves Google, and the rocks have started rolling downhill. Caldav, Reader, Snapseed are merely the beginning. I really love the Nik plugins. I also have no confidence that Google won’t shutter them.
Nothing is really surprising with the Big G anymore. Discontinuing something as useful as this will effect an awful lot of people. Just goes to show that we should not be overly reliant on these ‘free’ applications that Google and the like provide.
Given Nikon’s record with non-development of their software, let’s give thanks that they didn’t take over Nik
I have been a heavy and happy user of the Nik Suite for several years. I also worked for many years in the purchase and use of software of all sorts. Given that, I am just about positive that Google will mess up Nik in totality, it will just be a matter of time. They will not be able to help themselves for it is their nature. The rationale will be some more hogwash like spreading yourself too thin, just like now, or some other lame excuse. On the topic of spreading yourself too thin, why not get rid of people they have doing those crazy animated logos they do far too often? Having the money to support that junk IS spreading yourself too thin!
Another question I have is that, based on a recent Fortune article, they seem to have money to spend on a car that does not require a driver. Given that I thought they were a computer software company, if that isn’t spreading yourself too thin, then what is?
“Often wrong but never in doubt” should be the new Google motto….
I want options, period! The google writing is on the wall, therefore I’ve already started distancing myself (ie:finding other options) from NIK, knowing damn well that google will indeed screw it up under the guise of doing thing better for YOU… BS!!!
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