In a move that is far from shocking, Google has killed off Snapseed Desktop for Mac and PC.
Beginning today well 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. Well 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
Were living in a new kind of computing environment. Everyone has a device, sometimes multiple devices. Its been a long time since we have had this rate of changeit probably hasn’t happened since the birth of personal computing 40 years ago. To make the most of these opportunities, we need to focusotherwise we spread ourselves too thin and lack impact. So today were 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.… Read more »
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?).… Read more »
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… Read more »
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!!!
Snapseed Desktop was actually a niche product!! (Does anyone know of an alternative?) Even if there was no further development, it would still be an amazing program. We trialed it in production! It was amazingly quick.
BRING IT BACK!! I would probably pay £200 for this software.