Google has boosted the already formidable photo-sharing capabilities of its Google+ social network by acquiring Nik Software, the German creators of photo-sharing app Snapseed, an iOS photo app. The move should fan the flames of competition against Facebook and Instagram.
Facebook acquired Instagram earlier this year for US$1bn. The amount Google paid for Nik Software hasn’t been disclosed.
Snapseed won the iPad App of the Year Award in 2011 for its photo-editing interface.
In a post on his Google+ profile, Google’s Vic Gundotra wrote: “Today I’m excited to welcome +Nik Software to the Google family! We want to help our users create photos they absolutely love, and in our experience Nik does this better than anyone. Check out the examples from some of the world’s greatest photographers, and you’ll see what I mean.”
Gundotra also revealed that more than 400m people have “upgraded” to Google+.
“It was only a year ago that we opened public sign-up, and we couldn’t have imagined that so many people would join in just 12 months.
“While Google+ is all about creating a better experience across Google, it’s also a destination. And here, too, I’m happy to report that we have just crossed 100,000,000 monthly active users on Google+ (plus.google.com and mobile app),” Gundotra wrote.
