Pixelmator for Mac update adds Sierra Tabs, Touch Bar integration, content-aware Smart Refine, more
Benjamin Mayo / 9to5Mac :
Context & Ripple Effects
Pixelmator has built its reputation on shipping macOS-era features fast — last year it was El Capitan optimizations and a Metal-based Photos extension, and this update extends the same cadence into Sierra with Tabs, Touch Bar controls, and content-aware Smart Refine. Apple set the stage by updating its own pro apps first: Final Cut Pro X and iMovie gained Touch Bar support within weeks of the new MacBook Pro's launch.
The competitive frame is Adobe. Photoshop had no Touch Bar build at publication time, so an indie editor briefly offered deeper integration with Apple's newest hardware than the category leader — a gap Adobe closed a month later with its own Touch Bar update.
First-order effects
- Buyers of the new MacBook Pros get contextual Touch Bar editing controls in Pixelmator immediately, while Smart Refine gives existing Mac users a content-aware fill-style tool without upgrading hardware.
Second-order effects
- Adobe is pressured into matching hardware-specific features in Photoshop — its December Touch Bar release follows Apple's own apps and Pixelmator rather than leading them.
- Pixelmator's rapid feature parity strengthens its position as the low-cost alternative ahead of the Pro version with machine-learning editing tools it unveiled the next year.
Third-order effects
- When Apple ties new capabilities to each macOS and hardware cycle, indie developers who adopt fastest can outflank incumbent suites on integration, shifting purchase decisions from feature breadth to update velocity.
The trend: Mac creative software is converging on hardware- and OS-tied feature releases, with nimble indie editors like Pixelmator matching Adobe's flagship on each Apple platform cycle.