Pixelmator releases Pixelmator Pro 2.0, which will run natively on Macs with M1, says features like ML Super Resolution will be up to 15x faster on the new Macs
Plus, a big redesign — Pixelmator has announced Pixelmator Pro 2.0, the newest update to the image-editing software Pixelmator Pro.
Context & Ripple Effects
Pixelmator has been building toward this for years: the original Pixelmator Pro launch in 2017 staked the app's identity on machine-learning-enhanced editing, and earlier releases like the El Capitan Metal optimizations show a habit of rebuilding for each new Mac graphics layer. Version 2.0 extends that pattern to Apple Silicon itself.
The move lands mid-race: Adobe had already shipped M1-native versions of Lightroom Classic and Illustrator claiming 80%+ faster performance than Intel Macs, so Pixelmator's 15x claim for ML Super Resolution is also a competitive shot across the subscription giant's bow. Years later, the strategy would culminate in Pixelmator signing an agreement to be acquired by Apple, pending regulatory approval.
First-order effects
- Buyers of the first M1 Macs get a redesigned, native image editor at launch rather than running Rosetta-translated software, with ML Super Resolution up to 15x faster on the new machines.
Second-order effects
- Adobe's M1-native push becomes a speed-benchmark contest: once both suites run natively, marketing shifts from 'is it ported?' to whose ML features are faster on Apple Silicon.
Third-order effects
- Independent Mac creative apps that tie their roadmaps tightly to Apple's silicon cadence — as Pixelmator did from Metal through M1 — end up structurally closer to Apple's platform, a path that ended with Pixelmator agreeing to be acquired by Apple outright.
The trend: Mac creative software is being rebuilt around Apple Silicon's ML acceleration, pulling one-time independent apps into ever-tighter alignment with Apple's own hardware-and-software stack.