The news of Apple's planned acquisition of photo editing app Pixelmator has caused quite the online stir this week, with fans speculating over how Apple might move forward with a native, first-party photo editing app (and one that happens to be one of the best iPad apps for designers).

If Apple's surprise acquisition of Mac developer Pixelmator passes the regulators, the future of its beloved apps may be bright — or there could be dark skies ahead.

Pixelmator announced on Friday that it is being acquired by Apple. The image-editing platform didn’t discuss what life might look like under the corporate