If you didn’t see the news today, Apple will be ceasing development of Aperture when the new OS X Photos app is released next year. At first blush, this seems like bad news for Aperture users. ApertureExpert has an interesting take on the news, however, that actually has me feeling hopeful for the future of the Photos app. The Photos app as a hub for your photos, with iOS-like extensions allowing any other app, including Lightroom, to interact with it? Count me in, if it comes to pass.

Extrapolate that to OS X. What if OS X worked the same way? What if Photos for OS X was built on PhotoKit, and what if PhotoKit was integrated into the OS itself. What if third party apps on OS X could access your Photos.app photo library the same way that iOS apps can (and will be able to in iOS 8)?

Suddenly you have an ecosystem where the library is the hub. No more one-time, stuck-with-it-forever decision if you should use Aperture or Lightroom or Bridge or anything else. Photos.app stores your photos and allows some level of editing. Future Nik plugins apps access that same library. Future Lightroom accesses the same Library (!!). Future Photo Mechanic. MacPhun, onOne, Alien Skin… name your app, name your plugin. In this utopian future, all apps have the same access to all photos. PhotoKit could make that possible.

Now that’s cool. All this on a photo library based in the cloud.

∞ Aperture is Dead. Long Live Photos! | ApertureExpert