Apply buys and snuffs out Australian iPhone ‘action camera’ app
An app designed by Melbournian John Papandriopoulos which converts the iPhone 5 into a camera capable of shooting 20 photos a second has been acquired by Apple.
John Papandriopoulos
The app, SnappyCam, had been sought by other app developers before being secured by Apple. The app was formerly available in the app store, but has promptly disappeared along with all its support website's content removed and its online social networking profiles locked.
“The terms of the deal have not been disclosed and it's not known if Dr Papandriopoulos now works for Apple and whether SnappyCam will ever reappear,” Melbourne’s The Age reported.
“What's more likely is the app's functionality being integrated into Apple's existing camera app in future software updates so that all users of Apple's iPhone or other devices can enjoy its benefits without having to pay for the app.”
It added that Papandriopoulos has not responded to requests for comment.
“Using a compression algorithm, which comprises nearly 10,000 lines of hand-tuned assembly code, and more than 20,000 lines of low-level C code, Dr Papandriopoulos' SnappyCam is able to unlock an iPhone's higher frame and resolution capture when taking photographs - a feat Apple's own camera app could not achieve,” the paper said.
In a statement confirming the acquisition, Apple said: “Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans."
SnappyCam had been the number one paid app on the Apple app store.