Farewell, Aperture.

Apple has updated its official Aperture page to warn consumers that the popular app won't be available in the Mac App Store after the new Photos app for OS X launches in the spring. The same notice is also present in the app's description.

Once Aperture is removed from the Mac App Store, it will no longer be available for purchase. In other words: Aperture will be dead, though if you've previously purchased it, you'll be able to re-download it from the store's "Purchases" tab.

What is Aperture?

Aperture is a photo editing app developed by Apple. It first released in 2005 and has been available in the Mac App Store since 2011. It's largely considered a post-production app for professionals, where as the company's iPhoto photo-editing app, which has been available on OS X for over 13 years, is for consumers who really only need basic editing tools.

Why is Apple killing Aperture?

Apple hinted in June 2014 at WWDC that Aperture and iPhoto were on the way out, as it was developing new software to replace them, but it did not specify at that time that Aperture would be completely removed from the Mac App Store.

In early February, while unveiling a preview of the new Photos app for OS X, Apple officially confirmed that it planned to cease development of Aperture and would instead focus on Photos going forward.

In an attempt to hammer a final nail into Aperture's coffin, Apple has updated the app's webpage and Mac App Store description with a warning that Aperture won't even be available for purchase after Photos launches.

What is Photos, and is it better than Aperture?

As we mentioned above, Apple first announced at WWDC 2014 that it was reimagining how people manage their photo libraries across their devices, including on the Mac. Part of that plan has only recently been revealed: Apple is discontinuing iPhoto and Aperture and replacing both of them with Photos for OS X.

The new Photos for Mac app looks a lot like an iOS experience and includes much of the same editing and organising features, but that also means its pared down quite a bit. Professional image editors are therefore out of luck and will more than likely take their business elsewhere. Novice photo editors, though, will welcome Photos for Mac.

How does the new Photos app work?

Pocket-lint has already published an in-depth look at the new Photos app, with a full breakdown of all the new features and how they work and whether they're better or worse than what was available in Aperture and iPhoto.

When will the new Photos app be available?

Although developers can start using the new Photos app now, consumers won’t get it until Apple releases software update OS X 10.10.3 to Macs this spring. The company said it would also roll out a public beta soon.

Want to know more?

Check out Apple's Photos Preview page to see what the company has to say about its new app.