A German firm run by just one developer has been bought by Apple, giving it software to do with color grading and management which may find its way into Final Cut Pro or Pixelmator Pro.
It’s still the case that the biggest single acquisition Apple has ever made is when it bought Beats for $3 billion, and got itself Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre. While the figures for Apple’s latest buy is unlikely to be revealed, it should surely be one of the least the company has ever paid out.
That’s because as confirmed by European Union listings, Apple has acquired the German firm Patchflyer and its one employee. According to German business filings, that one employee is managing director Jonathan Marvin Ochmann.
Ochmann’s Patchflyer makes Color.io, an app the EU describes as “a web-based application for color management and grading of digital imaging.”
Patchflyer’s own website goes further and says that it is concerned with “developing proprietary tools for color science, spatial measurements, acoustic modeling and a number of tools and script libraries that offer a unique approach to complex virtual instruments.”
It’s only supposition what Apple may have in mind for Patchflyer, but color grading is an important part of video editing and, to a lesser extent, also image editing. So this may yet again be Apple acquiring technology to add features to the apps in its Apple Creator Studio bundle.
Routinely when Apple acquires a firm, its website is closed or certain elements are removed. In Patchflyer’s case, despite the company existing for 11 years, there is practically nothing to remove.
Patchflyer’s website is a basic WordPress site which doesn’t even have its own unique domain name. Of its three sections, two may have been removed by Apple because they now end in 404 errors. The third appears to link to a separate company.
When this happened
It’s likely that Apple actually acquired Patchflyer in or around October 2025. The new details come from how Apple and other firms are mandated by the EU to provide details of acquisitions that may be considered substantial.
However, the EU only updates its database periodically, and also states that the information will not be published fewer than four months after filing. That would suggest that Patchflyer was bought in early 2026, except that the EU’s listing has also just added of Apple acquiring Prompt AI.
That San Francisco firm was bought in October 2025. It’s described as a computer vision startup, and it’s believed Apple has acquired it to help with Apple Intelligence and HomeKit Secure Video.
Stephan is the sports journalist for the Maple Grove Report.
