Facebook acquires Mac, iOS developer Acrylic Software

Facebook has acquired Acrylic Software, a Vancouver-based developer of Mac and iOS apps.

The small firm is known for the RSS app Pulp (a personalized newspaper) and the secure database app Wallet (for securely storing passwords, credit-card numbers, etc.).

The company has decided to cease development of the two apps, which Facebook itself has not acquired. This means that the apps will continue to be available for download and purchase, but will no longer be updated.

Acrylic has two employees and both are moving to work on the social-networking giant's design team in San Francisco. Additional details of the acquisition were not disclosed, but this appears to be mainly a talent acquisition; Facebook will not be getting the technology behind the service, or its user data.

Here's the full announcement from Acrylic:

I'm happy to announce today that we've packed up our small Vancouver studio and will be making the move to San Francisco in the coming weeks to join the design team at Facebook.

For the past four years, we've worked tirelessly on creating truly awesome products with a focus on innovation and great design, and I'm incredibly proud of the work we've been able to accomplish during that time. Our flagship apps, Wallet and Pulp, have been used and loved by hundreds of thousands of people around the world. Building these products has been a fun and exciting ride, but the time has come to move on to newer and bigger challenges.

Facebook is an invaluable service that we all use daily, and a company I believe is one of the most innovative and important around today. After visiting late last year, I discovered that we shared many of the same core product design goals and principles, and it soon became obvious that it was a natural fit. Simply put, there's an opportunity at Facebook to have a big impact in many people's lives. More importantly, Facebook is full of extremely talented people who will be able to help realize its full potential in the years to come.

Our products and services have not been acquired by Facebook, and while there are no plans for further development on them, Wallet and Pulp will continue to remain available for download and purchase in their current form. We'll certainly be the first to let you know of any updates or changes here in the future.

A special thanks to all of our customers and supporters who have helped us grow and build the best products possible throughout the last four years. We wouldn't have been able to do it without you.

Dustin MacDonald
Acrylic Software

Update, 1:30 p.m. PT: Facebook confirmed with me that this was indeed an "acqui-hire," not a full-on acquisition. The company declined to give an official statement, though.