Apple confirms Swell purchase, shuts down app and website
Apple confirmed the purchase through the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, but didn't offer up any other details. The Swell website has been shut down and now only displays a thank you message stating,
Thank you for using Swell over the past year. We wanted to let you know that the Swell service is no longer available. We've been inspired by the opportunity to create quality products that positively impact users' lives, and we are grateful to all our listeners. Thank you everyone for your support!
Earlier this week a report surfaced saying Apple was buying Concept.io for US$30 million and that once the deal closed the Swell website and app would shut down. iPhone owners hoping to try out Swell now are out of luck because the app is gone from the App Store, too.
Apple recently purchased BookLamp, which is a service that suggests books you may enjoy based on the language in other books you like. That, combined with the now confirmed purchase of Swell, is a fairly strong indication that Apple has plans for improving discoverability for content available through its iTunes Store and App Store.
Apple isn't offering up any other details about the Swell or BookLight purchases, and there isn't any word on how Swell will be revived now that it's shut down.