Resources on the acquisition
As far as I know, the first announcement was this Ionic Blog post.
https://ionic.io/blog/ionic-outsystems-the-future-of-enterprise-app-development
Ionic + Outsystems: The Future of Enterprise App Development
Ionic and OutSystems joining forces to advance enterprise app development—that is the gist. What matters in TL;DR:
Ionic will remain independent, and you can expect a significant investment in our open source and R&D.
Ionic will stay independent; expect major investment in open source and R&D. The follow-up release is here.
https://www.outsystems.com/news/outsystems-acquires-ionic/?sc_lang=en (Japanese: https://www.outsystems.com/news/outsystems-acquires-ionic/ )
The substance is largely the same, but I noticed repeated use of "enterprise-level applications." Twitter posts are next. First, this thread from @ionicframework.
https://twitter.com/Ionicframework/status/1589619854369509378
And posts from Ionic CEO Max Lynch.
https://twitter.com/maxlynch/status/1589644744908763137
These are trustworthy sources.
Expectations for enterprise focus
Ionic had low-code/no-code tools called Ionic Creator and Ionic Studio (both discontinued now).
They let you build apps with a low-code and no-code combination and deploy as iOS/Android apps. You could also extend features with enterprise auth, database, and payment backends. Those backends are still offered for enterprise.
What they were doing and aiming for maps directly to OutSystems as a low-code platform. For OutSystems, "OutSystems in 2 minutes" is a good intro.
What I admire in both is the policy of not locking users into the low-code platform. Both are built on web technology plus Cordova/Capacitor. Users can download the apps they build locally whenever they want. When Google shut down the no-code tool Google App Maker about two years ago, the announcement said you "cannot migrate to another platform" because apps were platform-dependent—I still remember that—but these low-code tools avoid that; users can manage their own apps.
So when I read the press release, my first feeling was that two very compatible companies had teamed up.
The Ionic Team has also been pushing into enterprise in recent years.
OutSystems is a long-standing enterprise tool. In Japan, distributors include Itochu Techno-Solutions (CTC), SB C&S, Dentsu International Information Service (ISID), and BlueMeme, plus an OutSystems Japan entity. I think the Ionic Team's work could leap forward quickly.
Continued OSS independence for Ionic and Capacitor
I expect Ionic's enterprise products (commercial offerings)—auth, database, payment backends, AppFlow, Portals—to evolve gently so OutSystems low-code users can use them. Still,
OutSystems has always been an inspiration for me personally because they cracked the code on building a powerful business in the app dev market, which is exactly what we set out to do at Ionic.
Ionic will continue to operate as an independent business within OutSystems. There are many exciting opportunities to integrate the two platforms, but the OutSystems team has been very clear that they want Ionic to thrive and keep growing as an independent business.
https://ionic.io/blog/ionic-outsystems-the-future-of-enterprise-app-development
So I do not expect changes that only work from OutSystems; operating as an independent business would be impossible otherwise. Personally I hope shared foundations integrate for better usability.
On the other hand, Ionic Framework, StencilJS, and Capacitor as OSS should continue as they are, with OutSystems investing alongside the current Ionic team. OutSystems already uses web technology plus Cordova internally, so adding Ionic and Capacitor should raise the importance of OSS for OutSystems too.
with the help and support of our incredible developer community, Ionic has surpassed everything I thought we could achieve
https://ionic.io/blog/ionic-outsystems-the-future-of-enterprise-app-development
Ionic CEO Max Lynch said this as well; OSS openness and continuity should stay the same, and more developers may join.
Summary
Acquisitions (M&A) tend to sound negative, but Ionic and OutSystems fit well and aim at a similar world, so personally I am excited about the future of Ionic and OutSystems. I should try OutSystems.
This is a rough take; I hope it helps as a reference.