Adobe set to take plunge into office apps? (Should Apple buy Adobe?)

“When considering what your spreadsheets and documents might look like on the always-on desktop of the future, don’t leave Adobe out of the picture,; Michael Calore reports for Wired.

“The software maker famous for Flash and Photoshop is poised to take the plunge into the lucrative world of office applications. It may sound far-fetched at first, but the stage is set for Adobe to flex its muscle in the office-app arena. The company already has a strong presence in business software with its Acrobat suite of products and interest in its new platform for web-enabled applications that run on the desktop is rising quickly,” Calore reports.

Calore reports, “According to Adobe group manager for platform evangelism, Mike Downey, it wouldn’t be outlandish to predict the company throws its hat into the ring soon. ‘Though we have not yet announced any intentions to move into the office-productivity software market,’ he says, ‘considering we have built this platform that makes it easy to build rich applications that run on both the desktop and the browser, I certainly wouldn’t rule anything like that out.'”

Calore reports, “Microsoft all but owns the space right now — its Office suite consisting of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook is the die-hard first choice of the corporate world — but Redmond has been slow to react to the growing popularity of web apps and alternatives to its stable of dinosaurs.”

Full article here.

Yet another reason why Apple should buy Adobe – beyond acquiring Photoshop et al. and eliminating Windows support, of course (as Apple did with Shake). wink There’s nothing like a nice hostile takeover to spice up the autumn season.

[UPDATE: 6:30pm EDT: Looks like CNET’s Matt Asay agrees, “The only thing better would be if Adobe, Apple, and OpenOffice could get together. Open source plus two of the most innovative makers of software in the industry…I’m salivating. (In fact, don’t you think that it makes a lot of sense for Apple to acquire Adobe, given the similar corporate mentalities/competencies? Me, too.) …Microsoft should be very concerned.” Full article via CNET News Blog here.]

86 Comments

  1. This is a rare case where I disagree with MDN’s take. Squandering Apple’s billions to purchase Adobe would be contrary to stockholder interest. The only justification for such a move is if they could create more value for their bottom line than other available opportunities. There’s simply no way such a move would pay. And MDN wants to sacrifice profits on the table by going Mac only?

    mw: sense – as in, it wouldn’t make any

  2. Apple can’t even perfect their own software as it is now.

    Open Source components of Mac OS X are not being updated on our machines no where nearly fast enough.

    So all a hacker has to do is look at the list of Open Source exploits and apply to Mac OS X.

    Ok, right, Apple gets all of Adobe’s programmers so it’s another ball game., right? Well if Apple gets into the DP market, they will naturally have to “reinvent” the DP software because Adobe has lost all innovation. So that innovation will of course have to come from Apple software designers.

    And they are not doing very well right now as it is.

    So why should Apple, a proven innovate software company, even bother to buy the BAGGAGE of Adobe? They certainly don’t need them.

    The only reason Apple will have to buy Adobe is to get them out of the competitve market.

    M$ will react violently. Also Apple will appear to be even more of a monopoly than it already is.

    Remember Apple is a hardware and a software lockin.

    With Windows, it’s only a OS lockin. As the OS can be put on any PC machine from many manufactors, including the software.

    So is it a good idea for Apple to buy Adobe? No.

    It would be a good idea for Apple to produce it’s own DP software.

  3. Apple acquiring Adobe is Redmond-thinking. We’ve had enough of that, I think.

    Adobe needs to de-program itself (emotionally, I mean). It’s like the whole market-share issue–nobody needs to “kill” anybody, just learn to play nice and coexist. There’s room enough for all, if the Beastmaster can just be made to sit time-out.

  4. What do you need Adobe or Apple for when there’s Microsoft Publisher, Microsoft XPS, Microsoft Digital Image Suite and Microsoft Silverlight?

    Face it, Adobe and Apple lost; Microsoft won.

    Your potential. Our passion.™

  5. “Umm, sorry MDN, but not even Apple has $24 Billion just lying around to buy up Adobe with.”

    Well, they only have to buy 51% of Adobe stock..

    And, actually, they have more than $10 Billion just lying around ” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”wink” style=”border:0;” />

  6. I’m glad to side with the losers.

    At least I’m not stuck on a Dell Dimention running XP playing music on a Rio.

    Face it yourself you TROLL:

    We have:
    The best, most reliable and elegant OS.
    The best, most rounded music software, with everything from podcasts to full movies.
    The best, easiest to use music player to play all that stuff anywhere.
    The best consumer and pro A/V Apps from iPhoto to Shake.
    The best security, where spyware, adware, trojans, viruses are virtually unknown.
    The best looking, most reliable hardware from the Mini to the MacPro (read Consumer Reports).
    The best tech support for when things do go wrong -try taking your 4 year old HP back to BestBuy for support.

    Now GET OFF THIS MAC SITE.

  7. I guess if Apple acquired Adobe, Apple could get Adobe Acrobat to speed up some.

    Anyone ever notice the irony that Microsoft, a software company, has only two real products (Windows and Office), while most other products either don’t make money or are red headed step children?

    Meanwhile Apple and Adobe have full stables of a variety of software offerings. And Apple is a hardware first company.

  8. CUPERTINO, California—October 21, 2008—Apple® today announced Creative Suite 4 (CS4) the next release of the world standard in digital imaging.

    Creative Suite 4 (CS4) is available immediately for Mac OS X and Windows through Apple Store® (http://www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers. CS4 will be available for Mac OS X for a suggested retail price of $499 (US) and Windows for a suggested retail price of $9,999 (US). Existing Creative Suite 3 customers will be given the option to double the number of their existing licenses at no additional cost by migrating to Mac OS X.

    Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning computers, OS X operating system and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with its iPod portable music and video players and iTunes online store, along with revolutionizing the mobile phone market with its amazing iPhone.

  9. In my world Photoshop, Illustrator and the related products are a standard. They are very powerful and have developed over time to get where they are today.

    It would be a disaster if M$ ever gained control of Adobe. They would ruin the Adobe Suite of programs. The best option would be for Adobe to stay profitable and independent. Second best would be for them to merge into Apple.

  10. Of course, what about a joint venture with Apple?

    iWork/CS3?

    Adobe would be stupid to take on us and Microsoft. iWork, ,plus Filemaker plus Acrobat. Hoo boy. That would just about kill Microsoft to death.

    Of course, that’s what Adobe’s doing actually. Trying to scare Microsoft away from trying to unseat Acrobat. Which wouldn’t be possible anyway. But Adobe doesn’t even want them trying.

  11. Office has never been so vulnerable with this transfer to the new menu-less interface, new XML format and lack of web integration. Whoever controls the format controls the future. 100% interoperability between Apple/Google/Adobe would make a formidable set of products. Apple should NOT buy Adobe, but work with them to build the future.

  12. Apple should absolutely buy Adobe! I (and others) have been saying that for YEARS. Not only must Apple prevent MS from a surprise Adobe grab, but Adobe and Apple are already very complimentary in goals and quality.

  13. Adobe should’ve have killed Persuasion when then bought Aldus, it kicked PowerPoint into a cocked hat (to mix a metaphor).

    As Microsoft move towards becoming a hardware company, Xbox and Zune, none of you read the stories last week of a Microsoft PC? It would make sense for Apple, a hardware company, to move in the other direction and produce more software.

    Remember all the Pro Apps? Acquisitions? Time for Apple to buy Adobe.

  14. one step at a time… that’s the most illogical thing I’ve heard in weeks!
    “apple cant even get flash on my damn iPhone,”???
    In case you’re even more clueless than your post suggests, you ought to know that ADOBE, not APPLE, writes Flash.
    Soooooo…. follow me as I type really, really slowly for you…
    If APPLE buys ADOBE, then APPLE can MAKE Flash work on the iPhone.
    Sheesh, I swear it’s short bus day in the forums!!!

  15. Adobe has been losing the fire in the belly of late… not able to make the really tough decisions as to company strategic policy. Too small with respect to life with Balmerized MS… A common stategy when combined could be the critical mass needed to make the jump to light speed. Singly they do not have enough, together they could dictate…. Go— pursuit of excellence, begone mediocrity…

  16. Adobe is just another bloatware yard dog that cakes layers and layers of feces on top of stale makeup. Apple needs to defeat Adobe, not buy them. Photoshop is an example of an abomination, a damn Frankenstein turd.

  17. If an Adobe takeover by Apple ever came to pass, killing Photoshop on Windows would be just plain stupid. What person in their right mind would rip out half their revenue and risk antagonizing 10s of thousands of customers just because you didn’t like Windows.

    Shake hardly serves as an example since the software occupies a niche.

  18. Apple buy Adobe? Why?

    When Apple wanted Adobe to port their applications to OS X way back in 2000, they flat out refused, resulting in Apple developing the award winning iLife apps. When Adobe gave no credence to keeping PhotoShop up to date on Macs, Apple created Aperture. Adobe is a sinking ship – you don’t buy sinking ships unless you just want a few of the parts for new projects.

  19. Who are the folks behind MDN? Two 9 year old kids? What dumb asses. Yeah, kill off supporting windows if you take over Adobe. Lets just give up billions of dollars cause we dont like this other OS! Dumb ass.

    P.S. Like someone else said, just get Apple to get me damn Flash on my iphone.

  20. No Apple please do not – hear me !!!!! – please do not buy out Adobe Inc.

    Because 80% possibly over 80% of the employees OR was that programmers are from Microsoft.

    Ahhhhhhhhh – whatever, the reason stands in the Applications.
    Adobe sits pretty on some great programs but does a lame job at it.

    Heck the CS idea is so a MS concept. I find the whole SUITE thing pretty USELESS. I have stuck with Apple since the beginning – own every other model – and used many many applications. AND these different programs have always worked NICELY together if you only know the right file formats….

    Also – APPLE has done a wonderful job on Final Cut and other Applications… that seem to hold their own. Maybe Apple has plans for a PRO Office suite of their own… based on how well iWorks sells – maybe so… or buy out Open Office… ok JUST PLEASE don’t spend it on Adobe.

    And ADOBE doesn’t do updates well either… Illustrator 12 only got to 12.01… AND it is PLAGUED with crap still… CS3 I don’t use yet at my office… but I am sure it has poor programming installed too.

    IT’s just a waist of MONEY Apple… don’t BUY…

    SPEND it on OTHERS things… or OFFER to buy out Freehand – though I never liked it much, Oh I don’t know….

    JUST forget them. As you have basically forgotten the DESKTOP publishing niche that once was the REALM of APPLE. COS – video and internet has been Apple’s direction SINCE Steve returned.

    Nope… Apple isn’t listening MDN…

    I hope they surprise us… with the BUY OUT of DELL!

    Hahahhahahaha

    j

  21. It always amuses me how many of our dear MDN posters fall for Zune Tang’s well-crafted lines. :/

    Now onto MDN’s comment. From my standpoint as an ordinary consumer, I think Adobe is doing fine, Apple is doing fine, and neither one should buy the other. I like it when they do deals together (like Apple and Google of late), and I wish they would integrate Flash into OS X in the same way they have PDF. (The latter is a brilliant move on Apple’s part, BTW.)

    As for this story: Knock yourself out, Adobe. Give it a try. But getting a particular DP software package (like MS Office, for example) to be used by the majority of users is going to be an incredibly hard uphill battle to win whilst MS Windows is the dominant platform on PCs and MS has the ability to get Office easily into the hands of business and home users alike. Look at Pages and Numbers and Keynote – they are mere blips on MS’s radar screen, nothing to worry about really. We’re always stuck wondering “Will my Numbers spreadsheet open in Excel; will my Pages save as RTF; will Keynote save as PPT?” Same for Google apps. And it will be the same for Adobe, too.

  22. Hey lbuschjr,

    I am a MAC only guy… period.

    BUT Microsoft has many many interests and connected software houses dealing under different names then Microsoft.

    Roxio… it’s now owned buy MS – yet still called ROXIO cos we MAC people would hate to see MS all over the the box for TOAST.

    I can’t think of another right now… but I can easily imagine there are a dozen more MS softwares that Microsoft deals and owns… letting them remain as the old brand… BECAUSE there is VALUE in a BRAND NAME.

    MS isn’t all that stupid… I do not think they would be to do such strong business… still I don’t have to agree or like MS sensitivity on ways of doing business…. kill kill eat.

    Oh well…

  23. @ NOT BILL

    I agree that Adobe would be worse off under Microsoft rule.
    BUT since Warnock left Adobe and Illustrator 9 came along…
    Adobe acquired the PC market in desktop publishing.
    I have been using Illustrator since version 1. And am still able to use it on my first laptop using OS 7 it is freaking fast still in comparison… but lack of memory hinders my file sizes.

    Also it is a well known… that there are many many ex-Microsoft programs at Adobe… was it a plot… did they hate MS or did Bill plant them there to over take Adobe… well who cares. But the programs have SLOWED down development on the MAC side –becoming 2nd to develop for.

    YET – Mac made a very clear decision to go the VIDEO direction with their software and hardware… leaving the desktop industry in a way…

    Apple buys it or not… no biggie

    BUT if they DO… and stop WINDOWS support
    That would PISS off a lot of users… BAD move.

    To develop WIN and MAC as Adobe does… but first MAC would be neat… plus great revenue to APPLE.

    Oh way not?

    hmmmmmmm

    It’s not my decision…. so I don’t care!!!!

  24. As far as I’m concerned. Apple is the only company that can write decent software and they say that they are a Hardware company.

    I’m mean really, What is the last piece of software that Adobe actually wrote? InDesign? The didn’t write Golive, The didn’t write anything they’ve acquired from Macromedia.

    OK Illustrator, Photoshop, Acrobat and what else that matters???

    Apple needs to write a Photoshop application and an Illustrator application. And whatever they build their own website with? Make that available to the public at a reasonable price. Dreamweaver is pathetic.

    I’ve had it with Adobe and their penchant to pay favor to Windows. I’m ready for someone to replace Adobe. Apple.

    Forget buying Adobe.

  25. Zune Tang ceased to be funny after the first 100 posts. Yeah, ok, we get it Zune Tang – you have your tongue firmly planted in your cheek. It was funny – oh, I donno – maybe for the first three months, then it started to get annoying and now it just shows you are stupid.

    Come to think of it, nah, not even the first 100 Zune Tang posts were funny. Not clever, Not funny. Boring!

  26. I don’t know what Apple can do about Illustrator, but they certainly can do something about Photoshop. Unfortunately, Apple has a history of oversimplifying when it comes to developing apps, and that is not likely to go down well with the pro image creation crowd.

    But that doesn’t mean that Apple can’t steal Adobe’s thunder from the periphery: nibble at the consumer-end of the market. Apple surrendered two critical pieces of software: a spreadsheet (offered for sale to Apple if my memory serves me right) and a paint app for the Mac – remember MacPaint? Even Claris CAD can whip up a 2-D b&w floorplan faster than any other app in existence today!

    It’s time to take that back: first at the consumer end, later at the pro end – a pincer movement. Success would ultimately depend on giving Adobe a thrashing on the Pro end of the market – unlikely because of the years of experience and patents protecting the company. But consider the following:

    One needed Acrobat to read pdfs, now you can do it with Preview – and even make simple multi-page pdfs with it. Then consider the video apps, iPhoto, Aperture…. You can be sure that something is afoot in the consumer end, and in the meantime, Graphic Converter is being bundled with the OS.

    However, take Numbers: No macro support, which doesn’t bother me, but then no support for Offset, which in the absence of macros, makes things a bit difficult. One or two critical ommissions like that could limit the adoption of these new apps. Take Safari, even, why do you need Safari Enhancer to add a friggin’ ‘New Tab’ button to the toolbar?

    Buy Adobe? No, it’s too late for that. Protect the platform from Adobe? Of course!

  27. Homer whined that, “Roxio… it’s now owned buy MS”. Which is discouraging news to Sonic Solutions who last time they checked their records Roxio was owned by them. They are now on the phone to their lawyers and see if they can get Roxio back from Homer and MS.

  28. Freddy the Pig gets it. Thank you for the kind words and support, Freddy. Positive, clever and insightful. Good stuff.

    Feel free to get in touch with me if you have questions setting up your new Windows machine after Apple goes out of business in a couple of years. Keep in mind I probably can’t help you with all of those DRM’d iTunes tracks unless Microsoft comes up with a crossgrade or migration to .WMA Zune songs.

    Keep posting!

    Your potential. Our passion.™

  29. a few thoughts…
    as for adobe creating a office suit … they could do a PC version of Apples pages by combining the consumer half of indesign and a productive word processor and come up with a presentation program / spread sheet. keep the price down and go at MS that way. To compete on MS offices terms (big do everything is all ready covered) Open/Neo Office which is free and MS office which is over priced and a rip off. ( but the safe biz choice)

    As far as Apple buying Adobe (financials aside ) Adobe programs interface like workstation programs that they are. They do it all yet are really not fun to use.. lots to remember, special very tedious special task etc. I think that if apple goes after some of those markets starting with photoshop that they really want a new ground up paradigm. These adobe programs were ones that took the old technology and made it digital keeping as much of the analogue equivalent (chemical photo processes / type setting / etc ) to aid in the transition to the equivalent digital work space. The down side being that the unorthodox IU and limitations of the older analogue work flow constrained a new and more intuitive way that things can be created …. I vote for apple to create better and more creative authoring software

  30. There’s only one software company in the world that is more draconian and inflexible with their enterprise licensing contracts than Microsoft and that company is Adobe. I can’t see most companies wanting to put up with Adobe’s legal BS in order to use their office applications, to be honest.

  31. Apple taking over Adobe could well be a disaster. Big mergers have been the death of many a good company.

    Mess with the dynamics, the cultures, the politics, the leadership, the board. Everyone of them a risk to be calculated…

    Please do don’t do it Apple.

    If you ask my opinion, this is CNet hoping this will happen because Ballmer wants it to…

  32. Apple should do Adobe killer line of software. I don´t like how arrogant Adobe has became against Mac users that have been their bread and butter for decades. Apple has money to buy Adobe. I don´t know if that would be worth it though. Apple could spend a billion or two to create something of their own. That would be cheaper. Apple has already database software. That is called FileMaker.

  33. monalisa…

    Please stop trying to be clever… it doesn’t suit you.
    I clearly wrote (look it up, if you don’t believe it)
    “that ADOBE, not APPLE, writes Flash.”, not, as you so lamely stated “Adobe famous for Flash?”.
    Are you capable of comprehending the difference?
    I think not, so I’ll type it very slowly for you, too.
    monalisa, there IS NO SUCH THING as Macromedia any longer.
    Got it?
    ADOBE maintains Flash, and all updates to Flash are written by ADOBE.
    Once again…
    “Sheesh, I swear it’s short bus day in the forums!!!”

  34. The only reason Apple should buy Adobe is to keep Microsoft from buying Adobe. No other reason, and if you would notice, more and more photoshop features are getting inserted into Apple’s suite of software…ex. Keynote recognizes the alpha channel in its latest version…something I always went into PS to create transparencies first.

  35. Microsoft currently rip UK customers off to the tune of about 60% for Windows Vista Ultimate (compared to the US price), however that utterly pales in to insignificance when compared to the 105% that Adobe rips UK customers off for Creative Suite 3 (Design Premium).

    Adobe can’t even blame resellers as the prices were taken from their own US and UK websites and both EXCLUDE taxes making it a fair comparison.

    This is also not a recent change due to currency fluctuations, I remember when CS2 was launched that was a ‘mere’ 96% more expensive than the US website (yet again comparing Adobe’s own webstore prices).

    So while Adobe are infinitely better at writing software for Windows AND Mac than Microsoft (who should stick to making hardware) they are the world’s worst software firm for ripping off customers.

    As a result of this outrageous attempt to rip UK customers off, they have lost thousands of pounds worth of software upgrades in business from my company alone.

  36. Adobe is growing stale and is becoming a ripe target for takeover, but that time is not yet. The public case needs to be made for a takeover, and that would require a big-time screwup at Adobe. Why do you think that neither M$ nor Apple have tried to buy them yet? Because it negative backlash would follow them around for years. Believe me — Corel is simply salivating for such a media disaster.

  37. Its Not the Apps its the technology

    Apple doesn’t need Adobe’s apps but would benefit greatly from there technology. Imagine if Apple owned Postscript, PDF, Flash and Adobe’s typeface catalog. Then imagine Photoshop rewritten from scratch by Apple. CS would be repriced at $999(with all the bells and whisles) CS express at $399. Thats why Apple should buy Adobe.

  38. “MacDailyNews Take: Yet another reason why Apple should buy Adobe – beyond acquiring Photoshop et al. and eliminating Windows support, of course (as Apple did with Shake). There’s nothing like a nice hostile takeover to spice up the autumn season.”

    I agree with a lot of MDN takes, but this one is simply put STUPID.

    Adobe and Apple are business corporations. Their sole purpose is to make a profit. Why would Apple buy Adobe only to kill more then 75% of Adobes revenue stream?!!!

    Sorry, but Windows users that create and work with Adobe CS3 are not likely to change platforms. Lets face it, once your working inside the application, what is the difference?

    Like it or not, Windows is still the prominent platform as far as installed base. It’s going to take a lot longer for Apple to even reach 20% market share. Maybe then, this would make a bit more sense, but today, it would be like burning money in a huge bonfire. In other words, not good for business.

  39. I’m sure Apple can get Flash onto the iPhone, they just don’t want to yet because they’re trying to give the truly open H.264 standard a foothold in the web video arena. I hope it happens, but yeah, it’s shitty that they’re using us iPhone users as pawns in the transition right now. It creates hassles for us. I hope Flash support is coming soon.

  40. @jooop

    Apple’s decision not to support Flash has nothing to do with video at all. It’s a security problem. Flash is designed to create rich web applications. This in it self is good, but it also opens it self to an entire new concern about security.

    I am sure that Apple and Adobe are probably fixing the problem, but in it’s current incarnation, that was the reason behind the omission of Flash on the iPhone.

  41. I hate adobe software. Some of the most annoying crap I have ever had to deal with was due to adobe flash. I never want to see another flash app. That said, apple should not buy adobe, but I would like to see better cross platform apps from apple that directly compete with adobe.

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