Apple Seeking a Reunion With Adobe?

Robert Cringely makes a case for Apple buying Adobe:

What I DO see happening is Apple buying Adobe, which would give it effective dominance of digital content creation and distribution on a global scale. Bruce Chizen suddenly stepped down as Adobe’s CEO without warning: why? A caretaker CEO (my characterization — no slight intended) is in place. Steve has always viewed Adobe co-founder and co-chair John Warnock like a father. Warnock and co-chair Chuck Geschke are losing interest in Adobe day-to-day as they move on with their lives. Acquiring Adobe would make Apple much more of a cross-platform company. The combined professional applications could be placed in the Adobe division of Apple where they could go up in price for some markets, becoming VASTLY more profitable. But most important — keeping in mind the whole purpose here is driving content distribution — merging Flash and QuickTime would make any other video standards (like Windows Media) simply immaterial.

If such an acquisition were to take place it would have to be in 2008 while Avid and Microsoft still present credible competition to keep the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission from opposing such a merger. It would go easier, too, on W’s watch. I knew he was good for something.

Apple has more than $15 billion in cash and no debt, and Abode’s current market cap is about $22 billion. Jobs does have a lot of history with Adobe– Abode PostScript and PhotoShop were critical to the success of the Mac. A union might make sense on a whiteboard, but it’s hard to imagine Steve Jobs acquiring something that could be a major management distraction from the relative simplicity that Apple is now–Mac, iPhone, iPod, iLife. On the other hand, iAcrobat, iFlash and iPhotoshop could fit in with where Jobs wants to take Apple. It depends on whether he has the appetite for another reincarnation of his company.

Comments

[spaceage:]

Is this a "story"? Take a quote from another author, add a say-nothing paragraph to it, and bada-boom, bada-bing, you've got adsense. Oh yeah, how would anything Adobe makes constitute a "reincarnation" for Apple? All Adobe products are at least 10 years old and very mature...I fail to see any "reinvention" potential there...

2008 Jan 13 12:22 PM

[Webster:]

This is the stupidest Rumor Generating BS story I've heard before a Fruits - Nuts - n - Flakes Bowl (MWSF). Adobe is on a run, their stock holders would thumb their noses at the King of Arrogantism - Stevie Gods - and have a good laugh. Adobe would surely know that Steive would toss every competitive Adobe product to Apple's inferior ones like FCrapP and GarageSale Band. (PS Kool Aid Drinkers - no major productions use FCP, it's an AVID world), just like it's a Windows world.

2008 Jan 13 01:04 PM

[FreeRange:]

Webster - you have no idea what you are talking about. First, the apple apps you mention are not crap but are industry leaders in their respective areas. Major films and video work are being edited all over the world with Final Cut Pro, and the full Studio suite gets rave reviews. Further, Apples other apps like iLife and iWork are also fantastic products fitting specific needs for people who seek ease of use without all the bloat. These products compliment Adobe products, they are not replacements. So get a life and get your head out of your butt. As to the other posting from space (age), Adobe's products could use a good dose of updating with Apple's philosophy of ease of use and great integration - there is lots of room here for improvement no matter how mature you might think Adobe's products are.

2008 Jan 13 02:42 PM

[cp21yos:]

@Webster - you're clearly trolling or completely clueless or both
@FreeRange - I agree with the fact that Adobe's app's need to bit of a clean sweep - they're mature in the same way that a grand old house is. They need renovation and electric lights put in...

@spaceage - totally agree - who in their right mind would let go of either companies shares at affordable prices when the market has them so much higher... I mean RSJ would have to sell the farm to get this one across the line...

2008 Jan 13 05:43 PM

[Armpti:]

Webster trolls on numerous boards, most notably on the Register. He's just an anti-Apple nut who thinks with his a-hole, so ignore him.

2008 Jan 13 06:17 PM

[Tom B:]

Flash is all Adobe has left. Is Flash worth 15 Billion?

Photoshop-- Apple could clone it over a long weekend if they chose.

Adobe Reader? -- Apple's Preview is half way towards matching all it's functionality. And Preview is MUCH faster.

Adobe Premiere? Already obsolete, thanks to FCP.

2008 Jan 13 06:55 PM

[peter02l:]

Actually, Adobe is the only large aquisition that makes sense for Apple. Apple will move Adobe's development to Cocoa and then drop support for the Windows platform. Adobe has already destroyed all competition in the publishing market. So a lot of desktop as well as web content creation will move to the Mac platform.

2008 Jan 13 06:57 PM

[taojones:]

I use adobe products and apple products day in and day out and although they exist in the same realm like thoughts and feelings they are two different animals. Apple has always been a software company that has not realized it, if they want tons more cash all they have to do is sell the OS to run on windows intel boxes.As an adobe user the recent "upgrade" into the macromedia product line has left me with a steep and unprofitable learning curve I for one was hoping the macromedia code superiority would be integrated into a well designed adobe interface (hardly a "dinosaur" ) there is much more work to be done integrating those two software packages. Apple, although cross platform on some applications lately, does not like to play well with windows (for good reasons). I think it unlikely that they would want to acquire Adobe. Having said that, the thought of Steve Blamer getting this bee in his bonnet would be unthinkable… Microsoft Creative Suite! a perfect oxymoron!

2008 Jan 13 07:06 PM

[Webster:]

"FreeRange" and tards like "cp21yos", Name ONE major production done with FCP??? Can't can you? Yah, you Kool Aid Drinker are great at fostering these Urban Legends that Apple production apps are "mainstream" and "industry leaders", yet you clowns can't EVERY seem to deliver facts or examples.

Typical of you Apple Trolls.

2008 Jan 13 10:15 PM

[Gr8Wall:]

@ Have a Life; Name ONE major production done with FCP??? Can't can you?

How about anything edited by Walter Murch (THE most respected film editor working today) in the last five years. Including "Cold Mountain", "Jarhead", and "Youth Without Youth".

I'm a professional editor that was on AVID for a decade but have seen a massive shift to FCP over the last few years. Apple has all but killed AVID's mid-market business. You have absolutely no idea what you are talking about.

2008 Jan 14 02:23 PM

[FreeRange:]

"Webster" / "Have a Life" or whatever you're calling yourself today (having an identity crisis are you?) - again, you are clueless. You really should get a life contrary to your new name... more and more film makers are turning to Final Cut Pro, and not just on the indie side of the business. Also, many commercials and lots of tv programming. Next time, before you start slamming, slurring and spewing your BS, do some research - you do know how to google don't you? Films that have been edited in Final Cut Pro include Cold Mountain, Intolerable Cruelty and Francis Ford Coppola's most recent effort, Youth Without Youth, to name just a few.

2008 Jan 14 02:34 PM

[brewer:]

Adobe might make sense as an acquisition for Apple, but I tend not to believe anything Dan Farber says (or in this case repeats) about Apple. The man works for c/net, which is a windoze organ if there ever was one.

The bit about finally killing Windoze Media has a nice ring to it though. It deserves to be abandoned as the monopoly tool that it is.

And Adobe has been kissing up to the Windoze crowd for awhile now, which makes them a great business target for Apple.

2008 Jan 14 02:51 PM

[Webster:]

How about anything edited by Walter Murch (THE most respected film editor working today) in the last five years. Including "Cold Mountain", "Jarhead", and "Youth Without Youth".

Hmmm, other than Cold Mountain (which bombed and a critical pan), I'd say JArhead and Youth Without Youth proves my point! Movies with names that drip from everyone mouth .... NOT. As I said NAME A MAJOR PRODUCTION, a Major TV show, that was done on FCD! Looks to everyone that only the 2-bit Editors on a shoe string budget use FCP ... oh and all those Wedding and Graduation productions ;^P

Thank you for proving my point, losers.

You Apple Tards are special, what absolute DENIAL, what an absolute INSIGNIFICANT marginal sector of 4% at best (US only). And "Armpti", if I think with my A-Hole, YOU Apple Kool Aid Drinkers have your brains safely tucked up your A-Holes with your heads. Touche again.

2008 Jan 17 11:03 AM