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Microsoft Buying Adobe?

uk.reuters.com

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Re: Microsoft Buying Adobe?

#111

Post by protomyth »

dsspence wrote: post #79
_b8r0 wrote: post #66

This would be quite interesting. If Microsoft bought Adobe, what would happen to PDF on Mac? What would happen to Silverlight? Would the next Office use PDF as a standard format? Then there's the creative suite. What would happen to photoshop? Dreamweaver (or MS Frontpage 2012 as it'd be renamed)? InDesign (or Microsoft Publisher 2012 as it'd be called)? Also think about the other side of it. The Acrobat team would b…

Apple doesn't license PDF from Adobe even though it is part of OS X's native graphics renderer. “The Quartz renderer and the PDF interpreter that Apple ships with Mac OS X are built with Apple code, with no external licenses, by Apple employees. Adobe just publishes a specification for how it’s supposed to function. This gives Apple considerably more flexibility with regard to what Quartz and the PDF interpreter can…

Steve Jobs learned from his experience with Adobe and the licensed version of Display Postscript. (see footnote 1 http://daringfireball.net/2008/02/flash_iphone_calculus )

Re: Microsoft Buying Adobe?

#112

Post by contextfree »

icey wrote: post #56
cryptoz wrote: post #8

"Microsoft Flash". shudder

There is something to that - Microsoft has been spending a lot of money and resources trying to encourage Silverlight adoption. One way to do that might be to buy the rights to Flash.

Microsoft already has a problem with runtime fragmentation - their software and dev platforms are split between native and COM-based stuff (Windows, Office, most of their consumer apps), .NET/CLR based stuff (.NET, Silverlight, XNA, most of their enterprise apps) and increasingly JavaScript/web based stuff (IE, most of their web properties). The last thing they need is to add a fourth runtime to those.

Re: Microsoft Buying Adobe?

#114

Post by jballanc »

iamelgringo wrote: post #105
pchristensen wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not disagreeing, but Innovators Dilemma theory says that companies that are about to be disrupted are enjoying the greatest profits and margins ever. The problem is that the reason the profits are so high is that they've shed their less profitable divisions and products that might grow into the next big innovation. Let's say something disrupts MSFTs Office and shrinks its revenue - what do they have that could replac…

what do they have that could replace that? Sharepoint, SQLServer, Windows 7, Windows Server, Windows Virtual Server, CRM, Exchange Server, XBox, Xbox live, Bing, Zune, Microsoft Automotive platform, Win 7 phone. Microsoft has one of the most diverse revenue streams of any software company. They're going to be around for a while. Google should actually be more afraid of disruptive technologies. Their revenue is primar…

Microsoft is no slouch (especially compared to Google), but these charts seem to imply that Apple still has the more diverse revenue stream:

http://www.businessinsider.com/chart-of-the-day-microsoft-op...

http://www.businessinsider.com/chart-of-the-day-in-case-you-...

Re: Microsoft Buying Adobe?

#115

Post by philwelch »

mcbain wrote: post #67
matrix wrote: post #34

I suppose this is feasible if Microsoft is looking to acquire Adobe's enterprise customer base - the PDF, document management, etc part of the company. Having Air/Flex/Flash might also be nice, but doesn't seem like a good fit for Microsoft's traditional Windows-centric strategy (one they should abandon, in my view - the days of owning the market via the desktop are rapidly coming to a close). What I'd love to see is…

What is Microsoft's track record for spinning off companies? The Photoshop/CS part of Adobe is somewhat profitable, correct? Would MS let it go (even for a bucket of cash)?

Bungie was spun off successfully a couple years ago.

Re: Microsoft Buying Adobe?

#116

Post by armandososa »

city41 wrote: post #49
dagw wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder if Microsoft is thinking the same thing. Either as a defensive move to make sure Photoshop will always work on Windows or as an offensive move and making Photoshop and friends windows only in an attempt to strangle the OS X platform.

Most designers I know would work for McDonald's before they'd use Windows :)

I could use Windows but I'll never buy Windows.

Re: Microsoft Buying Adobe?

#117

Post by spicyj »

carbon8 wrote: post #94
bradly wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple has been able to create pro level software for both audio and video editing industries. If Adobe/Microsoft scraped its mac line of products, I bet Apple would have a competing product out in 12 months that graphic designers would flock to.

Note, however, that those were all originally acquisitions. FCP was born at Macromedia and Apple purchased the product and hired the team. Shake came from the Nothing Real acquisition. Logic is from the Emagic acquisition.

I believe Aperture was developed in-house.

Re: Microsoft Buying Adobe?

#118

Post by revorad »

joezydeco wrote: post #69
revorad wrote: post #64

Such a deal could be worth $15 billion or more based on Adobe's current market value. Adobe is worth less than half of Facebook? Rolls eyes

Apples and Oranges. Adobe is publicly traded. When (if) Facebook IPOs, they will not be worth $33 billion. http://37signals.com/svn/posts/2585-facebook-is-not-worth-33...

I know, I'm equally amused by the valuations.

It's a bit like old school advertising (billboards, TV) versus Google pay-per-click ads. As soon as you can measure something accurately, it's value decreases.

Re: Microsoft Buying Adobe?

#120

Post by watty »

protomyth wrote: post #102
old-gregg wrote: post #74

Jokes aside, it makes perfect sense for both of them. Adobe's CS and Microsoft Office are naturally self-complementing desktop giants. Both companies make a ton of money selling desktop software to the enterprise, yet outside of Flash/Sliverlight battle they don't cross each other paths. I, for one, welcome this development. It brings some hopes for better performing Flash, which I hate with a passion but its a fact…

Adobe sells a lot of enterprise document software that could really boost Microsoft's Share Point properties. I really do think all product development for Linux or Android would be cancelled (Flash for Windows Phone 7 only).

Microsoft isn't stupid. They won't make Flash Windows only and they won't make Flash Windows Phone 7 only.
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