Here's a thought. Not an entirely new one perhaps, but an interesting one. Apple and Google each have enough cash to buy Adobe outright at its market cap. Each have some very big incentives to do so. A possible future aquisition?
Apple:
- Secure photoshop exclusivity (or at least continued development) for the Mac
- Open the PDF format
- Own PostScript, boosting desktop publishing credentials
- Integrate LightRoom features in to Aperture
- Lots of awesome creative applications that could be integrated with Apple's pro apps, and expand the product lineup.
- Expand web application credentials using Adobe's web apps
Google:
- Stop flash development. Integrate its technologies in new web standards
- Potential standardisation of flash technologies to lower Youtube overheads?
- Open proprietary formats for indexing (PSD, FLV...etc)
- Open PDF for cross-platform document interchange (Google Docs...etc)
- Cross platform web media technologies to expand access to Google services, help push services in to mobile arena.
Basically, Apple want the applications and publishing related patents and to open the related formats, and Google just want open data formats and protocols, and to see the end of flash. Adobe currently has a market cap of $23.8Bn. Apple have 20Bn cash in the bank, and Google has lots of very expensive and popular stock to trade with. Adobe investors would be more than happy to trade for Google stock.
Like I said, it's financially possible. There are also some pretty big incentives, which could be very lucrative for both companies. Having the CS apps exclusive on the Mac would boost Mac sales enormously, just as eliminating flash would help Google's mission of standards based web services.
In fact, if Apple kept Adobe's software lines on Windows, they'd probably rival Microsoft with Windows software users (not including the OS). They're already massive thanks to iTunes. That's an awful lot of leverage to have against Microsoft. What is there not to like about this deal?
Apple:
- Secure photoshop exclusivity (or at least continued development) for the Mac
- Open the PDF format
- Own PostScript, boosting desktop publishing credentials
- Integrate LightRoom features in to Aperture
- Lots of awesome creative applications that could be integrated with Apple's pro apps, and expand the product lineup.
- Expand web application credentials using Adobe's web apps
Google:
- Stop flash development. Integrate its technologies in new web standards
- Potential standardisation of flash technologies to lower Youtube overheads?
- Open proprietary formats for indexing (PSD, FLV...etc)
- Open PDF for cross-platform document interchange (Google Docs...etc)
- Cross platform web media technologies to expand access to Google services, help push services in to mobile arena.
Basically, Apple want the applications and publishing related patents and to open the related formats, and Google just want open data formats and protocols, and to see the end of flash. Adobe currently has a market cap of $23.8Bn. Apple have 20Bn cash in the bank, and Google has lots of very expensive and popular stock to trade with. Adobe investors would be more than happy to trade for Google stock.
Like I said, it's financially possible. There are also some pretty big incentives, which could be very lucrative for both companies. Having the CS apps exclusive on the Mac would boost Mac sales enormously, just as eliminating flash would help Google's mission of standards based web services.
In fact, if Apple kept Adobe's software lines on Windows, they'd probably rival Microsoft with Windows software users (not including the OS). They're already massive thanks to iTunes. That's an awful lot of leverage to have against Microsoft. What is there not to like about this deal?
