Apple, Adobe drifting apart

CNET News ^ | March 30, 2004 | David Becker

[Leroy S. Mort]

They share an area code, a customer segment and a history dating back to the early days of personal computing. But Apple Computer and Adobe Systems, like many in long-term relationships, have seen the 20-years-and-counting bond between them run hot and cold.

Right now, it's in a colder period. Signs of frost have been accumulating for the past couple of years, with Adobe dropping Macintosh support for several software products and introducing others as Microsoft Windows-only applications. At the same time, Apple has quietly pushed Adobe out of a few markets by selling its own applications or bundling them into its OS X operating system......

"At one point, they really were joined at the hip in terms of technology and even marketing," Tarter said. "Adobe made possible good laser printer output, and Apple produced a platform that's good for typography."

Since then, however, Windows has gradually become more capable as a publishing platform. It has drained off support from one of Apple's key customer bases, the "creative professionals" who work in graphic design, publishing and other visually demanding fields.

"It used to be that virtually the only platform the graphics artist used was Mac," Tarter said. "Now there's probably parity in terms of capabilities between Windows machines and Macs, and Adobe just naturally has started paying more attention to Microsoft and less to Apple. That's the primary reason I see for a drifting apart--it's numbers." ....

"Since Apple's not under scrutiny for being a monopoly, it can perpetrate behavior that's more egregious in that respect (bundling) than Microsoft can," Kay said. While Apple's behavior may be high-handed, there's little anyone can do, he said. "Your customers may be annoyed, your developer partners may be annoyed, but regulators certainly aren't going to do anything."

[Leroy S. Mort]

No more Adobe Premiere for the Mac...hmmm

[GeronL]

Apple has quietly pushed Adobe out of a few markets by selling its own applications or bundling them into its OS X operating system

Wait a sec... what was that Microsoft lawsuit about again?? =o)

[Leroy S. Mort]

Small Monopoly = Good - Big Monopoly = Bad. Get with the program ;)

[Boundless]

> No more Adobe Premiere for the Mac...hmmm

Hmmm indeed.

Pre-press and video post were Apple's niche strongholds.
Even if Apple offers, or even bundles, apps comparable
to the Adobe suite, Apple has just taken a huge mindshare
hit to its core.

If Linux ever gets credible color management, and Adobe
ports to it, Apple is toast, or is that strudel.

[js1138]

I'm a windows guy myself, but the mags say Apple has a better professional video editor than Premier. The same mags say that Quark has been sitting on its hands and that InDesign and Creative Suite are now a better choice.

[Leroy S. Mort]

Plus everyone on TV and in the movies uses an Apple. I don't think the PC is long for this world.

[Psycho_Bunny]

I can’t say I like this trend.  Even though there’s probably only 12 cool Apple users on the planet – and 9 of them are FReepers – the interiors of Apples are looking more and more like PCs on every release.  As much as I’d like to see Apple go out of business, I’d hate for it to happen:  they’re the best check on MS right now – the Apple’s a good machine.

 X-ux will be excellent when it’s done maturing but right now, builds like Red Hat are far more stable than fast: they can’t compete for swiftness with XP.

 

 

[Leroy S. Mort]

As much as I’d like to see Apple go out of business, I’d hate for it to happen.

Now that's a "Kerry-ism" if I ever heard one ;-)

[Psycho_Bunny]

I'll be looking for your support in November, friend!

[js1138]

I hope I haven't been misunderstood. InDesign and Creative Suite are Windows programs. Adobe recently aquired a very good multi-track audio program that competes well with ProTools. It will be Windows only.


Microsoft is going to do whatever is necessary to lure the media crowd. They have time, patience and money. And Adobe simply can't put the resources into three percent of the market.

Adobe could do that when only professionals used professional programs, but now everyone uses Photoshop. Now that hardware is powerful and cheap, the next yuppie toys are professional media programs.

[Yossarian]

the interiors of Apples are looking more and more like PCs on every release

Bite your tounge!

PC interior vs. PowerMac G5 interior

Notice any difference?

[Clock King]

Yeah, I'm thinking about switching to Mac on my next upgrade, but of course I worry about things like SW availability, etc. If the Mac (and Motorola!) would provide a way to upgrade processsor, they'd be set!

[hawkboy]

Apple's Final Cut Pro has eaten Premiere's lunch on the Mac. It is the 800 pound gorilla in the professional digital video editing space. I'd be interested to see a list of Adobe's revenues for each application by computing platform. I'd be willing to bet they are pulling in a big enough chuck of change from Photoshop for Mac that they'd be cutting off their nose to spite their face if they killed it simply because they have their knickers in a snit over Final Cut Pro's success at the expense of Premiere. And if they do kill it, I'm sure the boys in Cupertino have a contingency plan for that. I remember the mid 90's when it was claimed that Photoshop for Windows NT was going to steal the digital color pre-press market away from the Mac. Didn't happen. If I had a dollar for everytime someone said that "Apple is dead" I'd be as rich as Bill Gates. Or Steve Jobs, for that matter.

[Psycho_Bunny]

lol.

If someone working for me built a PC like that, I'd fire them.  That pic's a perfect example of the disingenuous practice of "pitting your best against the competition's worst".

Which....Apple's really, really good at.

[hawkboy]

There are third party companies that provide processor upgrades for Macs. I'm running a G4 in my 1999 vintage G3 "Blue and White". Check out www.xlr8yourmac.com for news and reviews of third party CPU upgrades for Macs. PowerLogix, Newer Technologies, and GigaDesigns are some of the players in this space. Will we see G5 upgrades for G4 "graphite" and G3 "Blue and Whites"? Possibly. But the new G5 motherboards have a wider data bus, and you would not have that advantage with an upgraded older machine.

[Lael]

BTTT!!!

[Law]

I hope I haven't been misunderstood. InDesign and Creative Suite are Windows programs.

First, Creative Suite is not a program, it's a suite of programs that includes the latest versions of InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, etc.

Second, Adobe Creative Suite does come on Mac. In fact, I have it installed on my Mac right now.

[Law]

Adobe simply can't put the resources into three percent of the market.

The relevant figure -- Adobe's share of graphics revenues from the Mac platform -- is 50% percent, not 3%. PDF and Photoshop Elements excepted, Adobe's software simply isn't targeted to the mass market.

[Law]

Adobe could do that when only professionals used professional programs, but now everyone uses Photoshop

Not legally. Photoshop CS retails for $650. Perhaps you're thinking of Photoshop Elements, which costs about 1/10 the price of real Photoshop and hence has only about 1/10 the features. Or iPhoto, which is free to Mac users and more user-friendly than PS Elements.

[Law]

Now that hardware is powerful and cheap, the next yuppie toys are professional media programs.

Hardware is cheaper than it used to be, but industry-standard professional media applications still cost professional prices -- often more than the cost of the hardward they run on.

If your point is that new entry-level media software will make media production more accessible to non-professionals like MS Word (originally a Mac-only app) made word-processing convenient for non-secretaries, then you're half right. For Windows users, this notion is just a dream of the future; for Mac users, it's a reality today.

Apple's iPhoto brought Photoshop to the masses, and Apple's iMovie brought movie-creation to the masses. Apple's Garageband has brought music composition to the masses, and iDVD has brought DVD production to the masses. There are competing programs on the Windows side, but they don't work well together, and they aren't nearly as intuitive.