Adobe May Take On Office
Wired’s Michael Calore says that Adobe might be working on an office application suite to combat Microsoft Office. Over the last few years, Adobe has cemented itself as an application powerhouse, with creative works applications (Photoshop, Creative Suite, Production Studio) and online creative apps (Flash, Dreamweaver), and the time might be right to challenge the big dog in the application space: Office.
No one has mounted a formidable attack on Microsoft in many years. Currently, the only real competition Microsoft faces are from web-based and open source office applications, while former desktop competitors wilt away. The article says Adobe could use its Adobe Integrated Runtime to create web-based apps that also run when the user is offline, leaping past Google’s limited suite to take on Microsoft.
Right now, Google has the most attention in the online office space, but Google’s applications are limited, don’t look very good, and don’t work offline. Even though Google has a framework for running online applications offline, it hasn’t implemented it in Google Docs yet, so the market is open for Adobe to make a big splash. There’s room for a more mature package in this market, and Adobe could fill it.
Don’t forget something: Microsoft’s cloud infrastructure is coming, and when it does, it may fill that online office void in a unique and innovative. I fully expect it to.
(via Slashdot)
I think that’s dumb. Adobe has a long way to go. The major players are Microsoft Office, OpenOffice, and iWork. Google’s office suite just sucks compared to them.
I think Adobe and Microsoft ought to team up, and go head to head with Apple instead. That’s who they should worry about. One of Adobe’s biggest rival isn’t just MS, but also Apple. Going against every one else is just dumb.
I’m hoping Office 07′ offers a nice web based version for those on the go.
Comment by Michael | August 17, 2007