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October 25, 2007
CS3 funds innovation
CS3 funds innovation: A world without AIR? Flex pricing stuck at the 1.0 model? No H264 support or breakthrough burst of Player innovation? These would be depressing to imagine, but fortunately we don't have to, because the world of creative professionals has been adopting Adobe Creative Suite 3 in record numbers. During the Macromedia acquisition Adobe executives took a significant gamble, that the Dreamweaver, Photoshop and other creative teams could integrate and ship in time to financially support the massive investments which continue to be made in new Platform initiatives. Fortunately that gamble paid off -- if it hadn't we might be in a far more constrained situation today. I've written about this before, but it's an under-reported trend which bears re-emphasis -- the creative community of today is directly funding Adobe's investment in infrastructure for the next publishing revolution. If you like Flex, thank Dreamweaver... if you're excited by AIR then it wouldn't be possible without Photoshop... if you're revitalized by face-to-face contact with the Adobe Platform evangelists, then it's the field sales group for CS3 which is paying their travel bills. It will take awhile for Platform initiatives to actually generate sustaining revenue, but if you're excited by being an early adopter of these technologies today, then thank your friends who bought CS3, 'cause they're bootstrapping us all into the next wave!
Posted by JohnDowdell at October 25, 2007 05:36 PM
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Comments
John,
As always, thanks for a refreshing and accurate view on a topic one wouldn't normally think of. I do like that I am sitting on both sides of the fence. I like the Flex/AIR stuff, and I bought CS3. ;-)
Posted by: Chad at October 25, 2007 08:22 PM
Also Air, Flex and the new Player is funded more by European Creatives, as the european prices for Adobe products is genarly a lot higher than American prices.
Why is that anyway?
[jd sez: Check the link to the prior article I cited for what I've got on the mysteries of international finance.]
Posted by: Martin Kristensen at October 26, 2007 12:05 AM
Hi JD
It's great to hear we are all funding ourselves out of jobs in some ways. With video players, online services and consulting services, among others, all growing at a rapid pace it'll be just a matter of time before we all start to feel the big gorilla in the room taking bits and pieces of our work for their own. You've heard this before probably many times but when Adobe starts doing our jobs with their own tools and technologies, then it's just a matter of time before they start making proprietary stuff that their own clients can't get their hands on which gives Adobe a far upper edge. Breeze is a good example.
I see this trend doing nothing but continuing and it's a bit sad to see, and proven by your post, that we are funding that massive gorilla to do that.
I can't say I'm overly worried about it, I like it when a company has to eat their own dog food or drink their own champagne (whatever way you want to put it). FMS is a good example that improved because of it.
I like the new technologies like AIR and Flex etc though, good to see profits going back into investing in new products and reducing prices.
Graeme
Posted by: Graeme at October 26, 2007 11:53 AM