Adobe Systems Incorporated offers a line of creative, business and mobile software and services used by consumers, creative professionals, designers, knowledge workers, OEM partners, developers and enterprises for creating, managing, delivering and engaging with compelling content and experiences across multiple operating systems, devices and media.
The company distributes its products through a network of distributors and dealers, value-added resellers (VARs), systems integrators, independent software vendors (ISVs) and OEMs, direct to end users, and through its own Web site at www.adobe.com. The company also licenses its technology to hardware manufacturers, software developers and service providers, and it offer integrated software solutions to businesses of all sizes.
The company has operations in the Americas; Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA); and Asia. The company's software runs on personal computers with Microsoft Windows, Apple OS, Linux, UNIX and various non-personal computing platforms, depending on the product.
Products and Services
The Company conducts its operations in five business segments: Creative Solutions, Knowledge Worker Solutions, Enterprise and Developer Solutions, Mobile and Device Solutions, and Other.
Creative Solutions Segment
The company's Creative Solutions segment focuses on the needs of the creative professional customer. Creative professionals include graphic designers, production artists, Web designers, user interface designers, writers, videographers, photographers and prepress professionals who use and rely on Adobe’s solutions for professional publishing, Web design, professional photography, video production, animation and motion graphic production, and printing visually rich information.
The company's software tools are used by creative professionals to create much of the printed and on-line information people see and read every day, including newspapers, magazines, Web sites, catalogs, advertisements, brochures, product documentation, books, memos, reports and banners. The company's tools are also used to create and improve visually rich content, including video, animation and mobile content, that is created by multimedia, film, television, audio and video producers who work in advertising, Web design, music, entertainment, corporate and marketing communications, product design, user interface design, sales training, printing, architecture, and fine arts.
Products
Adobe After Effects: It is a professional software used to create animation, motion graphics and visual effects found in television broadcast, film, DVD authoring and the Web; available in two versions: After Effects Standard provides basic 2D and 3D compositing, animation and visual effects tools; After Effects Professional adds advanced features such as motion tracking and stabilization, advanced keying and warping tools, approximately 30 additional visual effects, and additional audio effects.
Adobe Audition: It is a professional audio editing environment designed for demanding audio and video professionals; provides advanced audio mixing, editing and effects processing capabilities.
Adobe Creative Suite Premium Edition: It is an integrated software solution that creative professionals can use as a platform to modify and improve digital images, create graphics, produce professional-quality printed publications, create and maintain dynamic Web sites, author visually rich content for wireless Web devices, and share content reliably for print and screen display. The suite combines Adobe Acrobat Professional, Adobe GoLive, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign and Adobe Photoshop technologies with file management and integration technology called Version Cue and a navigational control center called Adobe Bridge.
Adobe Creative Suite Standard Edition: It is an integrated software solution that creative professionals can use as a platform to modify and improve digital images, create graphics, and produce professional-quality printed publications. The suite combines Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign and Adobe Photoshop technologies with file management and integration technology called Version Cue and a navigational control center called Adobe Bridge.
Adobe Encore DVD: It is professional DVD authoring and creation software; provides a set of design tools and integration with other Adobe software to create a streamlined DVD creation workflow; provides ability to output projects to recordable DVD formats, ensuring a degree of playback compatibility.
Adobe GoLive—Web: It is design and publishing software that provides tools that Web authors use to design, layout, produce and maintain content for Web sites and wireless Web devices without the need for complex multimedia programming.
Adobe Graphics Server: It is a imaging server software used to create and maintain digital graphics and images on frequently updated data-driven content, such as Web sites and printed catalogs, by automating the creation and the reuse of images; integrates with content management and e-commerce systems to automate workflows, and eliminates the tedious manual tasks of refining and reformatting images for specific purposes.
Adobe Illustrator: It is a vector-based illustration design tool used to create compelling graphic artwork for print publications and the Web.
Adobe InCopy: It is an editorial tool for collaboration between writers, editors and copy-fitters; Adobe InCopy is a companion to Adobe InDesign.
Adobe InDesign: It is a page-layout application for publishing professionals; based on an open, object-oriented architecture it enables Adobe and its industry partners to deliver powerful publishing solutions for magazine, newspaper and other publishing applications.
Adobe InDesign Server—technology: It is for third-party systems integrators and developers to use for building design-driven, server-based publishing solutions; brings the design and typography features of InDesign software to the server platform and enables Adobe partners to provide new levels of automation and efficiency in high-end editorial workflows, collateral creation, variable data publishing and Web-based design solutions.
Adobe Photoshop: It provides photo design, enhancement and editing capabilities for print, the Web, and multi-media; used by graphic designers, professional photographers, Web designers, professional publishers and video professionals, as well as amateur photographers and digital imaging hobbyists.
Adobe Photoshop Album: It offers an interface to find, organize, share and edit digital photographs; designed for consumers to manage their collections of digital photographs, easily share photos via e-mail and the Web, create digital slide shows and photo albums, and get their photographs printed via on-line photo finishing services.
Adobe Photoshop Album Starter Edition: It is a limited-feature version of Photoshop Album available for free; lets consumers find photos fast, fix common flaws and easily share images with others.
Adobe Photoshop Elements: It offers photo editing functionality plus intuitive organizing, printing and sharing capabilities for amateur photographers and hobbyists who want to create professional-quality images for print and the Web.
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom: It is a new product designed for professional photographers, it addresses their photography workflow needs by providing more efficient and powerful ways to import, select, develop and showcase large volumes of digital images.
Adobe Premiere Elements: It is video-editing software for home video editing; provides tools for hobbyists to edit and enhance video footage with fun effects and transitions, and create custom DVDs for sharing video with friends and family.
Adobe Premiere Pro—professional: It is digital video-editing software used to create broadcast-quality content for video, film, DVD, multimedia and streaming over the Web.
Adobe Production Studio Premium Edition: It is a suite of integrated application products that provides a complete digital video post-production environment and allows users to produce professional-quality video, film and DVDs; includes Adobe After Effects Professional Edition, Adobe Audition, Adobe Encore DVD, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Premiere Pro, along with Creative Suite 2 features for timesaving workflow features such as Adobe Dynamic Link and Adobe Bridge.
Adobe Production Studio Standard Edition: It is a suite of integrated application products that provides a digital video post-production environment and allows users to produce professional-quality video; includes Adobe After Effects Standard Edition, Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Premiere Pro, along with Creative Suite 2 features for timesaving workflow features such as Adobe Dynamic Link and Adobe Bridge.
Adobe Soundbooth: It is a new application that provides video editors, designers and others who do not specialize in audio with the tools that they need to accomplish audio-based tasks in their everyday work, such as removing noise from recordings, polishing voiceovers, and customizing music to fit a video or animation production.
Adobe Stock Photos: It is a service that allows users of Adobe Creative Suite products to purchase stock photography from stock photography agencies directly from within their applications.
Adobe Visual Communicator—software: It is used to create newscast-style video presentations that can be delivered via email, CD/, DVD, PowerPoint or live over the Internet.
DV Rack HD—direct-to-disk recording and monitoring software which helps generate superior quality video from an SD or HD camera connected to a laptop computer.
Flash Video Streaming Service: It is either through direct sales, or together with content delivery network (CDN) providers, Adobe offers hosted services for streaming on-demand Flash across high-performance networks; built with Adobe Flash Media Server, Flash Video Streaming Service provides a way to deliver Flash Video to large audiences without the overhead of setting up and maintaining streaming server hardware and network.
Macromedia Dreamweaver: It is a professional software development application used by designers and developers to create a range of Web solutions for publishing online commerce, customer service and online educational content; includes capabilities for visually designing HTML pages, coding HTML and application logic and working with application server technologies.
Macromedia Fireworks: It is a professional graphics design tool for building interactive Web graphics; gives professional designers and developer’s tools for creating images that can be deployed to Web browsers and the Adobe Flash Player; integrates with Adobe Flash and Macromedia Dreamweaver.
Macromedia Flash Basic: It is a software development application for creating Internet and rich interactive applications which integrate animations, motion graphics, sound, text and video functionality; solutions built with Macromedia Flash are deployed via the Web to browsers and to devices that run the Adobe Flash Player.
Macromedia Flash Media Server: It offers streaming media capabilities to deliver video on demand, video blogging and messaging, Web conferencing, and live video capabilities that can be viewed via the Flash Player; provides a flexible development environment for creating and delivering interactive media applications; utilized by many industries, including media and entertainment, telecommunications, advertising, government, and education.
Macromedia Flash Professional: It provides an advanced development environment for creating Internet applications which integrate animations, motion graphics, sound, text and additional video functionality; solutions built with Macromedia Flash Professional are deployed via the Web to browsers and to devices that run Adobe Flash Player.
Macromedia Studio: It is an advanced suite of integrated application tools for developers and experienced designers who develop Internet and mobile solutions, and require additional video capabilities when developing Flash content; includes Macromedia Dreamweaver, Macromedia Flash Professional, Macromedia Fireworks, Macromedia Contribute and Adobe Flash Player.
Ovation—software which allows users to improve Microsoft PowerPoint slides into a richer visual experience to help deliver more impactful information, presentations, and messages.
Ultra—software used to transform digital video and HD keying into a practical daily production tool for all types of video professionals users.
Vlog It!—software which allows users to easily create dynamic video blogs containing photos, audio, video clips and narration.
Knowledge Worker Solutions Segment
The company's Knowledge Worker Solutions Segment focuses on the needs of the knowledge worker customer. Knowledge workers include various job functions—such as accountants, administrative assistants, executives, architects, educators, engineers, graphic designers, insurance underwriters, software developers and stock analysts. These jobs require the sharing of information, either in an information dissemination (one-way) format, or in a collaborative (multi-way) format.
Products
Adobe Acrobat 3D: It enables a collaboration between extended teams of designers and engineers to communicate, visualize, and document architectural and manufacturing designs using 3D data; allows users to insert and publish 3D designs from major CAD applications in Adobe PDF documents that can easily be shared with suppliers, partners, and customers using the free Adobe Reader software.
Adobe Acrobat Connect (formerly Macromedia Breeze) a rich Web-based communication system which enables organizations to reduce the costs of travel and increase the effectiveness of online training, marketing events, sales meetings and collaborative Web conferencing solutions which are instantly accessible by customers, partners and employees using Adobe Flash Player; consists of a core Connect Events Server or hosted service, and modules that provide specific application functionality, including Connect Training and Connect Events; can be deployed with either some or all of these components together; Connect Training allows organizations to build a complete online training system with Microsoft PowerPoint presentations that include surveys, analysis, course administration and content management; Connect Events allows users to provide seminar and training sessions as well as to conduct business presentations through the Web.
Adobe Acrobat Elements: It is a desktop software that enables enterprises to extend the value of their Microsoft Office investment by standardizing on Adobe PDF for document distribution; provides for the conversion of Microsoft Office documents to Adobe PDF, preserving document integrity for viewing and printing on other operating systems and hardware platforms inside and outside the enterprise’s IT firewall.
Adobe Acrobat Messenger: It is a software that works with a scanner or digital copier and is designed for workgroups and departments to transform paper documents into electronic Adobe PDF files and deliver them via e-mail, Web or fax; allows users to preview their documents on-screen, crop or rotate pages, and add electronic annotations.
Adobe Acrobat Standard: It creates compact Adobe PDF files from desktop authoring applications such as Microsoft Office software, graphics applications and more. Supports automated collaborative workflows with a rich set of commenting tools and review tracking features; includes everything needed to create and distribute rich electronic documents that can be viewed easily within Web browsers or on computer desktops through the free Adobe Reader.
Adobe Acrobat Professional: In addition to all the capabilities of Acrobat Standard, Acrobat Professional delivers specialized capabilities for creative professional and engineering users, such as pre-flighting, color separation and measuring tools.
Adobe Document Center: It is a hosted service that enables businesses to secure and mange Adobe PDF files and other common business document files such as those in Microsoft Office formats.
Create Adobe PDF Online: It is a Web-based subscription service that provides for the conversion of Microsoft Office documents and other application files to Adobe PDF for the sharing of rich electronic documents that can be viewed easily within Web browsers or on computer desktops via the free Adobe Reader.
Enterprise and Developer Solutions Segment
The company's Enterprise and Developer Solutions offers various families of products that it markets to these customers:
Adobe LiveCycle: It provides process management services to automate paper-based processes, leveraging the ubiquitous Adobe Reader for viewing, printing and interaction with information provided in Adobe PDF-based documents.
ColdFusion MX: It provides a server-scripting environment and a set of features used by organizations for building database-driven applications that are accessible through Web browsers and the Adobe Flash Player.
Adobe Flex: It provides a standards-based programming framework for building and deploying enterprise-class RIAs; an Eclipse-based Integrated Development Environment (IDE); and a powerful set of server-side services for connecting with Enterprise infrastructure.
Products
Adobe Acrobat Capture: It enables conversion of legacy paper-based documents into indexed, searchable, platform-independent electronic PDF files for archiving and distribution purposes.
Adobe Central Pro Output Server: It is a server-based software application for document generation that allows organizations to create personalized, customer-facing documents from any data source—including legacy, line-of-business, ERP, or CRM applications; merges data with an electronic document template using a powerful processing engine to dynamically generate electronic documents such as purchase orders, invoices, statements and checks for delivery through Adobe PDF, the Web, e-mail, fax, or print; works with Adobe Output Designer, which is a companion tool used to create document templates.
Adobe Flex SDK: The developer tools for developing RIAs with Flex. Developers use the SDK to compile and debug MXML and ActionScript files into the SWF format that executes in the Flash Player. The Flex SDK is licensed at no charge, providing a commercial grade RIA development which competes with free open source alternatives.
Adobe Flex Builder: It is an integrated development environment tool that can be used by designers and enterprise developers for visually architecting and developing RIAs. Tightly integrated with the Flex SDK, Flex Builder provides features for prototyping, coding, debugging and deploying Flash based RIAs. Flex Builder is a commercial product based on the open source Eclipse toolkit, the emerging industry standard for enterprise development tools.
Adobe Flex Data Services: It provides enterprise connectivity and data management capabilities for advanced Flex RIAs. Flex Data Services runs on J2EE application servers and provides messaging, high performance data connectivity, and advanced data management that integrate Flex based RIAs into enterprise infrastructure including Web services, remote Java objects and real-time data and messaging systems.
Adobe LiveCycle Assembler: It is a server-based software application for the creation, manipulation and assembly of customized Adobe PDF documents; XML-based data can be inserted into templates to create complex, content-rich documents for more targeted customer communications; integrates with enterprise applications as well as custom systems.
Adobe LiveCycle Designer: It is a desktop software application which simplifies the creation and maintenance of intelligent XML form templates for deployment as Adobe PDF forms or HTML applications; provides an intuitive, graphical design tool for creating XML templates that look exactly as the author intended, and previewing them before deployment. It also simplifies adding intelligence to documents, such as calculations and validations, and binding form fields to arbitrary XML schemes for integration with enterprise applications.
Adobe LiveCycle Form Manager: It is a server-based software application which simplifies form management and increases user satisfaction by centralizing the management of all forms, regardless of file type, into a single point of access through a Web-based portal; allows administrators to manage form publication, version control and user access, as well as establish ebXML relationships with business partners and customers inside and outside the enterprise.
Adobe LiveCycle Forms: It offers a range of solutions for deploying intelligent forms that can be completed online or offline, across various platforms and devices; identifies a user’s environment to deliver the richest form-filling capabilities supported and integrates with enterprise applications to pre-populate form fields, save captured data, and initiate data-driven workflows.
Adobe LiveCycle Barcoded Forms: It enables organizations to accurately capture user-supplied information from fill-and-print paper forms by using dynamic 2D barcodes; barcodes are initially set up through creation of the form with Adobe’s Designer application; after the form is printed, signed and returned by users of the form, the barcode on the form is scanned and decoded, and form data obtained from the barcode is routed to the appropriate enterprise application through Adobe’s LiveCycle server products.
Adobe LiveCycle Document Security: It is a server-based software application that helps organizations automate the processing of electronic documents by providing batch-based capabilities to digitally sign and certify PDF files, validate digital signatures, and encrypt/decrypt PDF documents; safeguards information when it leaves a company’s network and integrates with existing public key infrastructures.
Adobe LiveCycle Policy Server: It is a server-based software application that helps organizations manage information access with dynamic, persistent document control; allows for the control and monitoring of PDF, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel and CATIA CAD document usage inside or outside the firewall, online or offline, and across multiple document platforms; lets organizations know when a document has been viewed, printed or altered, and restricts access so that intended recipients can open, use and forward a document; allows for previously granted document permissions and access to be revoked; controls Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Reader and other client plug-in software to author and view protected documents.
Adobe LiveCycle Reader Extensions: It is a server-based software application which lets enterprises easily create and share interactive PDF files with external parties who must interact with these documents—without requiring recipients of the documents to acquire Acrobat software that normally would be necessary to interact with the PDF files they receive.
Adobe LiveCycle PDF Generator: Acrobat Distiller Server and Acrobat Elements Server that offers server-based conversion of native PostScript, text, image formats, standard office formats, and technical drawing formats into PDF files. LiveCycle PDF Generator integrates with other LiveCycle products that apply digital rights management, document assembly, and process management to converted documents in an automated fashion.
Adobe LiveCycle Workflow Server: It is a server-based process management application that allows for the design, deployment and management of forms-based business processes to improve organizational agility and productivity; uses a rules-and roles-based design tool that defines business rules a process must follow, as well as the roles of each individual involved in the process.
Adobe Output Designer: It is a design tool that allows users to create electronic document templates for use with Adobe solutions for document generation; aids in the creation of electronic documents that exactly replicate existing paper documents.
Adobe Output Pak for mySAP.com—an SAP-certified server-based software application for document generation that enables organizations to optimize their investment in their SAP solution by creating personalized, professional-looking, customer-facing documents; provides a way to create and maintain documents for the SAP environment; integrates directly with an SAP system to extract information which is merged with a document template that defines the layout and formatting of the document; output can be in a variety of formats, including Adobe PDF, print, fax, e-mail and the Web.
Adobe Web Output Pak—a server-based software application for document generation; creates documents in PDF and HTML for presentation on the Web, and in Wireless Markup Language (WML) for presentation to a wireless device; allows users to personalize and control the look of documents based on the data the documents contain.
Macromedia ColdFusion: The Company provides a server-scripting environment and a set of features used by organizations for building database-driven scalable applications that are accessible through Web browsers and the Adobe Flash Player; built on an open Java technology architecture and can be deployed on third-party Java application servers that support the J2EE specification.
Mobile and Device Solutions Segment
The company has OEM relationships with Nokia, Sony/Ericsson, LG Electronics, BenQ Mobile, Motorola, and Samsung. Its principal customer includes Sony.
Products
Adobe Reader LE: It is a version of the Adobe Reader developed for mobile phones that render PDF documents on small-sized devices.
Macromedia Flash Lite: It is a version of the Adobe Flash Player specifically developed for many devices ranging from smart phones to feature phones, and for other consumer electronic devices; designed to require fewer device resources and can therefore operate on many devices from feature phones to TVs and digital video recorders on many devices from smart phones and feature phones.
Macromedia Flash SDK: It is a software development kit specifically developed for bringing Flash based content to consumer electronic devices; designed to require fewer device resources and can therefore operate on many devices from game devices to TVs and digital video recorders.
Macromedia FlashCast: It is an end-to-end, client-server solution that is designed to create, deliver and use rich data services which are viewed as channels of information on mobile handsets; consists of the FlashCast client software which is embedded on mobile devices such as mobile phones and is built based on the Flash Lite runtime engine, and FlashCast server software which manages subscriber accounts, aggregates and delivers FlashCast channel updates to subscribers, and generates billing transactions for fulfillment.
Other Business Segment
The company's Other Business segment contains various products and services which address market opportunities ranging from the publishing needs of technical and business publishing, to its OEM printing businesses, to new strategic opportunities such as OEM revenue generated from its technology platform – which includes the ubiquitous Adobe Reader and Adobe Flash Player clients. The products the company offers are categorized as Platform, OEM PostScript, and Print and Classic Publishing.
Platform Products
Adobe Reader: It is a software for reviewing and printing of Adobe PDF files on various hardware and operating system platforms; when used with certain Adobe PDF files created with Adobe LiveCycle Reader Extensions Server, Adobe Acrobat Professional, or Adobe Acrobat 3D, Adobe Reader also can be used to enable collaborative workflows through the addition of collaboration features built into the Adobe PDF file; these features include review and markup tools that normally are not present in the standard Adobe Reader product.
Adobe Flash Player: It is a software on PCs and consumer electronic devices. The Flash Player provides a runtime environment for text, graphics, animations, sound, video, application forms and two-way communications.
Adobe Shockwave Player: It is a media player used for deploying multimedia content for use in Internet solutions including education, training, games and commerce.
OEM PostScript Products
Adobe PostScript: It is a printing and imaging page description language that offers output, cross-platform compatibility and top performance for graphically-rich printing output from corporate desktop printers to high-end publishing printers; gives users the power to create and print visually rich documents with total precision; licensed to printing equipment manufacturers for integration into their printing products.
Adobe PDF Print Engine: It is a printing platform that enables complete, end-to-end PDF-based workflows using common PDF technology to generate, preview, and print PDF files; allows PDF files to be rendered natively throughout a workflow, providing performance benefits such as eliminating the need to flatten transparent artwork.
Print and Classic Publishing Products
The company offers various products and solutions which address various publishing market needs. The company's Print and Classic Publishing Business Unit focuses on these solutions, which address various customer needs in markets such as: business document publishing, CD-ROM publishing, e-learning solutions, on-line help systems, technical document publishing and typography.
Adobe Captivate: It enables users to create interactive demonstrations and software simulations in the Flash file format; records users’ actions in any application and instantly creates Flash simulations with visible and audible mouse movements; the small file size and high resolution make Adobe Captivate simulations and demonstrations to publish online or burn onto a CD for use in training, sales, marketing or user support; often used in combination with Acrobat Connect, Adobe Captivate provides a robust technology solution to bring understanding and retention to the end users of rapid training and e-learning solutions.
Adobe Contribute: It is a way to update, add and publish Web content; non-technical business users can make changes to intranet and Internet Web sites while automatically maintaining site standards for style, layout and code; as a server application, Adobe Contribute provides a Web publishing system which enables IT professionals to manage and administer users and permissions as part of the Web publishing process; also content providers and Web professionals to save time and streamline the Web-content maintenance process.
Adobe Font Folio OpenType Edition: It contains approximately 2,200 typefaces from the Adobe Type Library in OpenType format, offering a complete type solution for print, the Web, digital video or electronic documents.
Adobe FrameMaker: It is an application for authoring and publishing long, structured, content-rich documents including books, documentation, technical manuals and reports; provides users a way to publish their content to multiple output formats, including print, Adobe PDF, HTML, XML and Microsoft Word.
Adobe PageMaker: It is the software used to create documents with robust page layout tools, templates and stock art.
Adobe RoboHelp: It is an authoring tool used by developers and technical writers to create professional help systems and documentation for desktop and Web-based applications; utilizes support for XML, PDF import/export, content management, distributed workforces, team authoring capabilities, as well as JavaHelp.
Adobe Type Library: It includes Adobe’s typefaces, plus Adobe Type Manager; enables it to create beautiful text for print, Web and video projects.
Adobe Type Classics for Learning: It is an introductory font library designed for students and educators.
Adobe Type Manager: It provides management of all PostScript Type 1, OpenType and TrueType fonts.
Adobe Type Sets: It provides various Collection packages of Adobe’s typefaces; enables creation of beautiful text for print, Web and video projects.
Macromedia Authorware: It is a media authoring tool used to develop caption based e-learning on Windows and Macintosh based platforms; use of the product ranges from creating Web-based tutorials to simulations incorporating audio and video; applications developed with Macromedia Authorware can be delivered on the Web, over corporate networks or on CD-ROM.
Macromedia Director: It is a tool for creating professional multimedia content that combines images, text, audio and video into presentations and interactive experiences; for Web sites, it provides users with the ability to deliver multimedia content that supports three dimensional images and animations for use in various markets, including education, games and commerce; also enables the creation of fixed-media content for CD titles and DVD titles in the entertainment, education and corporate training markets.
Macromedia FreeHand MX: It is a professional vector graphics tool designers and illustrators use to create images that can be scaled; supports developing images for print, the Web and the Adobe Flash Player.
Macromedia JRun: It is an application server based on the J2EE specification; integrates with the company's development tool offerings and is used to deploy applications for functions such as online banking and customer service.
Marketing and Sales
The Company’s international offices are located worldwide, including locations in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Scotland, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Taiwan.
Competition
Creative Solutions
The company's Creative Solutions products compete with Apple, Avid, Corel, Google, Microsoft and Quark. Expression Studio includes Microsoft Expression Design (formerly Microsoft Expression Graphic Designer) which would compete with Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop and Macromedia Fireworks products; Microsoft Expression Blend (formerly Microsoft Expression Interactive Designer), which would compete with the company’s Macromedia Flash product line; Microsoft Expression Web (formerly Microsoft Expression Web Designer), which would compete with its Macromedia Dreamweaver and Adobe GoLive products; and Microsoft Expression Media competes with its creative and hobbyist-focused products. Microsoft’s new operating system, Windows Vista competes with Macromedia Flash. In addition to competition with Microsoft’s Expression Design product, the company's Adobe Illustrator and Macromedia FreeHand products face competition from companies such as ACDsee, Autodesk, Corel, Deneba, Mediascape, Xara and the open source product called Karbon14.
In addition to competition with Microsoft’s Expression Blend and Web products, Adobe GoLive, Macromedia Dreamweaver and Macromedia Flash face direct and indirect competition from desktop software companies, such as Bare Bones Software and various proprietary and open source Web authoring tools. The company also faces competition from AJAX and Visual Studio products, and other integrated development environments that enable developers to create Web applications from companies such as BEA Systems, Borland and IBM. In the mid-range consumer offerings, including Photoshop Elements and Adobe Premiere Elements, the company faces direct and indirect competition from a range of companies that market software, including ACD Systems, AI Soft (Japan), Apple, ArcSoft, Corel, i4 (Japan), Google, Kodak, Nova Development, Magix, Microsoft, Paessler GmbH (Germany), Pegasus Imaging Company, Phase One, Photodex Corporation, Sonic Pinnacle, Sony and Ulead Systems. In addition, the company faces competition from device, hardware and camera manufacturers such as Apple, Canon, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Nikon, and Sony.
The company faces potential competition from operating system manufacturers such as Apple and Microsoft as they integrate hobbyist-level digital imaging and image management features into their operating systems. It also faces potential competition from open source products, including Gimp for Linux. In addition to competition with Microsoft’s Expression Design product, its Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Photoshop Lightroom products face direct and indirect competition from companies, including Apple and Corel. The company's Adobe After Effects, Adobe Audition, Adobe Encore DVD and Adobe Premiere Pro software products, as well as the Adobe Production Studio which contains these products, face competition from companies such as Apple, Avid, Canopus, Discreet, Sonic and Sony. The company's Adobe Premiere Elements software product, which is targeted for use by hobbyists, faces competition from companies such as Aist, Apple, ArcSoft, Avid, Broderbund, Cyberlink, Magix, Microsoft and Muvee.
Knowledge Worker Solutions
The company's Adobe Acrobat product family also faces competition in the PDF file creation market from various clone products marketed by companies such as Microsoft, AdLib, Active PDF, Ansyr Technology, Apple, Global Graphics, Nuance, Software995, and Sourcenext. In the higher end of the electronic document market, Acrobat Professional provides features which compete with other creative professional PDF tool providers, such as Enfocus, Dalim, TeamPDF and Zinio. Adobe Acrobat Connect (formerly Macromedia Breeze) faces competition from Web conferencing vendors, including WebEx and Microsoft Office Live Meeting.
Mobile and Device Solutions
Technologies and products which would compete with Macromedia Flash Lite include Java, Brew, SVG, WAP and Microsoft Windows Mobile.
Enterprise and Developer Solutions
The Company’s competitors include Microsoft and IBM. Windows Vista would include a new document format, called XPS, which would compete with Adobe PDF. Windows Vista would also include a proprietary digital rights management technology which would compete with Adobe LiveCycle Policy Server. In addition, Microsoft's new version of Office would include an updated version of its SharePoint product which would compete with certain aspects of its Adobe LiveCycle products.
In the electronic forms solution market, in addition to competition from Microsoft Infopath based solutions, the company faces competition from IBM through their acquisition of an eForms solution company called PureEdge and their acquisition of FileNET’s electronic form solutions. The company faces competition for document process management solutions from workflow solution vendors such as MetaStorm, Nuance and Ultimus. The company also competes with Tibco, JackBe, Backbase, and NexaWeb. Its Macromedia ColdFusion products face competition from vendors, including Microsoft, IBM, BEA and Sun.
Other
In technical authoring and publishing, the company’s Adobe FrameMaker product faces competition from large-scale electronic publishing systems, XML-based publishing companies, such as PTC (through their acquisition of Arbortext), as well as lower-end desktop publishing products such as Microsoft Word. In desktop publishing, the company’s Adobe PageMaker product faces competition from other software products, including Microsoft Publisher. Adobe PostScript faces competition from Hewlett-Packard’s proprietary PCL page description language and from developers of other page description languages based on the Post¬Script language standard, including Global Graphics and Xionics. In interactive simulations/e-learning, its Adobe Captivate product faces competition from general content development tools such as Microsoft PowerPoint, screen recording tools such as Techsmith’s Camtasia and more advanced e-learning and software simulation solutions such as Firefly or OnDemand.
In Web content management, the company’s Adobe Contribute product faces competition from solutions that provide for the simple creation of blogs and Wikis, as well as basic content publishing products such as Microsoft Word and Microsoft SharePoint, and, large-scale Web content management systems from companies such as Interwoven, Vignette, IBM and Oracle. In technical Web authoring and publishing, the company’s Adobe RoboHelp product faces competition from large-scale Web publishing systems, XML-based Web publishing companies, as well as lower-end publishing products such as Microsoft Word. The company's Macromedia JRun product competes with Java application server vendors, including the Tomcat Java Servlet Engine provided by the Apache Foundation.
History
Adobe Systems Incorporated was founded in 1982.
