Adobe announced yesterday that is has completed it acquisition of Macromedia, Inc.
From Adobe’s press release found in this link:
The combination of Adobe and Macromedia creates one of the world’s largest, most innovative and diversified software companies. The acquisition brings together some of the industry’s strongest software brands and most ubiquitous technologies for creating, managing and delivering compelling content and experiences across multiple operating systems, devices and media. The move also accelerates Adobe’s strategic initiative to advance a powerful software platform, based on PDF and Macromedia® Flash® technologies, that scales from mobile devices to high-end servers.
“The explosion of digital content, combined with the accelerating proliferation of mobile phones, wireless devices and the growth of broadband are transforming the way the world engages with information,” said Bruce Chizen, chief executive officer of Adobe. “Adobe and Macromedia are at the center of this trend, and together we will build on our combined heritage to redefine the way people and businesses communicate.”
Without batting an eyelash, Adobe announced the introduction of three new product bundles that combine the design and publishing prowess of Adobe® Creative Suite 2 and Adobe video tools with the interactive strength of just-released Macromedia® Flash® Professional 8 and Macromedia Studio 8 software.
But the transaction was announced as early as 18 April 2005 and only concluded yesterday.
Chalk up another merger to bring tears to any anti-monopolist’s eyes. But hey, the software pirates may be celebrating since their two products will already be bundled together…
10 comments
Macromedia.com was also updated earlier today to reflect the new Adobe branding.
I think this should be good for us all. Hopefully the bring out some new great ideas, since they can now combine their resources.
There are a few companies that in my mind can do no evil, even if they become some kind of monopoly… and one of them is Adobe. I trust that the future is bright.
Maybe response to MS, since MS has entered their domain lately. Their photoediting/painting program is called “Acrylic”, I think. So it’s not really a total monopoly at all??
@Fleeb
I believe it still is, because Adobe’s entire suite of programs are already industry standards. I don’t know of any graphic artist that would use Acrylic over Photoshop (or GIMP, even).
Then again, they’re not exactly a monopoly – they got to where they are not because they muscled everyone else out, but because they just have darn good programs.
and autodesk went shopping too
but it’s not finalized yet
This is so suite! Ehem… Sweet! This could the greatest thing that would happen till the end of 2005. Finally? Can they make all Macromedia Products be Adobe? Adobe Flash? Or make After effects and Flash merge as one program? GoLive and Dreamweaver? Together? Ah!!!! I just can’t wait till next year.
his is so suite! Ehem… Sweet! This could be the greatest thing that would happen till the end of 2005. Finally? Can they make all Macromedia Products be Adobe? Adobe Flash? Or make After effects and Flash merge as one program? GoLive and Dreamweaver? Together? Ah!!!! I just can’t wait till next year.
@Dark Ocelot
I think they’re retaining the Macromedia brand so that there’s no confusion as to which programs do what. I’d still rather have a separate Photoshop and Flash, for example. What the merge is ideally going to do is standardize and reintegrate the different formats across all the programs (e.g. being able to open .psd files in Flash, importing ImageReady directly into a Dreamweaver session), and placing them all under a workflow platform like they did with Version Cue.
“But because they just have darn good programs.”
Exactly!
“I think they’re retaining the Macromedia brand so that there’s no confusion as to which programs do what.”
The difference between a merger and amalgamation.