Adobe finally gets on board the Cloud Train
For most of us, when we think Adobe Software, we think of desktop applications for multimedia and creativity, as opposed to anything that you could run on virtual servers. That is probably because they have been producing these types of applications for over thirty years. But the world of the PC has gradually evolved into a place where desktop software is becoming old fashioned and virtual servers based “Software as a Service” (SaaS) is increasingly becoming the norm. It has often looked as if Adobe was completely unaware of this evolution happening around them. But that seems to have changed. Recently Adobe announced a very different set of tools for the creative community, one that is meant to work in the cloud.
Adobe Mobile Apps in the Cloud
Adobe recently revealed that they have created a set of applications (apps) that show they are ready to begin to change their focus. It will move them towards mobile technology and the ability to work with virtual servers to make those platforms a part of the Adobe world. The new mobile apps are called “Adobe Touch Apps” and were created to work with Android tablets and Apple iPads. They have the look and feel of the current Creative Suite desktop software and will continue to allow users to do full Photoshop image editing just like the desktop version, as well as a bunch a new creative design tasks.
These six apps are created specifically for touch screens and are designed to be intuitive. They will give users the ability to explore ideas and present creative concepts on the go through their iPad or Android tablet. These devices will be connected to cloud-based Adobe applications that will sit on virtual servers. These apps will have the same high professional quality that Adobe is known for and that many creative business people rely on, but with the ability to access them through a touch device while on-the-go. The mobile apps will create instant accessibility to image editing, ideation, sketching, mood boards, website and mobile app prototyping as well as being able to present finished work.
The Creative Cloud
The biggest step for Adobe has to be the creation of a virtual server hub for users to share files, synch the collaborative work they are doing and allow others to view work as it progresses. This hub, which Adobe has named “Creative Cloud”, will take the company that extra step into one of the areas that cloud is best at, collaboration. In many ways, this is a natural step for a company that has always been at the heart of the creative community.
It is no secret that the company sees this move as an important step that will transform the company and bring it into the 21st Century. Adobe Chief Technology Officer Kevin Lynch has even said, “The move to the Creative Cloud is a major component in the transformation of Adobe.”
With this move to bring the desktop software that has been so vital to many creative businesses into the world of virtual servers and cloud technology Adobe brings its unique creative software to the world of the tablet and beyond. It also anticipates the move by many tablets to stylus capabilities and will prove to be a good partner for that development.
Flash vs HTML5
One of the hallmarks of Adobe has always been its Flash product, an application that at one time was used anywhere that animation and video was seen on the web. But Flash has recently been under fire as video, gaming and animation developers in both large companies and independent studios explore HTML5 capabilities. HTML5 is an open source standard as opposed to Flash’s proprietary platform, which is another reason for HTML5’s recent popularity amongst developers. At a recent conference Adobe talked of its own work with HTML5 and was noticeably silent about any new Flash developments. This may also be a sign that Adobe is moving more of its gaming based software towards the open source HTML5 and the cloud. It is probably no coincidence that Adobe also announced its recent purchase of Nitobi software, creators of PhoneGap, an open source platform for creating mobile apps based on HTML5.
With the addition of these six apps and the introduction of the Creative Cloud, it looks like Adobe has finally entered the Cloud universe. Adobe’s push toward HTML5 development support merely endorses that change. For many within the creative community this will be welcome news. It is also welcome news to anyone in the cloud community as it simply reinforces that almost any business model can be adapted successfully to the power of virtual servers in the cloud.
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