Adobe CEO Dismisses Steve Jobs's Insults as "Amusing"

[Michael Essany]

One of the most talked about stories of today is Steve Jobs' tough-talkin' letter this morning outlining why Apple has distanced itself from Adobe. Issuing a multi-faceted wave of complaints about everything from shoddy development tools to openness, Steve Jobs let Adobe have it. And now Adobe is firing back.

In an exclusive interview with the Wall Street Journal, Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen called Jobs' comments "amusing" and shrugged off the harsh barbs saying that "we have different views of the world. Our view of the world is multi-platform." While conducting the interview, the Journal's Alan Murray likened Adobe and Apple's feud to that of Jon and Kate Gosselin's by pointing out how a once-close relationship has now bitterly deteriorated.

Narayen, however, says it's Apple that has changed while Adobe, on the other hand, has remained "true to the position" with which it was founded. The position? To "help people deal with multiple operating systems." Steve Jobs, of course, doesn't think Adobe helps anything with regard to Macs. Narayen, in fact, made it a point to respond to Jobs' allegation that Adobe is the most frequent cause of Mac crashes. Narayen retorted, asserting that if Adobe actually crashes a Mac, it most likely has something "to do with the Apple operating system."

While Jobs and Narayen could argue point for point endlessly, Adobe's chief neatly summed up his argument by saying that he supports "letting customers decide" what's best for them and that, in the end, the multi-platform world will "eventually prevail."

Oh... and in case you're wondering, Narayen doesn't have an iPhone. He's a Google Nexus One kinda guy.

Image via awesomedc

[lolcats1]

amusing is an appropriate word

[Cer0]

Just seems to be a back and forth game.

[imilad]

I really think jobs is right, his comments made me think of how many times my PC froze because I loaded a flash site or video of such sort. I am ready to give up flash for bigger and better things.

[rickybobby]

Ok this is getting real old we know there will be no flash on any apple devices, we get jobs is an *****. But what i dont get is jobs not thinking about the people who got the company to be where it is today. I for one dont like apple anymore this company seems to feed off of consumers who worship them, but never giving them what they want.

[lolcats1]

lol

[battlecrushr]

haha cats

[timmyinpajamas]

Apples dictatorship is getting old .. I think consumers should be able to decide what they want .. Power hungry apple will eventually fall .. If only there was a phone better than the iPhone right now lol I'd switch immediately n tell apple to f themselves

[xYurjevich]

Adobe CEO must have had an affair with Apple CEO's wife. Does he have a wife? I don't know. Just trying to be funny. Yeah I know, I suck.

[TheWiredHavocMC2.0]

I read Steves letter posted on apples site and i have to say i agree with him. HTML5 is completely open platform and why would you want to wait for 1 year flash to fix a bug when you can fix it yourself?

That seems to be what it breaks down to.

[TheOrioles33]

Some valid points by Jobs. I still wouldnt mind having Flash on the iPhone with the ability to turn it off for those who dont want it. But is it really that important to have? I dont think so. If and when other devices support it, it will be more of a bragging right than useful or productive. So big deal! You can watch Family Guy on Hulu!

[rickybobby]

Apples dictatorship is getting old .. I think consumers should be able to decide what they want .. Power hungry apple will eventually fall .. If only there was a phone better than the iPhone right now lol I'd switch immediately n tell apple to f themselves

htc evo only downfall its on sprint

8MP autofocus camera with dual LED flash and 1.3MP front-facing camera
* High-quality video streaming and downloads at 3G and 4G data speeds
* Capture and share HD-quality video (720p) from your phone
* Output pictures, slides and videos in HD quality (720p) via HDMI cable (sold separately)
* Live video sharing with Qik
* Built-in kickstand for hands-free viewing
* Media player with 3.5mm stereo headset jack
* FM radio and Amazon MP3 store
* Sprint applications including Sprint TV® and NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile(SM)
* Bluetooth® 2.1 with A2DP Stereo and EDR
* Built-in WiFi®: 802.11 b/g
* Digital compass, G-Sensor, proximity sensor, light sensor, GPS
* Expandable memory: 8GB microSD card included; supports up to 32GB
SPECIFICATIONS:
* Dimensions: 4.8″ x 2.6″ x .5″ (LxWxT)
* Weight: 6 ounces
* Main display: 4.3” WVGA (800×480) 65K colors
* Standard removable 1500mAh Lithium (Li-on) battery
* Memory: 1GB ROM, 512MB RAM

[thisisasticup]

Someone needs to merge all the Adobe VS Apple, Flash on I Devices into one thread. They are all the same arguments on every single one of these threads.

[whereswaldo]

i'm kinda stuck in the middle right now, i want flash but still understand why Jobs is against it

[FuseUnison]

Apple -vs- Adobe = Nerd Fight!!!!!!


...

[chuckiecheese]

Adobe is WHACK!!!!!!!!!

[Mes]

I was impressed with Steve Jobs letter. It contained many good and valid points. However, it is also clear Apple is not interested in working 'with' the existing community. Since Apple is the 'big' dog, they are in a position to dictate policy, force a change, and have no motivation to do otherwise.

[rhekt]

well the Droid OS being ported by Planetbeing might provide access to the flash alot of you need.....errrr. want.

[iPhone3G[S]]

Apples dictatorship is getting old .. I think consumers should be able to decide what they want .. Power hungry apple will eventually fall .. If only there was a phone better than the iPhone right now lol I'd switch immediately n tell apple to f themselves

And then you would complain about that phone and say the same thing...

[MetallicaFan1991]

^Or someone can port it over to work on the iPhone...
I wish I had the skills or I would have done it lol