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Adobe loves/hates Apple in new ad campaign

It's complicated

Adobe loves/hates Apple in new ad campaign
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In the story that just keeps on giving, Adobe has officially replied to Apple CEO Steve Jobs' assertion that Flash is a closed and unreliable system.

Following up an interview by CEO Shantanu Narayen and an open letter posted on the company's blog late last month, Adobe has now also launched an ad campaign (both online and in the Washington Post), and a follow-up letter posted on the firm's website.

Freedom of speech

The ad is naturally designed to garner the most attention, first stating that Adobe "hearts Apple", but also making it clear that the firm doesn't love "anybody taking away your freedom to choose what you create, how you create it, and what you experience on the web".

Love-to-hate letters

The letter, attributed to founders-turned-chairmen Chuck Geschke and John Warnock, carries a similar sentiment, claiming Abobe is concerned about the amount of control Apple now has over what users can and can't see on the internet.

It also believes Apple's stance may well crush the kind of creativity currently blooming on its platforms.

"When markets are open, anyone with a great idea has a chance to drive innovation and find new customers," the letter states.

"We believe that Apple, by taking the opposite approach, has taken a step that could undermine this next chapter of the web - the chapter in which mobile devices outnumber computers, any individual can be a publisher, and content is accessed anywhere and at any time.

"In the end, we believe the question is really this: Who controls the World Wide Web? And we believe the answer is: nobody - and everybody, but certainly not a single company."

Flashback

Naturally, both the ad and letter are in reference to Apple's decision to change its developer agreement – which essentially outlaws the use of Flash-based tools in any app's development – and the continued lack of web-based Flash support on iPhone.

In his own account, Jobs suggested Apple and Adobe had enjoyed a successful and close relationship in the past, but that Flash operated best in an era now long gone.

Jobs is a keen advocate of the emerging HTML5 standard – naturally supported on iPhone – having used his open letter to push it as Flash's spiritual successor.

Keith Andrew
Keith Andrew
With a fine eye for detail, Keith Andrew is fuelled by strong coffee, Kylie Minogue and the shapely curve of a san serif font. He's also Pocket Gamer's resident football gaming expert and, thanks to his work on PG.biz, monitors the market share of all mobile OSes on a daily basis.