4 ms·

Microsoft signs up Adobe for its Azure cloud computing services

66 points by dustinmoris 10y ago

tracker1 10y ago
This can't be entirely surprising given that Apple has lost it's focus on the desktop, and Windows is Adobe's, by far, largest platform. There was probably a lot of incentivization for this from MS as well.
- markcerqueira 10y ago
  I probably have narrow vision on the landscape, but most designers I know (i.e. the people using Photoshop, InDesign, etc.) use (and prefer) Apple computers.
  - bdcravens 10y ago
    They'll continue to most likely. This isn't a Microsoft vs. Apple move, but rather a Microsoft v. AWS v. Google Cloud Platform move.
    - ssharp 10y ago
      This is also an MS/Adobe vs. Salesforce move.
- mhurron 10y ago
  > This can't be entirely surprising given that Apple has lost it's focus on the desktop This really only means they don't add a lot of things to the desktop. macOS pretty much works the same between Snow Leopard on up.
  - jamesgeck0 10y ago
    Broadly true, but using an older version of OS X is kind of painful. There's just lots of little niceties missing.
- bdcravens 10y ago
  Not sure how that's relevant, as this is about cloud computing, not the desktop, a place where Apple doesn't even have an offering.
  - roymurdock 10y ago
    The relevant competitor to discuss would have been AWS. Adobe is hooking its Photoshop, InDesign, Lightroom, etc. customers into a subscription-based cloud platform...they had to choose whether or not they wanted to offer their end customers Microsoft or Amazon's SQL storage space and ML capabilities. Microsoft probably gave them a killer deal they couldn't refuse as they continue to fight their way into the cloud services market.
    - eonw 10y ago
      I fully agree, and I would bet MS is making very little or nothing off this contract, was more to help grow market share and client list. MS was also probably more willing to make changes and help then AWS was.
- btown 10y ago
  It is perhaps more accurate to say that Apple has minimal focus on cloud services for large groups of professionals (i.e. enterprise users or large design shops); consider that iCloud Drive prevents you from creating nested subfolders, a workflow tightly engrained in how practically all enterprises think about shared files! Which is not to say that there wasn't incentivization from MSFT... but either way it's a good move for Adobe to align itself with a brand whose cloud is always going to keep big business as a priority.
- snowwrestler 10y ago
  I don't see how this is an Apple vs. Microsoft issue, since Apple uses Azure too, and Adobe products are still available on Macs.
egypturnash 10y ago
> "Customers today expect a well-designed, personalized and consistent experience every time they engage with a brand,” said Shantanu Narayen, president and CEO of Adobe, in a statement today. As a long-time user of Adobe products, I mostly expect "vague disappointment and occasional fierce hatred" when I engage with the Adobe brand. I'll give them the "consistent" part I guess.

66 points by dustinmoris 10y ago

This can't be entirely surprising given that Apple has lost it's focus on the desktop, and Windows is Adobe's, by far, largest platform. There was probably a lot of incentivization for this from MS as well.

markcerqueira 10y ago
I probably have narrow vision on the landscape, but most designers I know (i.e. the people using Photoshop, InDesign, etc.) use (and prefer) Apple computers.
- bdcravens 10y ago
  They'll continue to most likely. This isn't a Microsoft vs. Apple move, but rather a Microsoft v. AWS v. Google Cloud Platform move.
  - ssharp 10y ago
    This is also an MS/Adobe vs. Salesforce move.
mhurron 10y ago
> This can't be entirely surprising given that Apple has lost it's focus on the desktop This really only means they don't add a lot of things to the desktop. macOS pretty much works the same between Snow Leopard on up.
- jamesgeck0 10y ago
  Broadly true, but using an older version of OS X is kind of painful. There's just lots of little niceties missing.
bdcravens 10y ago
Not sure how that's relevant, as this is about cloud computing, not the desktop, a place where Apple doesn't even have an offering.
- roymurdock 10y ago
  The relevant competitor to discuss would have been AWS. Adobe is hooking its Photoshop, InDesign, Lightroom, etc. customers into a subscription-based cloud platform...they had to choose whether or not they wanted to offer their end customers Microsoft or Amazon's SQL storage space and ML capabilities. Microsoft probably gave them a killer deal they couldn't refuse as they continue to fight their way into the cloud services market.
  - eonw 10y ago
    I fully agree, and I would bet MS is making very little or nothing off this contract, was more to help grow market share and client list. MS was also probably more willing to make changes and help then AWS was.
btown 10y ago
It is perhaps more accurate to say that Apple has minimal focus on cloud services for large groups of professionals (i.e. enterprise users or large design shops); consider that iCloud Drive prevents you from creating nested subfolders, a workflow tightly engrained in how practically all enterprises think about shared files! Which is not to say that there wasn't incentivization from MSFT... but either way it's a good move for Adobe to align itself with a brand whose cloud is always going to keep big business as a priority.
snowwrestler 10y ago
I don't see how this is an Apple vs. Microsoft issue, since Apple uses Azure too, and Adobe products are still available on Macs.

egypturnash 10y ago

> "Customers today expect a well-designed, personalized and consistent experience every time they engage with a brand,” said Shantanu Narayen, president and CEO of Adobe, in a statement today. As a long-time user of Adobe products, I mostly expect "vague disappointment and occasional fierce hatred" when I engage with the Adobe brand. I'll give them the "consistent" part I guess.