Computers sales dropped for the first time in two years in the first quarter of 2011. The executives at Adobe do not believe that this will be a onetime occurrence, but a change in the general public’s buying habits. Because of this they are quickly changing their priorities from the computer, to smart phones and tablets.
One Adobe executive stated that the developing process is changing faster than we can keep up with it. It used to be that our primary concentration was solely the computer, and everything else was less important. Now our all of our design and developmental capabilities for digital content is clearly concentrated on smart phones and tablets.
How the world is changing, previously Adobe would adapt everything they did for computers, to other products. Now, in only a few short years, it is the exact opposite. What they are planning for the future will have to be customized after it is completed to function on a computer.
The product manager for Adobe’s Flash, Richard Galvin stated “That more and more people are switching on a daily basis to either the smart phone or the tablet to access the internet.” In this industry, either, you adapt, or you die, there is not much of an in between.
Mr. Galvin went on to say, “That the personal preferences of the general public are creating large issues for the firm, but ones that he thinks they can overcome. Our engineers are used to getting away with things made for computers, which are just not possible with either smart phones or tablets.”
Another concern Adobe’s executives are confronted with, are peoples ever increasing and demanding expectations when it comes to their internet experiences. Not only does everybody want everything right away, they also want extremely high quality.
This is not only a worry for Adobe, but for all companies that operate within this industry. The consumer now expects exceptional performance out of every application they try. They anticipate each and every application from whatever company they get it from, to operate just as well, if not better than the one they used previously.
If and when it does not happen, they have memories like elephants and will stay away from that provider for as long as possible. Because of this, Deepa Subramaniam a senior product manager for the Adobe application Flex SDK, stated “Their engineers are now involved with every aspect of a items creation. This includes the entire lifecycle of a product, from its inception, to its creation, to its testing, and finally to actual user experiences and feedback from them.”
Adobe does not expect the demands placed on it by the consumer to slow down either, but only to increase at a far quicker pace. They believe the next big jump to be in the field of “Inter-Activity.” They think people will want to be able to point their smart phones at signs or advertisements, and receive instant feedback on what is available, and what it is priced at.
Adobe is well known for overcoming whatever it has been confronted with throughout its history. Only time will tell however, if they are able to meet the new challenges confronting them, and if they will be able to come out victorious once again.
