Adobe Unveils Applications Software Platform

Adobe Systems(ADBE - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr) will release an early version of a new software platform on Monday aimed at extending its reach on the Internet.

Apollo, as the platform is called, allows applications to run on desktops that had run only within a browser.

Although there is some advantage for users -- photos, for example, are easier to edit and prepare for upload via a desktop application -- the real benefit to Adobe is the opportunity to sell more software tools to developers and to get a piece of the action when an Apollo-enabled application is used to buy something or handle other types of transactions.

Apollo, says Michele Turner, the company's vice president in charge of platforms, is part of a long-term strategy to broaden Adobe's revenue base. Apollo, for example, is compatible with Ajax, a new, popular development language. Older Adobe platforms were not compatible. That means Ajax software developers can now use the company's tools and write applications to Apollo, creating new revenue opportunities for Adobe, Turner says.

Adobe is also developing an Apollo-enabled Internet TV application dubbed Philo -- after Philo Farnsworth, the father of broadcast television -- that will allow content providers to push customized video feeds to customers via RSS or real simple syndication.

Adobe expects to ship a final version of Apollo, which will be free to consumers, by the end of the year.