Adobe Unveils Applications Software Platform

The Apollo release comes a day before Adobe announces first-quarter earnings and a little more than a week ahead of the release of one of Adobe's flagship products -- Creative Suite 3.

Analysts polled by Thomson First Call expect Adobe to post EPS of 29 cents on revenue of $655 million on Tuesday. That compares with earnings of 32 cents a share and a nearly identical revenue figure a year ago. The relatively soft quarter is not surprising, because revenue and earnings tend to be sluggish the period before a major new product ships, notes Goldman Sachs analyst Sarah Friar.

She said "the upcoming CS3 product cycle represents, in our view, the most significant product cycle in the company's history." She expects the company to match EPS estimates and perhaps do a bit better on the revenue side than Wall Street projects. Her company has an investment banking relationship with Adobe.

On Friday, Adobe closed with a gain of 55 cents, or 1.4%, to $39.17