Microsoft Can't Buy Adobe; It's Supposed to Buy RIM
The tech rumor mill found a new target this week with speculation that Microsoft is pondering a purchase of Adobe. Adobe's stock went up on the news, but sources have all but squelched the gossip at this point. Besides, Microsoft doesn't need the headaches that would come with acquiring Adobe, and it should really be exploring a purchase of RIM.
What headaches, you say? Well, Adobe software has security flaws and vulnerabilities to rival Microsoft, and attackers have made applications like Adobe Reader a favorite target. Adobe's success at establishing a ubiquitous, cross-platform presence with software like Reader and Flash makes exploiting it sort of hacker's Holy Grail. Microsoft has enough on its security plate without going out and buying a new weakest link.
Adobe is really a much better fit for Google. The two are already allies in the war with Apple over Flash. For every jab or criticism Apple has levied at Adobe Flash, Google has embraced the software and stepped up its efforts to work with Adobe to integrate Flash functionality into the Android mobile platform. Google also makes more sense in that it has a similar cross-platform approach and presence that isn't completely tied to the Windows operating system.
