"MAX 2006 is both a milestone in the integration of Adobe and Macromedia, and a reflection of what’s possible when all these creative forces come together," said Kevin Lynch (pictured), Adobe SVP & Chief Software Architect today here in Las Vegas, where Adobe is staging its first MAX developer and customer event since joining forces with Macromedia.

Lynch, who today will also be giving an exclusive 30-minute exclusive interview to SYS-CON.TV, noted:

"The power and expanding reach of Adobe’s technologies are virtually unprecedented, and today’s sneak peek at Apollo and other announcements we’ll be making this week will give attendees a glimpse of the future and the incredible innovations ahead in the Web 2.0 world."

Lynch claims that Adobe and its community of customers and developers are reinventing the future of the Internet and design in virtually every medium, and certainly Adobe’s Apollo project continues to generate pre-release interest among developers and businesses for its promise to free  today’s rich Internet applications to run outside of the browser.

"Innovative companies such as eBay, MySpace and Virtual Ubiquity will demonstrate pilot projects of new Apollo-based applications at MAX," Lynch confirmed.  Apollo apps run across multiple operating systems on desktops and devices and Adobe plans to invest approximately $100 million in venture capital over the next 3-5 years in companies leveraging Adobe platform technologies, Lynch said. 

The funding will be directed in particular at companies delivering applications via Apollo, as part of Adobe’s commitment to building an ecosystem for what Adobe calls its "Engagement Platform."

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