As is evidenced by the Adobe rebranding of macromedia.com, Abobe's acquisition of Macromedia is now complete. Adobe wasted no time in "immediately retiring" the Macromedia brand, in an effort "to provide the most consistency and clarity in our communication with customers."

It will of course take time for the 2 companies to totally merge into one beast. Adobe has outlined some of its plans for the future, and the most notable one deals with integrating Flash Player and Adobe Reader:

"It will be a multiyear effort. Ultimately, our goal is to combine both in a single client. Combining PDF and Adobe Reader with Flash and the Flash Player will allow us to deliver a truly ubiquitous platform that sits on virtually every device. We will build on that to create compelling customer solutions."

I don't know about you, but integrating Flash with PDF sounds like a really bad idea. If you don't agree, open up this Breeze Presentation from Adobe CEO Bruce Chizen, and then open up this PDF on Adobe Customer perspectives.

While you wait for that PDF to open, I'll be considering what to do with my newly acquired shares of Adobe common stock.

Update: It looks like we can breathe a little easier on the whole Flash + Acrobat ordeal. David Mendels left the following comment on Aral Balkan's blog:

The FAQ is poorly written and will be fixed.

We plan to keep the Flash Player small and focused.

We *also* plan on a new client code named Apollo that will work out of the browser and bring together the best of HTML, Flash, and PDF. Apollo will be very cool. (note: we learned a lot from the experience with Central.)

Refreshing news indeed. Should be interesting to see what Apollo will manifest as.

Update: As promised, the Adobe-Macromedia Acquisition FAQ has been updated to better address their plans for Flash and Acrobat:

What are Adobe's plans for Flash Player and Adobe Reader?

Our long-term plan is to develop a "universal client" by combining PDF, Flash and HTML in a single, integrated runtime. Of course, we will continue delivering the Flash Player as a small, efficient runtime for content and applications on the web, and Adobe Reader for viewing and interacting with PDF documents and forms. The integration of these technologies into a unified framework creates a ubiquitous platform that runs on virtually every device, and dramatically expands the opportunities to create compelling solutions.

For more dirt on the Apollo project, check out these links:

- Flash back on the desktop, launching "Apollo"

- Flex 2 General Discussion Forum

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