Here are your Apple rumors and news items for Monday:
Creative Suite Cometh: Following the recent debut of Adobe’s (NASDAQ:ADBE) new Photoshop tools for Apple’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPad, the software company has unveiled the new Creative Suite 5.5 update, which introduces major changes to the company’s business model — it allows users to subscribe to the company’s software for a monthly fee starting at $35. It also brings a host of new features to iPad users. Adobe Eazel, Adobe Color Lava, and Adobe Nav let iPad users create custom illustration tools for Photoshop that is specific to the tablet. The release also introduces the Photoshop Touch Software Development Kit for developers, allowing the development of new third-party apps utilizing Photoshop and other Creative Suite applications. While Apple’s relationship with Adobe on the iOS platform has been strained, it’s hard to deny that Adobe’s support of the iPad will encourage business client adoption of the tablet.
iPad Magazine Selection Ramps Up: Publishers leery of Apple’s stringent revenue-sharing policy for magazine subscriptions sold on the iPad and iPhone are succumbing to consumer pressure as those devices continue to sell in record numbers. AppleInsider reported Monday that a number of new magazines are available as digital subscriptions through Apple’s app store, including Bloomberg Businessweek. Elle, Maxim, and Popular Science are three others available on the platform as of Monday.
Video Games Rule: The iPad’s utility as a business tool may be exaggerated by employees trying to convince their boss to adopt the tablet, according a new Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) AdMob survey. Tablet owners across the board use their device to play games first and foremost, according to the results, which found that 84% of tablet owners use their machine for gaming, while 78% use it for “searcing for information,” 74% for emailing and just 61% for following the news. Those numbers are likely discouraging to Time Warner (NYSE:TWX) and News Corp. (NYSE:NWS) who have invested heavily in tablet-centric news outlets. There’s great news in the survey for Kindle and Nook makers Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) and Barnes & Noble (NYSE:BKS), however — just 46% of tablet owners use their device for e-book reading, suggesting the e-reader market should survive just a bit longer.
As of this writing, Anthony John Agnello did not own a position in any of the stocks named here. Follow him on Twitter at @ajohnagnello and become a fan of InvestorPlace on Facebook.
