Adobe Announces Acrobat 7.0 Software Availability; Beta Customers Applaud Higher-Value Uses of Adobe PDF

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 5, 2005--Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced the immediate availability of Adobe(R) Acrobat(R) 7.0 software, a family of desktop applications that enables workgroups to manage a range of essential business activities. Acrobat 7.0, the latest update to the Adobe Intelligent Document Platform, provides users the ability to assemble documents from multiple sources, create intelligent forms, and collaborate on projects inside and outside the firewall, among other capabilities.

"Acrobat and PDF have made it easier for dispersed project teams to share document-based information," said Terrence Pallotto, business analyst and professional engineer with HNTB Corporation, a company at the forefront of the architecture, transportation, urban planning, and construction industries. "Acrobat 7.0 Professional opens up the review, markup and approval process by enabling enhanced capabilities in Adobe Reader. Now, all of our clients, partners and employees can comment on materials electronically without having to purchase specialized software like CAD applications."

“In our business, responding efficiently to customer problems requires quick access to a wide range of information, from technical documents outlining systems to detailed maps highlighting system locations”

"In our business, responding efficiently to customer problems requires quick access to a wide range of information, from technical documents outlining systems to detailed maps highlighting system locations," said Phil Lee, executive vice president of Layton Graphics, Inc., which assists many of the world's largest corporations and government organizations in better managing technical documentation and geographical information systems data central to daily operations. "Acrobat 7.0 will enable us to offer our customers better service. Faster application performance means we can get to customer data more quickly and, even more important, the intelligence inherent in PDF means Acrobat 7.0 provides us access to the high-value data that lies beneath the surface of documents."

The Acrobat 7.0 family offers different functionality to address specific customer workflows. Acrobat 7.0 Professional provides more advanced control over engineering and design documents for technical and creative workgroups that rely on specialized software, including computer-aided design applications and publishing solutions such as Adobe Creative Suite. Acrobat 7.0 Standard is ideal for business professionals in organizations of all sizes, where the ability to effectively find, use and manage vital information--from emails and Web pages to everyday application files--is key to getting work done on time and budget. Acrobat Elements is a license-only product that allows enterprises to put Adobe PDF creation capability on every desktop for more secure document distribution.

Adobe also announced the immediate availability of Adobe Reader(R) 7.0, including a public beta version for the Linux(R) operating system. The company's free client software can be downloaded at www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html. In addition to the ability to reliably view and print Adobe PDF files, Adobe Reader 7.0 now offers more powerful capabilities. Users can participate in document reviews, have Yahoo! Search capabilities at their fingertips and can interact with 3D objects placed in PDF. Adobe has distributed over half-a-billion copies of Adobe Reader since its 1993 introduction.

Pricing and Availability

Acrobat 7.0 Professional and Acrobat 7.0 Standard for Microsoft(R) Windows(R) 2000 (with service pack 2), Windows XP Professional, Home and Tablet PC Editions, and Mac OS X v10.2.8 and v10.3, are immediately available in English. French, German and Japanese language versions are expected to be available in early 2005. Acrobat 7.0 Professional has an estimated street price of US$449. Registered users of Acrobat 4.0, Acrobat 5.0, Acrobat 6.0 Standard, or Acrobat 6.0 Professional can upgrade to Acrobat 7.0 Professional for an estimated street price of US$159. Acrobat 7.0 Standard has an estimated street price of US$299. Registered users of Acrobat 4.0, Acrobat 5.0 or Acrobat 6.0 Standard can upgrade to Acrobat 7.0 Standard for an estimated street price of US$99. The products also are available through Adobe's Open Options licensing programs.

Acrobat Elements for Windows 98 Second Edition, Windows NT(R) 4.0 (with service pack 6), Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows XP Tablet PC Edition, is immediately available in 15 language versions, including English, French, German, and Japanese. The product, available exclusively through Adobe's Open Options licensing programs, begins at US$39 per seat for a 100-seat license.

Information about the availability of other language versions of the Acrobat 7.0 family, as well as further details on pricing, upgrade and support policies, is available online at www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/. For more information, customers in North America can call 1-800-272-3623.

About Adobe Systems Incorporated

Adobe is the world's leading provider of software solutions to create, manage and deliver high-impact, reliable digital content. For more information, visit www.adobe.com.

(C) 2005 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved. Adobe, the Adobe logo, Acrobat, and Reader are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries. Microsoft, Windows and Windows NT are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Mac and Mac OS are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the United States and other countries. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.