Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) went after Adobe (NASDAQ: ADBE) in 2010 with a one-two punch, issuing a ban on using Flash apps with the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touches, and then shipping the new MacBook Air without Flash Player pre-installed. When it was discovered that the MacBook Air could not run Flash content, Apple responded that users could download it from Adobe if they wanted it.

In April, Steve Jobs published a lengthy letter detailing the reasons he doesn't like Flash. He railed against Flash on the points of reliability, security, performance and battery life, not to mention open standards. "While Adobe's Flash products are widely available, this does not mean they are open, since they are controlled entirely by Adobe and available only from Adobe. By almost any definition, Flash is a closed system," Jobs said, without a hint of irony.

Refusing to take these punches lying down, Adobe turned its development sights on the Android OS, making it clear that Android will be central in its strategies surrounding tablet computers. This fall it released the AIR 2.5 platform for creating apps for smartphones and tablets using Android, and it made Adobe Connect Mobile available for Android.