…and spends an hour or so discussing a possible acquisition of Adobe by Microsoft to fight Apple. That’s what The New York Times is reporting today:

Steven A. Ballmer, Microsoft’s chief executive, recently showed up with a small entourage of deputies at Adobe’s corporate offices in San Francisco to hold a secret meeting with Adobe’s chief executive, Shantanu Narayen.

The meeting, which lasted over an hour, covered a number of topics, but one of the main thrusts of the discussion was Apple and its control of the mobile phone market and how the two companies could partner in the battle against Apple. A possible acquisition of Adobe by Microsoft were among the options.

Steve Ballmer is the same guy who laughed at the iPhone in 2007. I’m sure “business users” would love a Microsoft Slate running Flash.

Ok, look: we know that the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad are doing fine among consumers. Well actually, they’re doing great - but let’s wait until October 18th (when Apple is having its Q4 earnings call) before we talk about sales and success again. We often forget (or maybe some of you just don’t know) that there’s a whole supply chain behind your beloved iOS multitouch screens; how are these guys doing amid the recession and Apple’s success in the mobile market?

Read more

Tech companies patent a lot of stuff. From external devices to stands and screens and touch-based interactions, patents for “inventions” are all over the place. Apple patents are the ones we usually get excited about, though, as they’re probably the most curious ones.

The latest Apple patent filing shows us an “ambidextrous” mouse, a device capable of recognizing whether you’re holding it with your left or right hand, and able to work in either mode. Read more