The definition of a “real computer” for many creative professionals has long rested on one question: “can it run Photoshop?” If you've attempted to replace your primary computer with an iPad or iPad Pro, the answer to that question has been “no” until now. If a new report from Bloomberg leak-meister Mark Gurman is correct, though, that situation may be about to change. Gurman says Adobe “is planning to launch the full version of its Photoshop app for Apple Inc.'s iPad.” This iPad-friendly app will apparently debut at Adobe's Max conference in October ahead of a 2019 debut.
As someone who treats Photoshop like a third limb, I'm keenly interested in just what “full” means in this case. Gurman reports that Adobe is working to both “satisfy the professionals who rely on its software for photo editing and illustration, and to capture casual users.” He says that means “mobile-friendly interfaces more familiar to [those] audiences.” That strategy means the desktop version of Photoshop that Mac and PC users presently enjoy will apparently coexist with this new cross-platform version for some time, according to the report.
Adobe Creative Cloud honcho Scott Belsky confirmed to Gurman that work on a multi-platform revision of Photoshop was in progress, but he didn't confirm the timeline that Bloomberg's sources suggested. If Bloomberg's information is correct, however, we won't have that long to wait to see whether Adobe is about to make life easier for iPad-wielding creative pros.