Adobe chief technology officer to join Apple

Customers enter the Apple flagship retail store to purchase the new iPad in San Francisco, California March 16, 2012.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Apple Inc has snagged Adobe System's chief technology officer, Kevin Lynch, who oversees the software maker's technology research and experience design teams with a focus on cloud and social computing.

Lynch, who joined Adobe in 2005 through its acquisition of Macromedia, will be Apple's vice president of technology. He will report to Bob Mansfield, Apple's senior vice president of technology, who leads the California gadget giant's wireless and semiconductor team, Apple said on Tuesday.

Adobe said earlier that Lynch will leave the company effective March 22 and that it would not be filling the CTO position.

(Reporting By Poornima Gupta; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)