Adobe considering legal action re Flash on iPhone....

Stevie-boy is quite the socialist isn't he?

I understand apple wanting to be different and separate themselves from the group, but they're really going overboard.

 

Ohhhh boy. Here we go.

Steve Jobs REALLY has it out for Adobe. I read somewhere that he was quoted saying "Adobe is lazy, HTML 5 is the future"... and that he is going out of his way to block flash on iPhone/iPod/iPad.

Apple should buy Pixelmator. It has 80% of the features of Photoshop and runs much, much better. I think Apple could fill out the rest of the feature set quite nicely.

How much does PS cost these days?

Adobe is playing with some serious fire here. They might want to take a look at another company that jostled with Apple's walled garden and played around with lawsuits instead of innovating. They're called Palm, and last I hear, they are looking for someone to buy them out.

So instead of converting CS5 to be the best damned HTML5 dev tools out there, they would rather get into a pissing match with a company that has 45B cash on hand and all the poker chips in this fight?

Here's another clue, Adobe...during the iPhoneOS 4 preview, Apple showed iAds, which they made sure to point out, were all done in HTML5.

I wonder what tools they used to make those ads? I wonder if they are thinking about releasing a tool like that?

I wonder if all those flash-ad developers out there would be interested in a tool like that? I wonder if they would like to reach that plum iPhone market.

How much does CS5 cost again?

If I were an Adobe shareholder I'd be calling for some heads.

 

Glad you took my jabs in jest.

No cell phone can play flash (completely) yet. When I bought my droid we were told flash mobile would come 1st quarter 2010. And were still waiting! So adobe needs to get its **** together and as TBE said heads need to roll. Its taken far too long for adobe to adapt to smartphones.

 

There is no way Adobe can sue Apple over the use of flash. If they forced users to only use an Apple solution, then maybe. Just like Microsoft and their browser. I believe HTML 5 is an open project. Don't forget, Microsoft has Silverlight, their alternative to Flash

 

It's really about bandwidth.

 

No it's not. It's about control. Plain and simple. Apple has every right to do what they're doing. The mobile world is the new gold rush, like the .com boom was in the last decade. Apple is protecting it's top asset that has the most potential for growth. If Flash was on the iPhone, what would make the iPhone different from other handheld devices? The iPhone is playing the content game right now, and right now it's king. Flash levels the playing field. If I write an app is Flash, in theory it can be easily ported to any phone OS. Additionally, what's stopping a company from making it's own iPhone App store, selling games, video players, you name it... all developed in Flash.

Steve Jobs has been down this road before with the Macintosh. Whether it was his fault or John Sculley's doesn't matter, Apple lost. Had the best technology, but not the best business plan.

This is the gamble that Job's is taking now, to box out Flash, so it can remain in total control. Will it work? Who knows... but betting against Jobs isn't smart.

HTML 5 and the other standards Apple is talking about is still way out in terms of being useful. A previous poster mentioned Adobe has done nothing to support these new standards, which is dead wrong ... but regardless is far from being ready for prime time. Internet Explorer has no support for it. If HTML 5 comes of age, Adobe will be the leader in the space for creative professionals to produce such content... but to say Flash is dead, and death is knocking on it's door couldn't be more wrong. Can Flash's widespread dominance be hindered? Absolutely. But HTML 5 won't be able to replace Flash in every circumstance. Maybe video players (even that I doubt), and banner ads won't use Flash anymore ... but eLearning, gaming, and other highly interactive content will be in use for some time. Business applications with rich clients, ATM's, Digital Signs, will all have uses for Flash.

I'm biased for both companies. I love Apple products, always have. I own Adobe Authorized Training centers, so they make me money. So I think I can be very subjective about this.

I have an iPad, and no doubt Apple has re-invented how people will interact with computers. Yes its a large iPod, but you have to see and use it to understand. It's great product ... BUT I bought it to browse the internet when just hanging around the house, watching TV, etc. The absence of Flash is very disruptive. You don't notice it on the iPhone because quite frankly you use the iPhone's browser to maybe find info on the go ... it's a plus having a browser, the internet in your pocket, but who cares if some content isn't available. With the iPad, I'd have to put it down and grab a laptop ... which for me is a major blow to the usefulness of the iPad.

This isn't about Flash being buggy (it can be), it's not about it not performing on the platform. It's about control. This is Adobe's game to lose. If the 1st qtr was done being played they'd be getting their clock's cleaned, but I'm not ready to write them off yet.

 

They did just that. You have to write native Objective-C apps (Apple's language)... which is very much like Microsoft and their browser EXCEPT the market share is very different so I don't think you'll see a lawsuit of any kind.

 

my next phone will run flash. I'm tired of using the iphone to go to a site that doesn't work because it requires flash. no I know what you're thinking its not porn. just basic things like choosing seats on BA or whatever. flash is becoming a deal breaker for me.

 

Wow, someone who gets it!

Adobe has a HUGE market share. It is true that Apple doesn't want them around anymore, but it's not as easy to topple the king as some folks think. After all, how much ground has Apple made on Microsoft in the computer market? Still a low % of people use Macs compared to PC's.

If the Apple devices become too popular, then Adobe may well have a valid suit... look at MS being required to unbundle IE from Windows - it could happen to Apple as well.

It is going to be some time before Flash can be replaced. HTML5 is a while away, and it will be at least 3-4 generations of iPad from now that HTML5 supplants the existing spec.

There is a lot of posturing still to be done, a lot of players in this game, and a lot of things still to play out. To pick a winner today is beyond premature, but if one had to bet, the odds are likely staked in Adobe's favor, especially if they get in bed with Microsoft/Sony/Amazon, etc.

 

Here is a statement from Apple:

"Someone has it backwards—it is HTML5, CSS, JavaScript, and H.264 (all supported by the iPhone and iPad) that are open and standard, while Adobe's Flash is closed and proprietary."

http://gizmodo.com/5521179/no-youre-backwards

 

AT & T networks would have long ago been overwhelmed. As such, integrating Flash would have killed sales long ago.

Putting the misdirection "spin" on Adobe/Flash keeps, even boosts sales & shares of Apple & AT&T. Were Apple/AT&T to shift focus back to bandwidth, sales & shares would drop.

In the meantime, almost everybody's happy.

2008 article & projections
http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2009/08/28/bandwidth-hogs-iphone-and-other-smartphones/

2009 projections, ROI's, realities
http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2009/08/18/4g-hype-time-for-a-reality-check/
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Bandwidth is an issue for AT&T - but has nothing to do with Apple not allowing Flash on the iPhone. Re-read my previous post. Apple & partners offers plenty of bandwith hogging services - Flash wouldn't make a difference.

 

yup, I do skype and slingbox over edge. slow but works. sucks bandwidth big time.

 

Adobe and Apple are important business partners. This is just a minor pissing match.

At the end of the day, Adobe will hustle development of a (much) leaner Flash and all will be right with the world.

 

This is what I have been thinking.

(It should be called "Flash Light")