Comments for Who Needs Flash on the iPhone More: Adobe or Apple?

Who Needs Flash on the iPhone More: Adobe or Apple?

2008-03-19T17:30:29Z

Syndicated from last100, our digital lifestyle blog

Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen says that, with or without Apple's blessing, the company plans to develop a Flash player for the iPhone/iPod touch platform.

During yesterday's earnings call (see SeekingAlpha transcript), Narayen told investors that that Flash was "synonymous with the Internet and frankly, anybody who wants to browse the web and experience the web’s glory really needs Flash support".

]]> Having evaluated the iPhone's official Software Developer Kit, Adobe can "now start to develop the Flash player ourselves", says Narayen. "...we think it benefits our joint customers, so we want to work with Apple to bring that capability to the device."

With new research suggesting that the iPhone has already established itself as the No.1 mobile browser in the U.S., and No.2 in the UK, Narayen would say that.

However, only a week or so ago, Apple CEO Steve Jobs poured cold water on the idea of Flash on the iPhone/iPod touch, saying that the version designed specifically for mobile devices - Flash Lite - wasn't good enough, and that Adobe's more powerful desktop offering runs too slowly on the iPhone. What was needed is a “missing product in the middle”, argued Jobs.

Is Adobe committing itself to building the missing version of Flash that Jobs demands?

Or does Adobe really believe it can go-it-alone?

Without Apple providing the hooks to enable Adobe to tap into the iPhone's Safari web browser, it's hard to see how a Flash plug-in could be implemented. Instead, Adobe might be able to create a work around: some kind of stand-alone Flash Player that opens full screen to play certain content. This would work best for playing Flash video but would be useless for viewing websites that integrate Flash with regular HTML components.

Therefore, presuming that Adobe needs Apple's support - which I think is almost certain - and that users want the kind of experiences that Flash supports, how long can Steve Jobs hold out before agreeing to work with Adobe?

The answer: quite a long time, if not indefinitely.

Firstly, the biggest user of Flash video - YouTube - already offers a non-Flash version of the site designed specifically for the iPhone/iPod touch.

Secondly, rather than utilizing Flash to build "rich" Internet-aware applications (RIAs) for the iPhone/iPod touch, Apple is providing developers with an official SDK that will enable them to build native clients for a range of Internet services (as an example, think of the Google Maps application for the iPhone).

And thirdly, in Safari, Apple has already raised the potential of web-based applications by providing a very capable mobile web browser that supports modern so-called Web 2.0 coding standards. In fact, Adobe's own Rich Internet Application Evangelist, Ryan Stewart, recently described the latest desktop version of Safari (3.1) as Apple's own RIA platform, "complete with video and animation support (and offline storage)." Since Safari mobile is built on top of the same codebase as the desktop version, we can expect to see those same improvements brought to the iPhone/iPod touch very soon.

This post is syndicated from last100, our digital lifestyle blog covering Internet TV, digital music, Mobile Web and more. You can subscribe to last100 here.

Comment from Darren Stuart on 2008-03-19

2008-03-19T18:36:54Z

Apple needs it more than adobe does.

To be a complete browsing platform they need to be able to support flash.

I think Jobs rubbishing of the flash lite player and full player was just a ploy to get adobe to do all the work.

Comment from PXLated on 2008-03-19

2008-03-19T19:40:12Z

I don't think Apple needs Adobe at all. They're building the alternative with web standards (SVG) etc. Developers will go where the hottest market is, the iPhone and use the tools available. And I can't see Adobe developing a good in between version as most of their programs have become expensive bloatware.

Comment from Grant R on 2008-03-19

2008-03-19T20:54:18Z

Who needs it more? The users! A substantial portion of the web now uses Flash for everything from audio, video and other enhanced functionality. It's a real shame - for everyone - that one of the leading mobile browsers doesn't support it.

Comment from RS on 2008-03-19

2008-03-19T21:13:05Z

Apple for sure. Although good luck viewing a lot of flash files over EDGE if you're not near a wifi hotspot (you can't convince me that didn't factor into the current Apple posturing as well.)

The average user couldn't care less if it's flash lite so long as its functional with more mainstream sites. All they see are these commercials promising the 'real,' 'unwatered down' internet and then they hop online and find out they can't view a lot of the sites they normally could.

Comment from Joseph on 2008-03-19

2008-03-19T23:34:10Z

It is vital for the iPhone to go on without Flash. I ask that question every time I enter an Apple Store. They're reply is usualy a long face, while I genuinely beleived that the Genius guys that work at Apple Stores would want to see it themselves.

I can't imagine the internet without Flash. It is an indispensable asset. The iPhone truly made the internet mobile, and fun to use at it - But the lack of Flash on it, it a huge set back. I even considered a Win Mobile as it has Flash lite on it. nah, I'd still love to see the iPhone with Flash. Can't wait for Adobe (or Macromedia chaps) to build it.

Comment from sabrina correggio on 2008-03-19

2008-03-20T01:46:22Z

Adobe

Comment from Billy on 2008-03-20

2008-03-20T13:38:49Z

It seems pretty clear that Adobe needs it more. The lack of Flash has not slowed down the development of iPhone-specific websites. And while Adobe has made a deal with Microsoft to get on Windows Mobile, they're still a long way from having a significant presence on the mobile web.

But I think Adobe could go it alone on an iPhone Flash Player if they really want to. Adobe AIR is, for all practical purposes, a standalone Flash player with WebKit built in. It wouldn't be a stretch (and I'd be shocked if they're not already working on it) for Adobe to use AIR to build their own Flash-enabled browser for the iPhone. And it would be consistent with their AIR strategy, which has included eventual mobile versions from the very beginning.

Now, being able to do something and being able to do it well are two different things. Adobe AIR is very much a 1.0 product, and an iPhone browser based on that technology is likely to be slow and buggy. But, if it generates enough interest it could be used as leverage with Apple to get Flash into MobileSafari.

Comment from dknight.myopenid.com on 2008-03-20

2008-03-20T14:59:42Z

The momentum behind the iPhone is enormous. We have already seen every major developer jump onto the SDK as soon as it was close to release. If I am a developer of mobile applications, I have a choice. I can wait until my toolkit/platform of choice is completed for the iPhone or I can use the tools that are currently available to rewrite my application for the iPhone and capitalize on the current momentum. If I wait, there is a very high risk (probability) that someone else will launch a competing application and I may be out of business.

So, with the huge push from the consumer for every app provider to get their interface live for the iPhone, I think the short term decision is probably already made.