“Adobe Systems on Wednesday backpedaled on recent comments from chief executive Shantanu Narayen, saying the company wants to build a Flash media player for the iPhone, but would not be able to without Apple’s help,” Antone Gonsalves reports for InformationWeek.
“In an e-mailed statement, Adobe said it had evaluated the iPhone software development kit Apple had released March 6 in beta, and could now ‘start to develop a way to bring Flash player to the iPhone,'” Gonsalves reports. “‘However, to bring the full capabilities of Flash to the iPhone Web-browsing experience, we do need to work with Apple beyond and above what is available through the SDK and the current license around it,’ the company said. ‘We think Flash availability on the iPhone benefits Apple and Adobe’s millions of joint customers, so we want to work with Apple to bring these capabilities to the device.'”
“The latest comment casts some doubt on whether Adobe is in the process of building such a player. Flash is the most widely used technology for playing online video through a Web browser,” Gonsalves reports.
Full article here.
Tom Krazit blogs for CNET, “Adobe has admitted it can’t bring Flash to the iPhone just because it thinks that would be a neat idea.”
“Comments made Tuesday by Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen were widely interpreted Wednesday morning as confirmation that Adobe and Apple have figured out a way to make Flash available on the iPhone,” Krazit reports. “Unfortunately, that’s not exactly what Narayen said, and the company has now also clarified that it can’t simply use the iPhone software development kit to bring Flash to the iPhone unless Apple approves.”
Krazit reports, “Narayen’s comments weren’t exactly definitive, but they were judged by several media outlets to be a confirmation of Adobe and Apple’s plans to put a Flash player on the iPhone. They aren’t; they’re merely a statement of what Adobe would like to do with Flash. Wishing things to happen and actually making them happen are sort of different.”
Full article here.
What we wrote last night when we initially covered this remains unchanged, “Adobe will distribute it through iTunes Store if Apple approves it, is what Narayen should have said. Given Steve Jobs’ most recent statements about Flash, that’s a big ‘if.'”
I like Adobe. But sometimes they say crazy stuff.
I know there are a lot of people against flash on the iPhone, but I think we should have the option if we want it. No one is going to be hurt if those who want flash can have it.
“No one is going to be hurt if those who want flash can have it.”
Well, it’s ‘optional’ now in browsers, and is ubiquitous. Nothing else will happen if adobe keep their grip on things. At least there’s a chance of something open replacing it if the iPod doesn’t have flash. And adobe are beginning to look a bit panicked. If some open method of video distribution were to replace flash, 99% of its importance from the users’ POV would be gone.
Flash sucks…
It always has sucked… It inexplicably uses far too much CPU/GPU power, sucking batteries dry.
I personally doubt that Apple will ship Flash on the iPhone anytime soon, unless they fix it’s lousy performance.
But, ultimately, I am really happy that Flash is not on the iPhone… I don’t need my EDGE bandwidth being choked by stupid flash banner ads that I DEFINITELY do not want and any website stupid enough to REQUIRE Flash to view or navigate, aren’t worth viewing anyhow in my opinion.
Personally, I think Steve will let the growing millions of VERY active web browsing iPhone users drive the market away from Flash towards QuickTime, and likewise, slowly kill off WMV the same way, though I am fairly indifferent to the latter.
zek,
“If some open method of video distribution were to replace flash, 99% of its importance from the users’ POV would be gone.”
Where have you been the last 16 years? Ever heard of QuickTime. It’s not only an open method of video distribution, but the first digital open method of video distribution, since 1991.
Don’t believe me? Look it up yourself: QuickTime info on Wikipedia
@Eric
“Personally, I think Steve will let the growing millions of VERY active web browsing iPhone users drive the market away from Flash towards QuickTime, and likewise, slowly kill off WMV the same way…”
A consummation devoutly to be wished!
I refuse to watch any wmv file my friends stupid enough to send me.
Don’t forget, even if Adobe were to make a ‘standalone’ application that could download and play Flash files, they would either have to totally cripple it by stripping out any ability to execute embedded scripts OR get a special exemption from Apple because the Apple SDK explicitly disallows applications that have plugins or have the ability to execute downloaded scripts.
Okay Flash haters, please to explain why an optional Flash plug-in, assuming it met Apple’s performance guidelines, that could be downloaded individually by users who have a need for such things, and avoided by those who don’t want it, would be a bad thing?
I’m cautiously optomistic Adobe will get this right.
Tommy Boy,
In the incredibly unlikely event that Adobe actually could fix the lousy performance of Flash, which, let’s face it, is such a kludged up joke that even Microsoft… MICROSOFT, goddammit!!… was able to handily outdo, performance-wise with the first beta of Silverlight…
think about that for a second… Microsoft was able to outdo the performance of Flash… which has been around for over a decade now… with a 1.0 alternative… Microsoft… 1.0… Better performance. Hardly a more unlikely event is even imaginable… But, we are talking about perhaps the most kludged together piece of crap software technology ever created
Seriously, Tommy Boy… It’s just not going to happen, but even if it does, if some idiot wants it, and there are bound to be some idiots that do. they deserve it…
@Tommy Boy
I don’t like Flash because it is so slow on my Dual 2GHz G5. Granted, it’s not a new system, but Quicktime High Definition Streams without a hiccup, but even YouTube Flash video is very jittery, at least until it has downloaded completely. It’s a resource hog.
You ask if it would be acceptable if they may a snappy version for the iPhone. The answer is “No”, unless they also make a snappy version for everything else. Otherwise, I would not want to propagate it’s usage on websites. Fix it or replace it with something technologically superior, don’t just keep spreading it.
I used to like Adobe, in fact, I am recovering Adobeholic.
They are just like M$ now, large, ignorant, out of control.
No one has answered Tommy Boy’s question.
These new Mac users are going to have to learn that if Steve says Flash sucks, we don’t need it… They don’t understand what it means to be a Mac Fanboy.
Who cares if a large amount of websites require flash, Steve Jobs will decide what websites us Mac user can or can not access…. The other 95% of the world is going to have to cater to us..
For Flash to be useful on an iPhone, wouldn’t it have to be built-in to Safari, or be a plug-in to Safari?
Seems like a standalone SDK-type program would be fairly useless on an iPhone. And it seems like a Safari plug-in would be fairly unlikely for Apple to accomodate. Once you tell them their plug-in is allowed, you have to deal with all the other people that want to provide a plug-in. Soon, the simplicity of iPhone is lost.
Simply make Safari for iPhone ship with Flash OFF by default, then create a tiny little touch button way deep down somewhere to turn it on with a warning that Adobe sucks and Flash sucks batteries. If you miss a call, blame Adobe. I still get the little watch when in Photoshop on Tiger…just shows how prehistoric Adobe is.
“In an e-mailed statement, Adobe said it had evaluated the iPhone software development kit Apple had released March 6 in beta, and could now ‘start to develop a way to bring Flash player to the iPhone,'” Gonsalves reports.
It’s ironic that they can’t seem to come up with a working timeline. Their actions and behaviors sound scripted.
I agree with Tommy Boy. Make it an option.
As DVD dud said, “. . . then create a tiny little touch button way deep down somewhere to turn it on . . . “
Under Settings>Safari>Security. Instead of an ON switch for Plug-ins, put in a sub-menu that let’s you pick and choose. And yes, Flash OFF by default.
@Radius
“please to explain why an optional Flash plug-in, assuming it met Apple’s performance guidelines, that could be downloaded individually by users who have a need for such things, and avoided by those who don’t want it, would be a bad thing?”
The question was answered. By allowing Flash on to the iPhone we would be promoting a second rate technology that Adobe and formerly Macromedia have failed to make resource efficient in over a decade.
The real question is why do we need Flash?
We certainly don’t need it for video. We can do without the resource hogging ads and website navigation can easily be accomplish with technologies, such as, AJAX. Plus, Flash that is currently designed for conventional websites isn’t designed to work within the iPhone’s form factor and most won’t work with Flash Lite.
So why do I need Flash on the web?
I think its developers not users who need Flash, because its a skill that makes them money. I say, get a new skill.
Die Flash, die!
Flash video – video is cool but I’d rather they not be flash full stop.
Flash games – most wouldn’t work on an iPhone screen as they’re keyboard/mouse based or they’d be the wrong size.
Flash ads – Crap on desktop environments. Yeah, they’re a must have.
Flash interfaces – see flash ads.
Flash isn’t a must have, if the iPhone and Safari’s support for open video and new html standards for embedding video can help kill it then great.
Oh, yeah, they are not going to put Flash on the iPhone. They are talking about “Flash Lite”.
Some of you need to do some research before talking out of your ass.
“It’s noteworthy that Adobe has moved away from attempting to port the full Flash runtime to other mobile phones. Instead, the company developed Flash Lite, a simplified scripting runtime designed to provide a user interface layer of interactivity that could be used to design basic phone interfaces. Flash Lite doesn’t run any of the Flash content found on websites, rendering it worthless to iPhone users.”
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/08/03/05/steve_jobs_pans_flash_on_the_iphone.html
oh Adobe.. I hate you more and more everyday… I think I prefer silverlight over any of your offerings at this time… AND THATS REALLLLLLLLY SAD.
“Some of you need to do some research before talking out of your ass.”
Speaking of ass-talking, unless you currently work at Adobe as a software engineer on the mobile Flash project for the iPhone then you have as much of a clue as anyone here. Right now. Today.
However, if you actually can see into the future three months, I need to ask you about some sports scores and lottery numbers.
I was interviewing a web site builder a few months ago. He was showing me all these very cool, swoopy Flash things.
Yes, yes, very nice, but I want elegance, simplicity and FAST loading. I do NOT want Flash on my site.
He was stunned. Actually offended and tried to explain how fast everything loads, once everything is optimized for Flash.
And how much time will THAT take?
End of interview.