Flash War: Onxo Tweets About Apple, Adobe, Flash, & HTML5

Here's an aggregate of today's tweets that I put up called "Flash War".

The day started looking quite promising as the media latched onto "reports" from "sources" that the FTC and the Justice Department are negotiating with each other about who should look into whether Apple did anything wrong not wanting substandard apps in the iPhone platform.  I think iAds could also be thrown in.

However, there is certainly no indication that an investigation would even be initiated.  After all, Robert Reich, former Secretary of Labor and advisors to other administrations, believe the FTC has better things to do than to investigate Apple (okay, the Justice Department is another issue).

The tweets:

• Flash War: Adobe mouthed off to the feds to get them to look at Apple's SDK agreements. Stupid, stupid, stupid... (part 1)
• Flash War: Adobe should shut up and work hard to make Apple regret it. Go crying to others is just weak (part 2)
• Flash War: Apple is now pissed. How does getting the government involved help Adobe? (part 3)
• Flash War: At the end of day, Adobe pissed off one of its better partners. Apple has billions to kill Adobe if needed (part 4)
• Flash War: Look for Apple to develop its own creative suite. Legions will follow. Adobe, dumb, dumb, dumb… (part 5)
• Flash War: Macromedia buy by Adobe was a bad bet. Apple will be developing own html 5 tools (part 6)
• Flash War: Adobe needs to shut up and circle wagon and innovate like crazy. Only way to out-Apple Apple. (Part 7)
• Flash War: Vids of Flash on Android. Very short. Both promising and worrying. (part 8) http://bit.ly/99ak7z
• Flash War: Scribd will abandon Flash & move to HTML 5 start tomorrow. 200K of the most popular docs will be ready. http://tcrn.ch/aJBWqG
• Flash War: ARM blames Adobe for slow smartbook beginning. Reason? Flash & Air delay since 2009. Effort also hindered by interests in iPads
• Flash War: Adobe will need Google to stave off Flash death. Probably can't wait for Chrome OS to be available later this year.
• Flash War: ARM had hoped Linux & Flash will be weapon against Intel's netbooks. Linux sales disappoint. But Flash was a no show.
• Flash War: Here is more on ARM's disillusion with Adobe and Flash. http://bit.ly/bp5nsB

Bottom line: Adobe has a lot to offer the Internet and computing in general. Instead of waging a publicity war that it isn't like to win, Adobe should put the energy into innovating its products. And if Flash on non-iPhone mobile platforms do shine, that'll just shut Steve Jobs up, won't it?

Note: You can follow my twitter feeds here at paul_onxo.

Would Apple Really Allow Flash?

It's hard not to given the difficulties Apple has had with certain developers feeling rejected and others fearful to express how they feel (in fact, they're not allow to talk about their feelings).

So, when it was confirmed that Adobe is close to finish a Flash player for the iPhone and by one of it's senior director, Paul Betlem, it seems like something he really ought not to say in public unless he was trying to push pressure on Apple to approve the Adobe app for wide release on the app store.

Regardless, it's out and the Mac blogs got wind of it.  So, now what?  Well, we wait and see.  Previously, Jobs had complained Flash would run a resource hog and will effectively ruin the battery life on the iPhone.

However, I'm guess Adobe has been lobbying and making concessions to Apple in order to get Flash onto the iPhone and iPod Touch platform.  It remains to be seen if Apple will grant them this one wish.  Webware indicates Flash does not run well on mobile devices, including the iPhone.  If that is the case, Apple would not want any kind of user experience isn't ready for prime time.

But I for one am looking forward to see what all the big deal is.  In fact, I'm looking forward to some Hulu action.  But I am guess that if Apple does grant Flash to work on its mobile devices, there would be limitations to what it can do.

It'll be interesting to watch if the App Store welcomes Adobe.  After all, it just feels like having flash on the iPhone is like Apple allow an app to run Palm or letting someone create a browser.  It can do a lot of things that would conflict with Apple's walled garden.

Venture Beat has an update from Adobe.  It seems like they're trying to put the genie back into the bottle on this one.  It has struck a nerve at Apple.

Via Flash Magazine

Related links:

• Daring Fireball asks very good questions about Flash on the iPhone.  They are also skeptical.
• Venture Beat makes it sound like it'll happen.  Read the update.
• Wired
• Webware adds Flash doesn't work on mobile devices well, not just the iPhone.  Flash Lite isn't any better.

Note:  Dude, Jobs don't go for that, Paul.  He does what he wants and unless he already will approve of it, it wont' happen just because you mount a public campaign for Flash to be accepted into the app store.