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Why is Apple saying NO to Adobe Flash on iPhone?

Oct 5, 2009 15:50

Recently, Adobe paraded its Adobe Flash Player 10.1 software for smartphones, smartbooks, Netbooks, PCs and other Internet-connected devices, allowing content created using the Adobe Flash Platform to reach users wherever they are.



Flash Player 10.1 is the first consistent runtime release of the Open Screen Project supported by 50 industry players.



Some of the players participating in the initiative include Antena 3, Atlantic Records, ARM, BBC, Burda, Cell, Chungwha Telecom, Cisco, Comcast, Conde Nast, Daum, Disney Interactive, Fox Mobile, Google, HTC, Intel, LG Electronics, Lionsgate, Marvell, Motorola, MTV Networks, NBC Universal, Nokia, NTT DoCoMo, Nvidia, OpenTV, Palm, Paramount, QNX Software Systems, Qualcomm, Stern.de, RIM, RTL, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Texas Instruments, The New York Times, Toshiba, Verizon Wireless, Ziilabs and many others.



One important player visibly missing on the list is Apple. The Cupertino firm is prohibiting Flash from appearing on its popular iPhone device.

In its iPhone developers' Terms of Service, it states that "an application may not itself install or launch other executable code by any means, including without limitation through the use of a plug-in architecture, calling other frameworks, other APIs or otherwise".



Now, why would Apple prohibit a widely used application to be part of the iPhone? Simple--business. Apple is protecting its business interest.



Allowing Adobe Flash to run on the iPhone is like kissing goodbye to the iTunes and App Store. Flash has evolved from a simple animation player to a multimedia platform capable of running applications of its own. So if Apple allowed Flash to run on the iPhone, application developers will simply code their application in Flash, put them on a Web page, and that's it--it will run and execute the application. No more iTunes or App Store needed.



Another possibility is that Flash may introduce new problems to iPhone, such as security risks, battery life, memory usage and others. Apple has its own problems with the iPhone already. Adding problems caused by Adobe is something Apple doesn't need.



At the end of the day, iPhone users are at the losing end of the deal. They have a device that will not be able to run rich Flash applications. Well, as they all say, you win some, you lose some.



God bless us all!

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