Adobe and Flash vs. Apple, the iPad and HTML5

[Christiaan]

So it would seem Apple is helping to win the battle for an open web based on HTML5.

Mefeedia, a video search engine, is reporting that "54% of web video is now available for playback in HTML5 (H.264 mostly)". Up from 10% in January:

http://blog.mefeedia.com/html5-oct-2010

Meanwhile Adobe has bitten the bullet (about time!) and is building HTML5 export capability into Flash Pro:

http://blogs.adobe.com/jnack/2010/10/adobe-demos-flash-to-html5-conversion-tool.html

Nack makes a pertinent point about Adobe's motives:

Flash is great for a lot of things ... It?s not the only game in town, however, and Adobe makes its money selling tools, not giving away players.

Oh indeed indeed. And what they'll be pissed about is that anyone can build HTML5 web development tools, which means they're not the only game in town either. With Flash Adobe was the only game in town and they were well on the way to completely controlling rich content on the web. Control this and Flash Pro would have become a money tree for Adobe, degrading the web in the process.

What does Apple have to gain from an open web and the demise of Flash? The same thing as everybody else, a level playing field.

[Christiaan]

Microsoft joins the fray:

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/microsoft/microsoft-our-strategy-with-silverlight-has-shifted/7834

But when it comes to touting Silverlight as Microsoft?s vehicle for delivering a cross-platform runtime, ?our strategy has shifted,? Muglia told me.

Silverlight will continue to be a cross-platform solution, working on a variety of operating system/browser platforms, going forward, he said. ?But HTML is the only true cross platform solution for everything, including (Apple?s) iOS platform,? Muglia said.

[Ozzie]

And of course as expected something like this - what horror of horrors - Flash on an iphone with Skyfire built on top of Safari and of course approved and supported by Apple

http://www.skyfire.com/

http://www.product-reviews.net/2010/11/06/skyfire-iphone-app-

http://www.product-reviews.net/2010/11/04/skyfire-2-0-for-iphone-higher-grossing-than-angry-birds/store-release-and-uk-europe-update/

So Apple had to approve it and it is selling in the appstore for $2.99 apparently - wionder how much Apple gets per sale?

May not seem like a lot but all of those iphone users out there being almost forced to pay to watch Flash if that is their choice

Now that it has arrived at the Appstore it has overtaken Angry Birds as the top grossing app, in fact it is now sold out as Skyfire?s servers can?t keep up with the demand for all of the video conversion.

one thing that is for sure is just how much iphone users want to view Flash content

So it would seem Apple is helping to win the battle for an open web based on HTML5

No - just gaining dollars from users

[Ozzie]

Nah - MS is not a charity organisation - I think they made 5 billion in a recent quarter and how many employees - isn't it 90,000?

Just a big money making machine being challenged which is good

[Ozzie]

So to it seems is Apple - this could become interesting

http://247wallst.com/2010/11/04/proof-that-ipad-iphones-users-want-flash-aapl-adbe-msft/

This action and war has been somewhat similar to Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) business practices in the 1990′s and that company had to change its ways by force. For some reason the public has taken the attitude that it is OK for Apple to be this way because ?after all, it?s Apple and they are cool.

If this is not a show of force that iPhone users and iPad users really do want Flash, then nothing else is. For some of the complex websites to retool around Flash is effectively forcing them to rework their whole website. Steve Jobs could cost businesses and individuals untold millions and millions of dollars over his Flash stance

http://www.i4u.com/42022/skyfire-giveth-and-skyfire-taketh-away

Good ole Steve may not think iPhone users want Flash, or more accurately he may want to believe we don?t want Flash, but he is dead wrong. Hoards of iPhone users have been crying since 2007 that the smartphone needed Flash

Over the last few months Apple has done an abrupt about face as word that some companies might actually sue over Apple blocking Flash from its devices. This had to be at least part of the reason why Apple went back on its claim that Flash was not welcome.

So along comes Skyfire

Steve can?t deny that hoards of iPhone and iPad users want Flash and keeping Flash off the iPhone at this point is nothing but an exercise in Steve trying to exert supreme control over the device.

So it would seem Apple is helping to win the battle for an open web based on HTML5

Or - misreading the power maybe of iOS and / or attempting to influence the web Steve Jobs way

And again from above ......

Steve Jobs could cost businesses and individuals untold millions and millions of dollars over his Flash stance

Mums and dads with web sites and others in their millions no doubt will not be all that impressed just as Androids are really gaining in the smart phone market

Be interesting to see what the next couple of years hold

[Christiaan]

Ozzie, you'll never enlighten yourself by selectively reading into facts to reinforce your own narrow view mate. For a start, Apple has not gone "back on its claim that Flash was not welcome." All Skyfire does is convert proprietary video, such as Flash, on its servers and then relays it back to the mobile device as open standard video. It is not rendering Flash on the iPhone.

Secondly, hasn't it occurred to you that the existence of Skyfire on iPhone actually blows a gapping hole in your argument that Apple, by denying Flash on iOS, is somehow trying to take control of the web (I've never actually understood your rationale for that)? The availability of Skyfire actually reinforces the fact that Apple is largely doing this for technical reasons (Flash on mobile devices has consistently shown itself to be a drag on battery life, smooth usability, security and stability).

I think it's a shame Apple approved this app to be honest. It just encourages ignorant mums and dads to keep publishing Flash video on their stupid little websites.

[islandmon]

For a basic comparison between Java & Flash ...check these examples:

For this NodeGarden:

http://www.complexification.net/gallery/machines/nodeGarden/index.php

NodeGarden Java Applet code:

http://www.complexification.net/gallery/machines/nodeGarden/applets/nodeGarden_s.pde

____________________

For this TreeGarden:

http://www.complexification.net/gallery/machines/treeGarden/

TreeGarden Flash Code:

http://www.complexification.net/gallery/machines/treeGarden/flash/treeGardenS.fla

[Christiaan]

Be interesting to see what the next couple of years hold

So it turns out Apple was right after all and the open web wins:

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/perlow/exclusive-adobe-ceases-development-on-mobile-browser-flash-refocuses-efforts-on-html5/19226

Adobe is stopping development on Flash Player for browsers on mobile.

Brilliant to see Adobe focusing on HTML5 tools. This is what I was wishing they'd do all along.

Perhaps the last word belongs to Steve Jobs:

http://www.apple.com/hotnews/thoughts-on-flash/

New open standards created in the mobile era, such as HTML5, will win on mobile devices (and PCs too). Perhaps Adobe should focus more on creating great HTML5 tools for the future, and less on criticizing Apple for leaving the past behind.

[Ozzie]

So it turns out Apple was right after all and the open web wins

As it had to and will continue to do so

I must though live in reality and the now - a year ago was not now

Was at a 27th birthday about three weeks back and three young people had new Samsung Galaxy S2s ? many others had Androids

I have a SGS2 ? my second droid ? first was HTC Desire

Just rebuilding my web site and a new one also for my arborist stuff and doctypes are html5 ? a year ago I would not have done that ? also building them 1280 px wide ? year ago would not have done that either

Things change but always I find I stay with something that works best for me now

Christiaan - tell me on your puters at work what OS are you running and how many VW versions backwards can you run on that OS ? I mean VW 2012, 2011, 2010 2009 etc?

I will not use Flash on my new sites because html5 is moving ahead and I think it would be stupid to use Flash today, however how many iphone, ipad users have been locked out of Flash whilst Flash is so widely adopted and still used

I was helping a guy with VW last week ? mature well established landscape designer switching to VW and out of the blue he said ? hey got a great new phone and when I asked him ? SGS2

My best mate says he gets annoyed his iphone will not play Flash ? it goes on and on

Whether you think this way or not ? I reckon the web should be about usability and accessibility and people being able to see and experience what is currently out there and available to them without restriction.

Accessibility is huge and that is why if you are using WYSIWYG stuff dialogues pop up when putting images into web pages asking for comments to describe them

Maybe the truth is Flash will disappear as html5 progresses

As for Steve Jobs ? we have lost a visionary and exceptional human being ? a tragedy for our planet. My view is I would not have now my SGS2 which is a great phone if it had not been for iphone ? probably also Windows 7 without Apple.

I was devastated with his passing. My friends and family said to me when I expressed my sorrow ? but you hate Macs ? I said no I just do not use them

Be interesting to see what the next couple of years hold

Brilliant to see Adobe focusing on HTML5 tools. This is what I was wishing they'd do all along

Of course they were just sitting there twiddling their thumbs over the last year

The second question ? when will html5 be fully implemented by?

I am mid 50s and remember when I was much younger watching a documentary - this guy said within the next 10 to 15 years you will be able to have a device as big as a cigarette packet and if someone else had a similar device anywhere else in the world you could talk to each other

My dad and I thought better than tin cans with strings

Watch this below - third question - who wrote the song?

Now that is amazing

Edited November 9, 2011 by Ozzie