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Adobe pulls the plug on iPhone, ceases all Flash and AIR development
It seems the camel's back has finally snapped: Adobe's Flash department has curtailed all Flash and AIR development for the iPhone OS platform. Citing the recent change in Apple's developer license, Adobe no longer believes the iPad or iPhone to be a safe or worthwhile investment. The ability to target iPhone and iPad in Flash CS5 will still exist, but no further work will be made by Adobe to update or support that feature.I hope Apple and the Great Jobs knows what they're doing. Such movement by Adobe is indicative of a much greater problem: a lack of trust in the Apple platform. Mike Chambers, Adobe big-wig and master of all things Flash, speaks frankly on this blog about the atrocious state of affairs: "I think that the closed system that Apple is trying to create is bad for the industry, developers and ultimately consumers, and that is not something that I want to actively promote... We are at the beginning of a significant change in the industry, and I believe that ultimately open platforms will win out over the type of closed, locked down platform that Apple is trying to create."
It's good news for everyone else that hasn't chomped down on Apple's red pill though! Adobe has now shifted its efforts towards Android and the upcoming Android-based tablets. Both Flash Player 10.1 beta and Adobe AIR 2.0 beta for Android will soon be available. Chambers also mentions, no doubt with a slightly smug twinkle, that iPhone developers are having absolutely no problem porting their Flash apps to Android, or indeed every other mobile platform that supports Flash -- in fact, they don't even need porting. Cross-platform compatibility, gentlemen, is a good thing.
Comments
23
Subscribe to commentsJayenkaiApr 21st 2010 8:11AM
Yeah, you tell 'em, Adobe..
And prove your point by releasing a version of Flash's DevTools for free..
Rather than charging an absolute f'ing fortune for the thing..
Matthew FabbApr 21st 2010 1:18PM
Adobe releases free open source Flash compiler with the Flex SDK. Anyone can create SWF Flash files with just a text editor and the command line tool compiler. However, other companies have made competition Flash tools, such as PowerFlasher's FDT. Some Adobe employees have even said nice things about them and mentioned how they need to include some of the features they have. On top of that there's various free open source Flash tools out there.
Thanh NguyenApr 21st 2010 8:19AM
Next, remove support for OS X.
Please. So that we can see some new blood on OS X.
jennApr 21st 2010 9:07AM
@Jayenkai & Thanh: Agreed!
eco_bachApr 21st 2010 9:24AM
ahem...think you need to modify the title ' ceases all Flash and AIR development '
JamusApr 21st 2010 9:25AM
I don't think it is lack of trust, but more of Adobe not being able to get their cut. They want to funnel devs into Flash dev apps and not Apple's because that brings them cash and not Apple.
lourens_MApr 21st 2010 10:26AM
how would developing Flash apps (without the Flash IDE, with the free editor FlashDevelop with opensource Flex SDK for example) bring Adobe cash
JamusApr 21st 2010 11:13AM
Even with a free editor, Adobe would directly get a larger dev base and indirectly get more cash from having those developers in their program (incentives, add-ons, conferences, etc...). Plus it gives them more clout which is sometimes more valuable than cash...
jesseMay 14th 2010 3:50AM
They have no problem developing for Android. Right so clearly the problem is apple is very greedy and wants to control everything
ToddApr 21st 2010 10:18AM
So wait this is a fight over Proprietary code?
Adobe's not getting a cut from their proprietary software and Apple wants to control their proprietary software.
Oh and Adobe if you start cutting off Apple products your really going to kill your bottom line and is going to generate a new SEC filing.
Adobe get over it and read the writing on the wall. Can you really have that much invested in one technology that you can move to the next thing?
JordanApr 21st 2010 10:25AM
I have an iPhone, an oldschool iPod, and a MacPro. I like all of them, but I can live without them. OSx is a great operating system and I have no problem with it. I still use Windows regularly and find Windows 7 to be amazingly awesome. My iPod is old, but it plays music. That's about all I need.
My iPhone, however, is different. I like it, but I will not be getting another one. The leaked iPhone looks really nice, but I refuse to buy more into this closed eco-system of Apple's. Apple has always been more of a closed company, but the steps they are taking recently are completely wrong. The iPhone could easily support Flash, hell it could even be an option to the user. Apple's move to block apps created with Flash is the final straw. I'm out, Apple, I'm out.
cantuburyApr 28th 2010 12:32PM
there are "workarounds" for using flash on iphone and ipod itouch. i dont understand why people are so upset...but i am not a techie, just a conceptual artist
Maxime RouleauApr 21st 2010 10:47AM
Wow, with all that money saved, maybe they'll finally be able to do something with the shit performance on Unix-like platforms.
halophoenixApr 21st 2010 11:20AM
The hilarious thing here is that as one-sided as this post seems to be about poor poor Adobe and evil mighty Apple, Todd and Jamus are making good points. The truth of the matter is that it's not just Apple that's sweeping Flash out of the mobile world - Android doesn't support Flash either, and as much as there are rumors that it will sometime this year, there's nothing confirmed that says it will.
WinMo doesn't support Flash, and Windows Phone 7 definitely won't. Even Symbian only supports Flash Lite, which isn't the panacea that Adobe fans claim it is.
So - when you have a healthy development platform like Apple does with the iPhone that has thousands of developers behind it, you have healthy competition in the form of Android - with thousands of developers behind it as well (and Google is doing a great job getting people to port apps to Android), and you have an upcoming development platform like Windows Phone 7 with people willing to get behind it when it's available, and even a dying development platform like Palm's WebOS, and NONE of them support your product (Flash), what do you do?
Pick the biggest guy and blame them, of course! Because when you're the one in the room with a problem with everyone else, of course it's THEIR problem, right? Sometimes it's the common denominator that's the issue, and it's not Apple, as much as I despise their walled-garden approach to development.
master811Apr 21st 2010 5:12PM
Did you even read the post/links?
Android does or will support flash, it's still in development and in closed Beta, but it IS coming, Adobe have announced it will be soon, so it's only a matter of time.
This is more than you can say for Apple who don't want it at all simply because it destroys their precious, closed ecosystem that they want everyone to follow blindly.
raidetApr 21st 2010 12:12PM
Definitely they should pull support for OSX too. I'd love to see the flash-free "whole web" experience on Macs too. :)
masadaApr 21st 2010 3:36PM
The next 2 things Adobe needs to do:
1) Once Android devices can display Flash 10.1 (by June 2010), flood the market with Flash applications. Make it so Flash becomes so synonymous with mobile / smart phone computing that iPhone and iPad users will just feel left out. (The "social-elite" mindset of being an iPad owner can't last forever.)
2) Adobe needs to build a desktop application that allows people to - very easily - create Flash apps for various devices. Much like making a web page in Dreamweaver. It could be a stand-alone app or bundle it with the CSx packages. Doesn't matter. Just get it out there so people can build with it.
It's obvious Flash is not going away. It's a mistake for Apple to be so stubborn about it, but they'll learn the hard way I suppose.
masadaApr 21st 2010 3:42PM
Additionally, the only reason why a lot of devices don't support Flash is because Flash started out as a web browser app. Now that smart phones like iPhone and Android are starting to view the web as it actually is, the need for Flash has come back into light once again. The other phones like RIM's Blackberry and the Palm lineup are going to be disappearing because of that. As far as WinMo? Well, they ALWAYS spread themselves too thin, thinking they can control the market. It worked once with the Windows OS, but that's about it.
kendallApr 21st 2010 6:11PM
stupid steve jobs. ipad is no good anyways. in MY opinion it is just a big iphone with a few extra features. the fanfare will die out quickly once people realize that the ipad is very limited.
JordanApr 21st 2010 8:48PM
Correction, it's just a big iPod Touch. The iPhone can make phone calls, it has more functionality than the iPad.