INTRODUCTION
Don’t let anyone fool you, Apple’s decision to omit Flash support on their mobile devices and Steve Jobs decision to publicly rebuke the Flash platform is a big deal. While I don’t believe Apple can single handedly kill such a robust platform, especially without some sort of viable alternative, I do believe that Adobe must respond aggressively. For Adobe, Flash is one of their most valued and strategic assets on the web and they certainly don’t want any momentum created towards its marginalization or demise.
SOME TRUTH
Any Flash developer that has been around for more than a few years, can tell you that there is a bit of truth when Steve Jobs says Adobe is “lazy” when it comes to Flash. On numerous occasions, the Flash development community has been left to solve very important problems that should have been solved by Adobe. A short list of examples might include a robust embed solution, back & forward browser navigation, bookmarking, deep linking, search engine optimization, content management and robust development tools (to improve debugging & performance testing). In addition to these major oversights, Adobe has been very slow to address issues like font embedding, font anti-aliasing, coding tools and run time performance. In my opinion these are absolutely critical issues that have created real headaches for Flash developers, web design studios and the overall Flash platform. Adobe continues to innovate and create amazing new capabilities for the Flash platform (i.e. AIR, Flex, Flash Lite, Flash Builder, Flash Catalyst, etc.) but I’d love to see them put some of that energy towards solving some of these very real long term problems with the platform.
SOME HIDDEN TRUTH
While Steve Jobs might want you to think it’s all about buggy performance and Adobe’s lazy product development, the hidden truth is that Apple sees the Flash platform as a barrier to their advancement in numerous categories. The most obvious is internet video, where Flash is currently dominant and Apple would obviously like to see Quicktime take over. Only slightly less obvious would be the mobile space, which Apple obviously sees as the next major computing platform and have consistently shown their distaste for competing development platforms. Consider also, Apple’s recent move into mobile advertising a place where Flash is poised to be a very important technology. Less obvious is Flash’s ability for internet application development, especially when used by audio/video consumption companies, (i.e. Netflix, Hulu, etc.) that compete with the Apple TV, or when used by Adobe to create new web applications like Adobe’s online word processing application Buzzword (a clear competitor to Apple’s online version of Pages). Add to all of this, Apple’s strategic belief that they should not be reliant on any other companies proprietary technologies/platforms and things quickly become clear. Flash is the enemy.
If you’re still not convinced Apple has ulterior motives, take notice that as Adobe prepared Flash Player 10.1 (a release focused on performance much like Apple’s Snow Leopard) Apple refused Adobe’s request to use Mac OS X’s hardware acceleration APIs. The direct result of which is that CPU usage required to play video in Flash Player for Safari on Mac OS X dropped from 37.41% (Flash Player 10.0) to a still abysmal 32.07% (Flash Player 10.1), while for Safari on Windows it dropped from 23.22% (Flash Player 10.0) to only 7.43% (Flash Player 10.1) and for Firefox on Windows it dropped from 22% to 6%!
SOME MAJOR PITFALLS
While the Flash platform certainly has some weaknesses, it also has some huge benefits that will make it nearly impossible to kill. When developing a website that integrates numerous media types, Flash’s integrated development platform is far ahead of anything available for HTML5. When creating Rich Internet Applications, Flex, Flash Builder & Flash Catalyst are far more powerful and efficient for development than any Open Web alternatives. While HTML5 will provide some new tools previously only available through Flash, those tools will not be nearly as comprehensive or polished as those available in Flash. Current adoption of the latest version of Flash resides somewhere near 98%, and HTML5 and the corresponding Open Web standards are still not fully developed or agreed upon much less adopted. While the latest browsers may incorporate these new Open Web standards there will be no way to update older browsers, leaving a large swath of web citizens unable to realize HTML5 developed content. There are numerous other pitfalls in Apple’s attempt to kill Flash, but just with this handful of items I think it is safe to say, Flash will be around and relevant for at least the next 5-10 years and probably much longer if Adobe is able to continue innovating on the Flash platform.
ADOBE’S NEEDED RESPONSE
Adobe works with Apple on numerous fronts, but they can’t be afraid to aggressively respond. Anyone that has been reading the tech blogs lately, knows Apple is not only damaging the Adobe/Flash brand but they are starting a very dangerous momentum towards the death or marginalization of Flash. Adobe must understand that in addition to their strategic business interests being at stake, the Flash developer community is relying on Adobe to secure the future of the Flash platform and dispel any negative publicity that we will eventual have to deal with.
Adobe has done a good job of optimizing Flash Player 10.1 where possible, but a strong marketing push is needed to repair the brand image of Flash. Adobe should respond strongly by touting the new release of Flash Player 10.1 as 4 times faster* than Flash Player 10.0, (* where OEMs have made hardware acceleration available). Adobe should talk regularly about why 1/3 of all web pages use Flash, and why 85% of award winning websites use Flash. Without a doubt Adobe should point out (by name) the most popular internet destinations that require Flash. If consumers begin to see Flash as “the platform” for great internet content, the lack of Flash support on the iPhone and iPad will suddenly be very relevant and Apple will have to relent. After all how can Apple claim, “The Ultimate Browsing Experience” if their mobile devices are unable to display large portions of the internet.
A FEW EXAMPLES (OF MAJOR WEBSITES THAT USE FLASH)
- Hulu, Funny Or Die, (well most video sites – too many to list here)
- Disney, Barbie, (well most kids sites – too many to list here)
- Addicting Games, Farmville, (well most games sites – too many to list here)
- Chevrolet, Ford, VW, (well most car companies – too many to list here)
- Avatar, Iron Man 2, Up, (well most movie sites – too many to list here)
- McDonalds, Burger King, AppleBees, Starbucks, (well most food companies – too many to list here)
- NBC, ABC, Comedy Central, (well most tv companies – too many to list here)
- Nike, Adidas, (well most sports companies – too many to list here)
- You get the idea…
Mark Doherty
/ March 17, 2010Great post Bill,
We’re working really hard on our parts of the puzzle and have shown that Flash is now ready for the next stages in it’s evolution across devices.
Right now we’re working with 170 content providers, enabling their websites for Flash Player 10.1 coming to devices in the next few months. I’m confident that Apple browsing experiences will soon be considered sub-par, but we need the wider community to do their part too.
Wear you’re blue lego with pride
Regards,
Mark Doherty
Adobe – Platform Evangelist
Bill Mackin
/ March 17, 2010Hi Mark,
It really sounds like Adobe is positioning itself well technologically. I love what I see with Flash CS5, Flash Catalyst & Flash Builder, making complex development easier and more efficient is something I am sure all Flash developers will appreciate. The new Flash Player 10.1 sounds like it has some great performance enhancements, and if the past is any indication, I’m sure it will be adopted very quickly.
I agree, I think Apple will be forced to relent at some point. It’s just ridiculous to call something the, “Ultimate Browsing Experience” and not have support for a technology that is used on over 1/3 of all websites, including some of the most compelling and engaging main stream websites on the internet. I am worried about the Flash brand image though. Apple is doing some serious damage to Flash’s brand image, and if we’re being honest, among certain circles it wasn’t that great to begin with. I hope Adobe will take some steps to address that. I know it would certainly help me as I meet with my clients.
I certainly believe in the benefits the Flash platform provides, and I appreciate you taking the time to leave your comments.
Bill Mackin
/ March 23, 2010Anyone interested in this topic should take a look at Lee Brimelow’s article (The iPad provides the ultimate browsing experience?) and overflow of comments.
http://theflashblog.com/?p=1703
Bill Mackin
/ March 23, 2010Dan Orlando makes some good points in his article (Adobe Burned Twice After Apple Shuns Flash One More Time). After reading a post of his in a linkedIn group, I decided to make a rather in-depth comment to his article.
http://danorlando.com/?p=472
Bill Mackin
/ March 23, 2010Joeflash has also written a great article (Why Flash is Not on The iPad) discussing this topic.
http://www.joeflash.ca/blog/2010/01/why-flash-is-not-on-the-ipad.html
Dan Orlando
/ March 23, 2010Great post Bill! I think you’ve earned yourself the title of unofficial community spokesperson on this topic
Well said my friend.
Cheers!
-Dan Orlando
uni
/ March 29, 2010As a flash developer for over 10 years, it scares me to think that Flash might one day die but if it does, I don’t believe Apple will be responsible.
Here is South Africa, Apple is not as big as it might be in the US for example, and I think many people (myself included) inspires to own an Apple something .. .but it’s just too expensive.
That said I agree about Adobe being lazy. Every 18 months Adobe releases something new and we all wait with baited breath and then exhale with dissapointment when the little issues aren’t fixed but you can now “do this cool thing!”. Another thing with these constant upgrades with Adobe, they become expensive and eventually some sort of open source alternative must start creeping into the market. My company has already point blank told me I’m not getting the next update since it was less than a year ago that they purchased CS4 for me.
Bill Mackin
/ March 29, 2010Evan Mullins has posted a cartoon with Steve Jobs, Superman, Spiderman and of course Flash. Check it out for a laugh.
http://blog.circlecube.com/2010/03/review/apple-and-flash-and-html5-flash-not-dead
Michael Bushe
/ March 29, 2010If Apple withheld the APIs from Adobe, that would be anticompetitive. If Adobe starts a suit now, it might be settled in the next 5 years, but the publicity itself would be worthwhile.
Bill Mackin
/ March 29, 2010Michael,
Unfortunately, from what I’ve heard, Apple withholds these APIs from all browser plug-ins universally, making it difficult for Adobe to claim anti-competitive behavior. But I agree a lawsuit would create some great publicity and put a lot of focus on the growing discontent over Apple’s strong arm tactics and fiercely closed systems.
Evan Mullins
/ March 30, 2010Bill, thanks for the link. I always love Foxtrot, I got a big kick that this debate has made it to the Sunday paper… the comics at least. =) Nice article here too! There are some good points here. I agree that Adobe needs to step up the defense! Can’t let any idiot going around and publicly calling the company lazy and not say ANYTHING about it.
I’d also add that I think that apple keeping their devices flash-free is a business decision more than a technology decision. I’m sure flash COULD run fine on it and even better if apple opened access to it’s hardware to Adobe, but they’d rather say that flash is bad than say we are greedy and want all your money though the app store. Let’s face it: if flash was on the iPad/od/hone app sales would dramatically decrease because many of the things these apps do flash will do for free in an open environment that supports an open web!
I’m excited for people to expect flash on their devices and consider any device that “can’t” support it inferior I mean if android CAN support flash, while apple CANNOT doesn’t that say something that maybe apple is the lazy one? Not trying to rant and mud-sling… just wanting to open some people’s eyes, but I’m guessing I’m preaching to the choir here. I’m also confident that apple’s “Ultimate Browsing Experience” will soon be considered sub-par and a joke compared to REAL “Ultimate Browsing Experiences”.
Mike Wilcox
/ April 3, 2010Great article Bill. I especially liked the list of things that Adobe has been lazy on. I’m currently building an AS3 video player, and the lack of debugging tools (compared to Firebug) is maddening. And unembedded fonts… is it mandatory that they look like crap? Why should I make the user download Arial!
Note you don’t point it out per se, but Netflix doesn’t use Flash – they use Silverlight, based on the deal that Microsoft cut with them. I also wonder about Apple pushing Quicktime… it makes a certain amount of sense, but they’ve embraced H.264, and stopped charging for QT. I think that was a temporary strategy to make them money pre-iPod, as they squandered their market share during the non-Jobs period.
I like your conclusion on how Adobe needs to fight back. Personally, I would like to see Apple make yet another meglo-corporation eat crow (like the phone companies as they responded to the iPhone and it’s service agreement – and now the iPad and it’s al’a cart service agreement); but strategically your solution is spot on.
Bill Mackin
/ May 7, 2010Did you know the Canvas element (animation & drawing technology) of HTML5 is a proprietary technology owned by Apple? Don’t believe me, (I didn’t when I heard it) I invite you to investigate for yourself. Seems like something Apple should disclose when it discusses its dislike for Flash.
Granted Apple is required to provide royalty-free licensing for the patent whenever the Canvas element becomes part of a future W3C recommendation created by the HTML working group, (which could be years away). But in technology, which is often a patent minefield, sometimes strategic positioning and control over standards is more valuable than royalty payments.
Understanding this, it is easy to see that Apple prefers HTML5 because it can easily predict, and exert significant influence over where it is headed, while Flash provides for them an unknown. But the question is, does that benefit outweigh the negatives of trying to kill an ubiquitous and well established technology. Apple is already making a lot of enemies, and with their move against Flash the list has just grown substantially. I’m not sure the benefits are truly worth it, but I’ve been wrong before (I think it was back in 1980 sometime
).
What does this mean for Adobe and Flash? Well it means they still have one last magic card to play if all else fails. They can submit Flash (or a subsection of it) as a standard to the W3c.
In any case, it is certainly an interesting factoid to keep in mind as the Apple vs Flash feud continues.
Bill Mackin
/ May 12, 2010Steve is right! Lets open things up! The web should be open and free for everyone!
Now, before all you millions of silly Flash apologists start telling me about all the wonderful things we will lose on the web and how moving to open standards will push us back 5 years, remember you can always buy that cool stuff from Apple’s Awesome AppStore®™©. If you want to do real time chat on the web and it won’t work anymore without Flash… don’t cry like a little baby, just use iChat or another app from Apple’s Awesome AppStore®™©. Concerned about efficient development processes and cross platform delivery? Don’t cry like a little baby, just learn a few more things or hire some more developers, lazy ass. If you are a small child and you like playing games online via Barbie or Disney… it’s time for you to grow and be like the big cool people, we’ve got plenty of apps for you at Apple’s $$ Awesome $$ AppStore®™©! The web is for blogs and old people, cool people use apps! Don’t be left behind with dying technology… and if you’re not sure what you want, Apple can help you decide with Apple’s Awesome AppStore®™© genius picks, “just for you”.
Apple = innovation and totally awesomeness
– if you don’t like it buy an app you lazy cry baby)
Internet = old and stodgy (because we made it that way