Do you agree Steve Jobs stance on Flash is like Henry Ford's stance on cars?

13 years ago

No - I think it's very different. I didn't like the locked-down ecosystem of the iPhone/iPad when it first sprung onto the scene, but having been a devout Android user for the past two years, I can see why he did it and I think he might have a damn good point. Yes - there are some video sites out there that I can view on my Android but can't on my iPad, and yes, some tools like Google Analytics will only work on my Android. But the majority of high quality video sites out there have already migrated to iPad compatible methods, and the number of times I've just wanted to visit a site on my Android just to have the whole phone slow down with a load of flash banners and crappy flash apps is amazing. Visiting those sites on my iPad - they load instantly.

The iPhone and iPad have been a success because they are great to use, responsive, well designed and well built. By adding Flash into the mix, Apple would have allowed developers to come in and ruin that experience.

Similarly with the iTunes app store vs Android app store.

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InternetSuccess001

13 years ago

Hi Carl,

Thing is, flash is not only used for video. It is also used for games, interactivity (i.e., 3d modeling), banners, and so forth.

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Victor 13 years ago

I don't agree with Steve's stance. I have been a huge fan of Apple owning an iPhone, Macbook, etc. Because of this particular stance, when it came time to get a tablet...I opted for an android based tablet. Reason being: specifically to be able to view flash content, including swfs.

iPhone App developers are making strides to "workaround" this handicap by building apps such as Skyfire. The problem with Skyfire is that it won't play SWFs (at least last time I checked).

Adobe worked really hard on a flash-to-native iphone app converter with Flash CS5, but Apple changed their App Store rules a few days before launch. The new rules pretty much disallowed "third-party converted" apps to be submitted to the Apple store. Obviously, this completely squashed Adobe's ability to help it's developer community enter the iPhone market and, in return, it took away the ability for regular people that could have played or viewed some of their favorite things (i.e. games) on the device.

Steve is pushing HTML5. I am not saying that I have a problem with this push, but why can't the devices play both Flash and HTML5? I have heard complaints that Apple is worried about Flash's Performance? Well, give people the choice to install it and uninstall it if they think it sucks!
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Floyd Fisher 13 years ago

Originally Posted by InternetSuccess001

Hi Carl,

Thing is, flash is not only used for video. It is also used for games, interactivity (i.e., 3d modeling), banners, and so forth.

If I had a dime for every time Flash crashed my browser, I'd be a millionaire.

That said, I do think he has a point. Adobe has issues with flash they need to address, and so far, they haven't. So why should Ipad users be exposed to that mess, when it's not necessary?
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seasoned

13 years ago

Well, the fact that flash can do so much may be another reason why he doesn't want it.

Apple has NEVER been like ford in ANY way!

1. Cost? NOPE! Usually the cost has been rather high.
2. Flexibility? NOPE! Tey hhave generally been flexible.
3. Color? NOPE! They have had several products in many colors. They may even be the first to do that.
4. Standard parts? NOT anymore, but before they used standard parts in non standard ways.

Steve

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Richard Green

13 years ago

Originally Posted by InternetSuccess001

Steve Jobs has an incredible opportunity with the iPad. He pretty much 'owns' the market at the moment. However, his stance on 'no flash for the iPad' is kind of like when Henry Ford said "Any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants so long as it is black". After that famous line, all sorts of competitors sprung up with different colored cars.

It seems Steve Jobs is making the same mistake that almost cost him his Apple company back in the 80's/90's when he decided that Apple/Macintosh would be a closed environment with only apps they developed.

Apple 'could' own the future market on pretty much all tablet related devices, but by saying 'no flash' is like saying 'I'll show HTML, but no pictures, because, well, I don't feel like it, and I want to promote 'apple images' that you have to pay for instead'. Do you agree that he is going to lose out bigtime because of this mistake?

The reason they don't display flash isn't because "they don't feel like it", it's because of the closed nature of adobe flash and other adobe products.

I do however feel it is a foolish decision as flash is a necessary program for browsing the web nowadays, and I feel they are giving an unnecessary advantage to android and other rival OS's that do support flash.

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Colin Palfrey

13 years ago

I see no advantage in deliberately creating a disadvantage.

They have left themselves open to any competitor that wants to stick "Supports Flash!" on the box.

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christopher jon

13 years ago

Hardcore apple users are going to continue buying apple products regardless, they are freaky like that.

Can the lack of flash hurt apple? Sure.

The iphone is small and not necessarily suited for web browsing so the lack of flash was an inconvenience.

The ipad is a different story. It's a fisher price baby computer. If people can't browse the web on an ipad the same as they would on a computer browser they are going to complain. In the case of the ipad, the lack of flash isn't a inconvenience, it's a major pain in the...

Android was able to cut into the iphone market so it's only a matter of time to see what HP and Dell can do in the tablet market. My guess, the ipad will continue to appeal to the facebook and what's cool crowd while the other tablets will appeal to power users.

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InternetSuccess001

13 years ago

It's funny you'd mention that (re: fisher price 'baby' computer). I just heard that recently the other day

Originally Posted by christopher jon

Hardcore apple users are going to continue buying apple products regardless, they are freaky like that.

Can the lack of flash hurt apple? Sure.

The iphone is small and not necessarily suited for web browsing so the lack of flash was an inconvenience.

The ipad is a different story. It's a fisher price baby computer. If people can't browse the web on an ipad the same as they would on a computer browser they are going to complain. In the case of the ipad, the lack of flash isn't a inconvenience, it's a major pain in the...

Android was able to cut into the iphone market so it's only a matter of time to see what HP and Dell can do in the tablet market. My guess, the ipad will continue to appeal to the facebook and what's cool crowd while the other tablets will appeal to power users.

Thanks

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JasonParker

13 years ago

Yeah Im on iPad right now and it's really annoying because it's so fun to watch videos on iPad and surf around.

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