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Adobe CEO the iPhone's lack of Flash: It's an Apple issue

Summary: Shantanu Narayen, CEO of Adobe, must be getting tired of these pesky Apple iPhone questions.On Adobe's fiscal first quarter earnings conference call, Narayen was asked about Flash on the iPhone---not to mention the iPad.

Larry Dignan

By for Between the Lines |

Shantanu Narayen, CEO of Adobe, must be getting tired of these pesky Apple iPhone questions.

On Adobe's fiscal first quarter earnings conference call, Narayen was asked about Flash on the iPhone---not to mention the iPad.

"We've been fairly transparent," said Narayen. "We're committed to bringing flash to any platform with a screen. This has nothing to do with technology. It's an apple issue and you'll have to check in with them."

Needless to say, the Apple-Adobe relationship remains on the rocks.

Topics: Hardware, Apple, Enterprise Software, iPhone, Mobility, Smartphones

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31 comments
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  • The only reason iPhone doesn't support

    The only reason iPhone doesn't support Flash is ....

    It would otherwise undercut Apple's App Store based business model.

    As simple as that.

    I just don't understand, why Adobe doesn't have the guts to say that in open.

    Adobe.. you can learn something from Google.
    Walk away from pesky platforms.

    A platform is always in need of good Apps.
    If Adobe backs off from Apple's platform.. it will be a big blow to Apple and not otherwise.
    aks78
    Reply Vote

    • A reason, but hardly the ONLY reason.

      Hell, it's not even the [i]main[/i] reason, which of course is that Flash is crappy software. It never ceases to amaze me that I can surf non-Flash sites for hours without a problem and then Flash pops up, literally, and crashes the browser.
      matthew_maurice
      Reply Vote

      • What never ceases to amaze me

        is these claims that seem to imply that as soon as flash is loaded in the browser it crashes. Flash can and does crash browsers, but often only on sites with overcrowding flash elements and badly written ones at that. I don't use flashblock but last time I have had my browser crash because of flash was playing some flash-based games on facebook.
        View from Here
        Reply Vote

        • Why should you be amazed?

          [i]Flash can and does crash browsers, but often only on sites with overcrowding flash elements and badly written ones at that.[/i]

          [b]Only[/b] on sites with overcrowding flash elements?

          What planet are you on? There are far more of those out there than you care to think.
          still not nice
          Reply Vote

          • Yeah, I should be amazed

            These many sites you're talking about, which ones are they? Or are you one of them "It happened to me once so it must happen every time" type? And before you get yappin' some more, consider that I'm questioning actually *crashing* the browser!
            View from Here
            Reply Vote

      • Can you imagine if Microsoft tried this?

        Picture if Microsoft said they were going to block an application from running on Windows because it was "crappy software." The consuming public would be outraged, and the EU would be apoplectic.

        I agree with aks78 - this is pure greed on Apple's part. If Flash is crappy software, why not leave it up to consumers to install it or not as they see fit? With zillions of iPhone apps available, you can't tell me that some of them aren't more troublesome than Flash, and IMO that conclusively proves aks78's point.
        1DaveN
        Reply Vote

    • Such a tiring argument, and so wrong

      The "undercut the App Store" argument is so tiring and so wrong. Is
      this the best excuse people can still come up with?

      First of all, the App Store allows free apps. Ok, so it costs $99/yr for
      a certificate to put apps on the store but really, who cares? Anyone
      that cries over the $99 is just whining to whine.

      Additionally, Apple is embracing HTML5. They are pushing it full
      steam.

      Thats 2 ways that you can run apps on the phone WITHOUT money
      going to apple (with exception of the yearly developer fee, which
      again, is nothing).

      There are plenty of free apps on the store that require some sort of
      outside "payment" (hardware, etc...) to work fully. Wouldn't that be
      undercutting the store?

      Your argument makes no sense. Sorry. Try again.

      Also, why must people insist that Adobe cut ties with Apple (or vice
      versa) over something as stupid, as trivial, as Flash? Its not even
      originally their product. So Apple won't allow flash on the
      iPhone/iPad.. Oh noes lets stop developing Photoshop, After Effects,
      Indesign (and the rest of the CS4 suites, among other software) for
      the Mac because Apple won't let flash on their mobile devices! That is
      a completely stupid and irrational idea. Get over it. Flash sucks.
      There's no need for it. Hell, Adobe is even taking ideas for iPad apps.
      Lightroom (of some sort) on the iPad would be amazing.

      If Adobe gets all upset that they spent a ton of money on a technology
      that might go away in the next decade, boohoo. I'm sure they'll
      survive.

      My web experience has been far better since I've installed Click2Flash.
      tk77
      Reply Vote

      • As trivial as Flash?

        Surely you mean as trivial as Apple's market share of the computing world?
        WinTard
        Reply Vote

        • Yes.

          I'm pretty sure that Adobe would place higher value in Photoshop,
          Illustrator and After Effects (amongst others) then Flash.

          Most of the flash content is probably even designed using a
          combination of those apps (and others).

          Unless your using Lynx or similar, you can block ads and flash, but
          you'll most likely still get a lot of images and logos that passed
          through Photoshop. If your watching any video from a large
          production company (even mid-range) whether it be via html5 tags,
          embedded quicktime or some other method (even flash) there's a
          good chance After Effects was used.

          Not to mention the use of their non-flash products in print, television
          and the big screen. Adobe is much, much more then just a lousy flash
          plugin.
          tk77
          Reply Vote

        • Revenue vs Profit

          33% profit share of market as per: http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?
          p=32172&tag=nl.e539

          Mindshare is even bigger. Which is why you're here.
          warren@...
          Reply Vote

      • just a bit much!

        nt
        andrej770
        Reply Vote

  • best to cut the cord now

    That's what Apple should do. Why depend on an internet
    technology that is proprietary, that has always put the Mac
    way behind Windows, that would hold Apple over a barrel
    forever. Only a fool would see it otherwise.
    keel
    Reply Vote

  • better off without flash

    Everyone is better off without flash.
    Flash has too many issues that aren't going to go away.
    Adobe can't even be bothered to make a 64 bit version which shows you their level of commitment to furthering development in the IT world.
    HTML 5 should be embraced and further developed.
    Apple is making the right decision.
    optyk
    Reply Vote

    • HTML5 will be embraced...

      And MS HTML 5 will not be compatible with Chrome HTML 5 or Firefox HTML 5 or Opera HTML 5... too much history. It would take a long time for HTML5 to take any footing, and by then HTML 6 (or 7) will finally be out...

      Most developers will not twiddle-fart with variants and a few dozen IF/THEN statements or whatever to differentiate Macroslop from Mozzarella and everyone else (to change the names of the not-always-innocent)...
      HypnoToad72
      Reply Vote

      • Apparently IE9 that you conveniently omitted already does

        HTML5 & CSS3 and Flash and Silverlight...

        Funny eh?
        WinTard
        Reply Vote

    • Finally!!

      I agree with you 100%, flash is buggy and it is a security risk. Which even Adobe has admitted. I have a Droid and we don't have flash either, and quite frankly I'm ok with that!!
      jakenhauser23
      Reply Vote

  • I doubt it. Apple makes operating systems.

    Now, if they bought Adobe, then they would have to fix Flash...

    Nice way to pass the buck. For a while I thought I was reading a government official... :rolleyes:
    HypnoToad72
    Reply Vote

    • Misread article, sorry:

      Adobe is saying it's up to Apple to put in a Flash player for iPhone OS. That's certainly true.

      Apple whines that Flash is buggy (the development software, on OS X but it's not so hot on Windows either, but I digress - the playback module is fairly stable...)
      HypnoToad72
      Reply Vote

  • I agree: Flash is trash....but...

    I'd rather see flash continue to dominate in the world of Internet video streaming than have the proprietary codec, H.264, become the standard video codec of the web. I, like many others, look forward to HTML5 embedded video, but now that I've taken a good look at what's really transpiring, it's becoming clear to me that HTML5 is going to be used as a tool by certain major corporations (eg. Apple, Microsoft) to replace one proprietary tool with their own under the guise of standards.

    There's nothing open about H.264. It's patented technology that requires costly patent royalty fees be paid for its use. These are the licensors of the technology who stand to benefit from its widespread adoption -

    http://www.mpegla.com/main/programs/AVC/Pages/Licensors.aspx

    The reasons for my mistrust of H.264 are summed up nicely on a blog by Mike Shaver from Mozilla.

    http://www.osnews.com/story/22787/Mozilla_Explains_Why_it_Doesn_t_License_h264
    eMJayy
    Reply Vote

    • Uhmm....

      You do realize, I hope, that Flash is just the player for the video.
      Many (ok, not all, but many) of the videos that stream through flash
      are encoded in h.264. Just because its playing through flash doesn't
      mean they aren't.

      Again before people flame, I said many. I know flash supports a
      number of codecs. The fact is, h.264 is a superior codec in terms of
      overall quality (which is why its chosen more often).

      Anyway, the free-streaming license was renewed until the end of
      2015 (http://news.cnet.com/8301-30685_3-20000040-264.html).
      Most likely it will either be renewed again or just made permanently
      free (to stream at least).
      tk77
      Reply Vote
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