iPhone probably not getting Flashy
The lack of Flash on the iPhone is one of those omissions that lots of users point to when asked what their iPhone is missing. Steve Jobs acknowledged this during yesterday’s shareholder meeting, and made some comments about why Adobe’s technology isn’t on the iPhone (and, if you read into it, why it won’t be coming anytime soon):
As Jobs put it Tuesday during the company’s annual shareholder meeting, Apple’s iPhone, with all its cutting-edge mobile Internet trickery, needs something much better than the current Flash player that Adobe makes for cellphones. The Flash Player option that fits the bill is made for devices like laptops that are larger than the iPhone; as a consequence, it performs too slowly on the iPhone, he said.That’s typical Jobsian spin for you: Flash, you see, isn’t good enough for the iPhone. Not the other way around, no sir. The best part of the response is that, well, it kind of makes sense. Some might try to argue that the iPhone’s processor is underpowered if it can’t run Flash, but Apple’s focus on elegant design means that they consider all the ingredients. Given the way Flash performs on the Mac, I think adding the software to the iPhone would likely result in subpar performance and—especially—battery life for the phone. I know Daring Fireball’s John Gruber has written thoughtfully about both the political and technical ramifications of Flash on the iPhone and I think his analysis is on the money. I say no Flash anytime soon. Sorry, folks.“There’s this missing product in the middle,” Jobs said. “It just doesn’t exist. We enjoy a good relationship with Adobe.”
Later on during the meeting, Jobs added “the fact that mobile devices can play video at all is astounding.”
Category: Software
ABOUT iPHONE CENTRAL
Get the latest news, reviews, and opinion about Apple's groundbreaking iPhone from the Apple experts at Macworld.
Want more information? Be sure to check out our complete iPhone coverage.
iPHONE QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?
Send your iPhone thoughts:
via e-mail
via voicemail
and we may use them on the site.
BLOG ARCHIVE
- July 2008 (1)
- June 2008 (1)
- May 2008 (39)
- April 2008 (34)
- March 2008 (33)
- February 2008 (50)
- January 2008 (34)
- December 2007 (33)
- November 2007 (42)
- October 2007 (45)
- September 2007 (53)
- August 2007 (67)
- July 2007 (111)
- June 2007 (82)
CATEGORIES
- Accessories (39)
- AT&T (47)
- Hacking (31)
- Hardware (26)
- Musings (102)
- News (217)
- Reader Experiences (5)
- Reviews (51)
- Software (139)
- Tips & Troubleshooting (79)
- Videos (9)
- Wi-Fi (15)
Comments (6)
Steve says,"There’s this missing product in the middle." Then he would says something like, "Oh, one more thing." Lets wait until Friday and see if there is anything in the middle.
Posted by Rike | March 5, 2008 2:51 PM
OK, I read the article and I get the "No Flash" thing. But what doesn't make sense to me is YouTube... if I can watch Youtube videos on the iPhone, why the heck can't I view the same type of files from the iPhone's browser? That seems illogical.
Posted by Mike | March 5, 2008 5:00 PM
@Mike: That's because the You Tube application on the iPhone doesn't actually use Flash. YouTube struck a deal with Apple whereby they'd reencode their video library in H.264, a video codec that is supported by the iPhone.
Posted by Dan Moren![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://iphone.macworld.com/nav-commenters.gif)
|
March 5, 2008 5:17 PM
I don't miss Flash on the iPhone at all. I use the Camino browser on my Mac, which blocks Flash, and I love not seeing all the bloat and noise from ads. All Flash does is allow a website to take over your machine. There are more elegant ways to view video.
Posted by Tom | March 5, 2008 10:35 PM
Of course, Flash is a direct competitor of Quicktime. Ever find a Flash file on the Apple.com site?
The Steve Jobs approach.
Consumers are like cattle. I'll drive them where he believes they need to go. Don't worry... they'll go in the coral because I took away all the other food sources out there.
Posted by Robert | March 6, 2008 9:09 AM
I love the way that Jobs goes around saying that the iPhone is using cutting edge technology, way ahead of other high-end phones, and no-one bats an eyelid.
It's all hype. There are plenty of phones with higher-end technology at every level -for example the Nokia N95. These don't have the design ergonomics and appeal of the iPhone, I'll grant you that, but to say the iPhone is ahead in *technology* is pure wishful thinking on Jobs' part. And did I say hype? And the press and the public just lap it up! Amazing, amazing PR.
Posted by Aaron | March 26, 2008 10:13 PM