Filed under: Other Events, Internet, Internet Tools, iPhone
Steve Jobs dismisses Flash for iPhone
Back in early February, we reported that sources had given GearLive (of jiggly-icon fame) the nod about Flash coming to the iPhone 'very, very soon'. Unfortunately, anyone hoping to get Flash on their iPhone (or iPod touch) anytime soon is likely to be left waiting, as Steve Jobs yesterday pulled a broadside on Adobe Flash, saying it simply wasn't suited for the iPhone. Ouch. Of course, some folks are likely to be more than disappointed with this announcement (not least Adobe and perhaps GearLive). Others, myself included, are simply relieved that our iPhones will remain clear of Flash's clutches [call me bitter, but I've seen enough 'Unresponsive Script' errors for my liking]. Either way, with Flash now brushed aside by Steve-O, it's all-eyes on Apple's Campus Event tomorrow, which starts at 10am PST, as the veil of secrecy (hopefully) rises on Apple's plans for third-party applications.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Mystic said 4:39PM on 3-05-2008
I'm not disappointed at all. If I want/need flash I'll use a computer. And I've seen flash run on the at&t tilt, and it ran like crap! Flash just isn't made for mobile CPUs.
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brian said 10:35PM on 3-05-2008
The biggest reason to keep Flash off the iPhone isn't because Apple wants to push H264 for video--it's because 90% of Flash content out there WILL NOT WORK with the iPhone's UI. Outside of video players, what's the #1 use of Flash on the Web? Games. How do you quickly and accurately click on tiny controls? Or drag and drop? Press keys on the keyboard to steer or fire or whatever? Hell, how do you even SEE a whole Flash game at a usable size on a 320x480 screen? Pan-and-zoom won't work here.
Games aside, everything else will be much less than ideal. How do you mouse over something without clicking, like a nav menu? And finally, Flash will eat a lot of CPU, and that means worse battery life. THAT is why Flash will not be on the iPhone. (Or if it some crazy dev ports it, that's why it still won't be any good.) Personally, I absolutely do not miss having Flash on the iPhone.
rob said 9:25PM on 4-30-2008
according to this flash is coming in light of the new sdk.
i think flash should be optional in my opinion.
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9069639
Lars said 4:42PM on 3-05-2008
So, what about Adobe Air? I hear it's the best thing since sliced bread. "Not suited for the iPhone" sounds like a different way of saying the iPhone isn't up to it (either).
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Tom said 5:40PM on 3-05-2008
Mmm, I disagree. He was not interested in flash lite (like the PSP uses). Try loading major flash sites (like the later mentioned adult swim) on the PSP, and tell me how well that goes.
Why would he half ass it, only to piss off people that start saying "it may be flash, but it's the old flash and nothing supports it, so it's not good enough for me! waaaah!"
required said 5:44PM on 3-05-2008
Tom, flash on the PSP is pretty nice. Example: http://www.psponme.com/list_psp.asp?cat=Arcade
Kuy said 9:33PM on 3-05-2008
I love working on a product that generates so much controversy. It's almost like working at Apple, but cooler.
I'd like to see a sophisticated multimedia RIA (yes, it's about the RIA's, not the Flash ads) running on the iPhone.
Isn't Flash/AIR the perfect sandbox solution for 3rd party development on the iPhone? Besides, there are several orders of magnitude more ActionScript developers than there are Obj-C/Cocoa developers.
-Kuy
Brian said 5:00PM on 3-05-2008
You only have to watch the CPU usage climb when you leave a page open with flash (Radio Times I am talking about you) that I am not that bothered. The only thing I would miss is the video stuff that YouTube and others use.
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rich facial said 5:07PM on 3-05-2008
This is a mistake. Apple advertises the iPhone as "just the internet", not the "Watered down" version of the internet. But it is if you can't visit flash sites.
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Tom said 5:36PM on 3-05-2008
Yeah man, back when me and Tim Berners-Lee designed the web, I said "you know, if only there were some way to let people punch monkeys... digitally..." and then I started Macromedia. And we've been a part of "not the watered down internet" ever since.
atuck said 5:10PM on 3-05-2008
I dunno man, I want to watch adult swim on my phone.
I dont want to pay for it on iTunes. Eh, craparoo Stevie.
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Nick Burch said 5:13PM on 3-05-2008
This Sucks! As a web developer there are things that FLASH is perfect for. And yes I use AJAX, CSS, and other web standards as well. But in many cases FLASh is the right tool for the job. That is how look at web programming. It is like construction. Saying No FLASH is like saying you can use all of the tools but no Hammers. Just doesn't make sense.
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MoonMan said 5:34PM on 3-05-2008
This doesn't suck. What sucks is Adobe's Flash player, because all it is good for is serving bandwidth-hogging crappy ads. Just look at TUAW for a good example. Filled with irritating Flash ads that suck my bandwidth.
Something should be done to curb the amount of Flash being used in websites today, because 90% of Flash content is ads that I don't need or want to look at.
punkassjim said 8:10PM on 3-05-2008
No, saying no to Flash is more like saying "you can use all the tools, including the hammers and screwdrivers and pliers, but you can't touch that pipe-wrench over there."
I'm a Flash developer, and I'm glad the iPhone isn't gonna get Flash until it's worth a damn. Flash runs ok on Windows, but it's a serious cycle-suck on the Mac.
However, to everyone who complains about "unresponsive script" errors, you really need to point the finger at the half-assed developers. Memory management and smart coding go a long way. People who don't know how to use ActionScript shouldn't be allowed to. This isn't the stuff we're talking about when we say Flash is a pig.
Nick Burch said 8:44PM on 3-05-2008
punkassjim... You are dead on. FLASH when used effectively is a great tool and a great medium. The bandwidth issues are largely the responsibility of the programmers. (not entirely though ADOBE could di a better job here)
Just because there are millions of sites full of crappy clip art does not mean all Illustrators suck. Likewise there is some really bad FLASH out there but, in the hands of the right developer it can make for some of the most engaging multimedia experiences i have come across
Also what I don't understand is why throw the baby out with the bathwater? If you don't want to use FLASh it would be very easy to turn it off in the iPhone settings just like javascript.
Johnny said 5:18PM on 3-05-2008
I wish Apple would crush Adobe. I feel like they just don't care about their customers anymore (especially on the mac). They are worse than Apple about keeping secrets in some areas and their technical support documents are full of lies that eventually disappear when an upgrade is released that addresses the issue. Otherwise, they write great software for the most part and I'd be afraid Apple might over-simplify the creative suite if they ever went that route. Not that I really think that is a possibility. Just thinking out loud.
Anyway, back to Flash. It sucks. It's the worst thing ever made by Adobe. Oh wait... It wasn't made by Adobe. Flash has a nightmarish and unintuitive UI. The results can be pretty, but I cringe when people ask me to help them with Flash. And for video, it is clearly a drain on the processor, especially on the mac. My MacBook goes directly into hyper-speed fan mode as soon as it appears on my screen. I can't even imagine wanting to use it on the iPhone but it does seem like they could implement some very basic Flash support. Then again, limited support would really be worse, especially from Apple's standpoint, than no support.
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leon said 3:30AM on 3-06-2008
All these comments seem to follow the same tone - that Flash is only
good for annoying ads. Either all of the people writing the comments
are sheep and are just jumping on the bandwagon, or their experience
of Flash has been a negative one.
I am a Flash developer, and Flash is far more advanced than the
MySpace layouts and annoying ads that clutter the net.
I create rich learning experiences and interactions using Flash. It
offers the ability to create complex and immersive learning tools,
which would be difficult or impossible to create using AJAX or
javascript techniques.
The added advantage of being able to deploy online and to the desktop
with the same file also increases the desirability of Flash.
ActionScript 3.0 also brings the ability to create full blown
applications in Flash, with the possibility to actually create the
Flash API in ActionScript, so it will be a self hosted platform. This
all helps to merge the gap between desktop and the web.
Check out Adobe's Media Player here:
http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/mediaplayer/install/
for an example of how powerful Flash is
My opinion could be wrong to many people, but then again that it what
the comment section is for. I can't say anybody is wrong about Flash,
but in my opinion it is not as bad as everybody here seems to make
out.
Jeremy said 5:20PM on 3-05-2008
Excellent!
Disabling Flash in the browser is necessary these days to keep the web useful, and by doing so, you lose absolutely nothing of value. I am pleased to see it will not be infecting the iPhone/iPod browser anytime soon.
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Aron Trimble said 5:22PM on 3-05-2008
Just like people don't want to watch videos on their iPod? Apple isn't going to make a phone because the ROKR is in place? And iTunes isn't going to offer rentals...?
Sheesh - when will we learn to not believe anything Jobs says outside of a Keynote...
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Nick Burch said 5:22PM on 3-05-2008
It also think this might have to do with Apple seeing FLASh as a big competitor to QuickTime. Why else go through all the effort to get youtube to convert videos to both formats?
I agree that as of now Quicktime looks way better. But as people are getting more proficient with FLASH video encodes the quality is slowly increasing. As a video codec it is in its infancy and i think that is where Apple has a problem with it
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