| In the past year or so, Adobe, who has been | | | | Google to the rescue? |
| dominating RIA (rich internet applications) since the mid | | | | Obviously, Adobe would like Flash to run in mobile |
| 1990's, has suddenly found itself in a war with two | | | | devices because it creates more opportunities for |
| fronts. While pleading with Apple to allow Flash to run | | | | developers to create Flash applications, and therefore |
| on the iPhone since its introduction in June of 2007, | | | | add to Adobe's revenue stream. Although Apple is |
| Google comes to the rescue with the Nexus One, | | | | refusing to support Flash, Google is saving the day by |
| which will be the first smart phone to support Flash. | | | | supporting Flash 10.1 on the Nexus One phone, |
| Ironically though, Google's HTML5 might be the end of | | | | Google's new smart phone. This is huge, because if |
| Flash as we know it. Will Apple ever allow Flash to run | | | | the Nexus One takes a large portion of the smart |
| on the iPhone, and now the iPad? Will Google be the | | | | phone market (which it will), and it supports Flash 10.1, |
| new king of RIA (both desktop and mobile) in the near | | | | Apple will be forced to support Flash in order to |
| future? What's going to happen to Adobe Flash? | | | | compete with the Nexus One. When this happens, I'm |
| Will Apple ever allow Flash to run on the iPhone, and | | | | sure that Steve Jobs will conveniently comment "Now |
| now the iPad? | | | | that Flash 10.1 is very much improved, we now feel |
| Don't let Steve Jobs fool you. According to wired.com, | | | | that it is appropriate to support Flash with all of our |
| Steve Jobs stated that "Apple does not support Flash | | | | Apple products." |
| because it is so buggy." Although it is true that Flash | | | | Adobe's ally will soon become its ultimate enemy |
| can be a little buggy sometimes, the reality is that | | | | Once the Nexus One has firmly taken a significant |
| Apple would never want to support Flash unless it | | | | portion of the smart phone market and Apple begins |
| was forced to. Why you ask? If the iPhone supported | | | | to support Flash, this is about the same time that |
| Flash, 3rd party companies could create their own | | | | Google's HTML5 will begin to rise. This is really bad |
| "iTunes" stores that sold Flash applications which would | | | | news for Adobe, because HTML5 is basically HTML |
| create a huge dent in Apple's app store revenue | | | | with Flash capabilities built right into the new HTML |
| stream. As long as they don't support Flash, Apple has | | | | tags, including a new video tag. Although a lot of |
| a monopoly over every application sold for the iPhone. | | | | people will tell you that HTML5 will completely eliminate |
| And naturally, Apple won't admit to this because it | | | | the need for Flash, I think that the two technologies will |
| would basically be like saying "yes, we are a large | | | | coexist competitively much like Java and C# coexist |
| corporation that ultimately values profit over user | | | | today. |
| experience". | | | | Good luck Adobe, you have a long road ahead of you! |