Apple CEO Steve Jobs on Thursday said 200,000 applications are available in his company's mobile app store - and they all benefit because they're not built in Flash.
In a post on Apple's website, Jobs listed reasons none of those apps support Flash, a format that supports video, animation, games and other content and is made by tech competitor Adobe.
Some tech bloggers have criticized Apple for not supporting Flash on its mobile devices, including the iPad, iPhone and iPod. But Jobs said Adobe Flash is a format for the past.
Performance, not business strategy, guides Apple's decision not to use the format, he said.
"Flash was created during the PC era – for PCs and mice," he wrote in the post. "Flash is a successful business for Adobe, and we can understand why they want to push it beyond PCs. But the mobile era is about low power devices, touch interfaces and open web standards – all areas where Flash falls short."
Adobe has complained its business "could be harmed" by Apple's decision not to use the format.
Jobs listed several specific reasons Apple doesn't use Flash. Some of the more interesting ones:
_ "iPhone, iPod and iPad users aren’t missing much video," he wrote.
_Apple products run more reliably without Flash: "Flash is the number one reason Macs crash."
_Flash isn't made for touch-screen devices: "... Many Flash websites rely on 'rollovers,' which pop up menus or other elements when the mouse arrow hovers over a specific spot." Apple's touch screens don't use rollovers.
_And, most important, Jobs said, is that Flash slows down app development: " We cannot be at the mercy of a third party deciding if and when they will make our enhancements available to our developers."
What do you think? Is Jobs right, or should Apple support Flash on its devices?
Link
I agree with Jobs.
In a post on Apple's website, Jobs listed reasons none of those apps support Flash, a format that supports video, animation, games and other content and is made by tech competitor Adobe.
Some tech bloggers have criticized Apple for not supporting Flash on its mobile devices, including the iPad, iPhone and iPod. But Jobs said Adobe Flash is a format for the past.
Performance, not business strategy, guides Apple's decision not to use the format, he said.
"Flash was created during the PC era – for PCs and mice," he wrote in the post. "Flash is a successful business for Adobe, and we can understand why they want to push it beyond PCs. But the mobile era is about low power devices, touch interfaces and open web standards – all areas where Flash falls short."
Adobe has complained its business "could be harmed" by Apple's decision not to use the format.
Jobs listed several specific reasons Apple doesn't use Flash. Some of the more interesting ones:
_ "iPhone, iPod and iPad users aren’t missing much video," he wrote.
_Apple products run more reliably without Flash: "Flash is the number one reason Macs crash."
_Flash isn't made for touch-screen devices: "... Many Flash websites rely on 'rollovers,' which pop up menus or other elements when the mouse arrow hovers over a specific spot." Apple's touch screens don't use rollovers.
_And, most important, Jobs said, is that Flash slows down app development: " We cannot be at the mercy of a third party deciding if and when they will make our enhancements available to our developers."
What do you think? Is Jobs right, or should Apple support Flash on its devices?
Link
I agree with Jobs.
