Adobe's response to Steve Jobs' take on the Flash platform has been two-fold.
Company CEO Shantanu Narayen has given a frank interview explaining the company's position to the Wall Street Journal, while the firm has also published a short, open letter of its own on its website.
The general consensus from both is Apple's refusal to allow Flash on its platforms has very little to do with concerns regarding the technology, but instead is motivated by Jobs' own agenda.
"The technology aspects of this article are really a smokescreen," Narayen told the WSJ.
"We demonstrated through Adobe tools you can actually build content and applications and over 100 applications were accepted on the store. When you resort to licensing language, it clearly has nothing to do with technology."
Dishing out the blame
Narayen also rebuffed Jobs' claims that Flash is the number one reason Macs crash, claiming if there's truth in the allegation, the operating system is just as liable for any breakdowns as Adobe.
Adobe is naturally keen that consumers aren't bullied into subscribing to Jobs' view that Flash is a system designed for archaic architecture.
Instead, it's Adobe's view that Apple is simply being uncooperative and ignoring customer demand for Flash on iPhone, marking off Apple's recent decision to change its licensing agreement almost as an act of provocation.
"Given the legal terms Apple has imposed on developers, we have already decided to shift our focus away from Apple devices for both Flash Player and AIR," the company says in its open letter.
"We are working to bring Flash Player and AIR to all the other major participants in the mobile ecosystem, including Google, RIM, Palm (soon to be HP), Microsoft, Nokia and others."
Strength in numbers
The letter continues, "We look forward to delivering Flash Player 10.1 for Android smartphones as a public preview at Google I/O in May, and then a general release in June.
"From that point on, an ever increasing number and variety of powerful, Flash-enabled devices will be arriving which we hope will provide a great landscape of choice."
By mentioning the platforms Flash does work on, Adobe is both pointing consumers to the support it has within the wider mobile community, and having a dig at Apple.
Of course, the wider debate is just how much control a platform holder should exercise over what tools and software users and developers have access to.
The fact remains that Flash is the most popular web plug-in for rich media, and Apple won't allow it on their devices. And neither two will change in the short term.
[sources: Wall Street Journal, Adobe]
News
With a fine eye for detail, Keith Andrew is fuelled by strong coffee, Kylie Minogue and the shapely curve of a san serif font.
Top Stories
News
8 hours, 58 minutes ago
Cécile Russeil takes the helm at Ubisoft as EVP of comms, DEI, HR, and legal
Feature
10 hours, 15 minutes ago
"Gaming in MENA is just starting. Investment will bring more attention to the region and create more opportunities"
Feature
Apr 24th, 2024
48 top mobile games in soft launch: Squad Busters, CSR 3, Plants vs. Zombies 3, LEGO Hill Climb Adventures, and more
Events
App Promotion Summit London | Europe | Apr 25th |
Esports Future Summit | Middle East | Apr 27th |
Dubai GameExpo Summit 2024 | Middle East | May 1st |
The MENA Games Industry Awards 2024 | Middle East | May 2nd |
GameDev Atlantic 2024 | May 4th | |
Mobidictum Meetup Berlin May 2024 | Europe | May 7th |
Mobidictum Meetup Tallinn May 2024 | Europe | May 21st |
Israel Mobile Summit 2024 | Middle East | Jun 6th |
Popular Stories
News
Apr 23rd, 2024
Supercell’s Squad Busters soft launches today with over 100,000 Google Play downloads
Feature
Apr 24th, 2024