Adobe: Flash Apps Will Run On The iPad, Even Full Screen At Some Point
Posted by admin in Adobe CS5 News, Adobe Flash CS5, Adobe MobileJan 29th, 2010 | 30 responses
While Apple is being lamented here and there for not supporting Flash on its shiny new iPad boy does Cupertino have a strong dislike for the platform Adobe has already responded to the news on the official Flash Platform blog.
The blog post, unambiguously titled “Building iPad Applications with Flash”, is mostly just to remind people of the company’s Packager for iPhone product, which will enable developers to make Flash apps function on the iPhone/iPod Touch through a work-around whereby Flash apps can be easily converted into iPhone apps using Adobe Creative Suite 5 (Adobe CS5). Adobe also published a post on its Adobe Flash Platform blog addressing the apparent lack of Flash support in the iPad.
We’ve written before that this could turn 2010 into the year when approximately 2 million Flash developers could potentially start cooking up stuff for the iPhone en masse. You can now add the iPad to that, it seems.
The Adobe company notes:
We announced the Packager for iPhone at MAX 2009 which will allow Flash developers to create native iPhone applications and will be available in the upcoming version of Adobe Flash Pro CS5. This technology enables developers to create applications for the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad (though applications will not initially take direct advantage of iPad?s new screen resolution). It is our intent to make it possible for Flash developers to build applications that can take advantage of the increased screen size and resolution of the iPad.
For that latter part, Adobe points to this article by Christian Cantrell, Product Manager and Application Developer on the AIR team. The article goes in depth about how developers can build apps using Flash with authoring with multiple screen sizes and resolutions in mind.
Adobe’s definitely frustrated with the non-Flash policy at the Apple headquarters. Read ‘Apple’s iPad a broken link’.
You won’t be able to fire up, say, Hulu through your browser on the iPhone or iPad any time soon, but Adobe appears determined to show the world that Flash has its place on Apple’s products one way or the other.
And it’s also sending a message to Flash developers that they can and should stick to the platform rather than look at other ways to join the App Store goldrush.
Robin Wauters TechCrunch.com
30 Responses to “Adobe: Flash Apps Will Run On The iPad, Even Full Screen At Some Point”
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Well, even if this way you can convert Flash apps to run on the iPad this doesn’t solve the biggest deal: supporting flash player during web browsing.
Yeah, why not have an export setting for Flash so it can run in the web browser. Im wondering why there cant be some middle ground here. Come on Apple. stop with the BS. Flash needs iPhone/ iPad support!!!!
Why WOULD Apple want to send any of their IPads out to the Apple Stores for demo before they are released to sell? Because they won’t sell as many if the consumers know how much they suck beforehand! As for the “anti apple Shrils” (Gee.. I hope I misspelled that as accurately as “Gijoeinla”), we simply want something a bit more versatile, less restricted by Apple’s greed (App-Wise), and not so dumbed down that it appeals more to the masses that cannot even spell or use correct punctuation.
I’m particularly unhappy about the lack of multitasking ability. If it can’t multitask, what earthly use is it? (And it’s too big for an e-reader; I’ll stick with my Kindle.)
The problem is that Flash is incredibly buggy on the Mac OS, and Adobe has basically come out and said that they’re not going to fix it because the market share isn’t big enough to justify the additional development expense. I understand both sides. Apple prides itself on creating a high quality user experience for their customers. Flash on the Mac OS doesn’t live up to their standard of quality, so they’re not going to allow it until things improve. On the other hand, Adobe just doesn’t see the return on investment, so instead of spending the money to make Flash solid on the Mac OS, it’s creating less expensive workarounds like the CS5 export to iPhone app feature. It would be nice if Adobe would just spend the money to iron out the bugs, but they’re also a business. If it doesn’t make sense for the bottom line, it doesn’t make sense.
If apple continues with this anaI marketing strategy dejecting flash, one day, another phone company will start taking over: HTC.
I think the current human generation requires something that supports everything. The time where we stupidly goes for a niche gadget with limited function support is once again fading away as demand in all aspects of life is increasing exponentially everyday.
Yeah and maybe Flash will disable all text inputs while the app is running full screen, like it does in a browser. Boo.
@Elliot – exactly.
@fan – HTC is being pushed out of the marketplace as we speak. The current generation does need support for a plethora of things. However this does not outweigh the need for devices that freeze, need to be constantly reset etc. etc.
The reason Apple is doing the kind of business it does is due mostly not to supporting every format under the sun, but because the OS doesn’t fall to pieces at a moments notice.
All products up to this point in the computing category have been pushed to the masses but have required a lot of technical knowledge to get the most out of what you buy. Now imagine if computing platforms were so easy to use that you no longer had to hold hands with your grandparents/parents/child to help them through the learning process. Imagine the free time you would have!
@Elliot
“The problem is that Flash is incredibly buggy on the Mac OS”
This is what Apple say.
I used Flash on Mac since a long time and never had any bugs.
The google Nexus and the others smart phones will take advantage of this situation for sure.
Surely the main reason for not putting flash on the iPhone/Pad is that it would kill appstore (50% margin for Apple) overnight?
Or am I missing something!?
Its not just Flash, but any interpreter that is the problem.
According to the iphone license you cannot write an app that dynamically executes code.
Apple does not want people to bypass the app store, which would be possible if you could embed an app in web page.
It’s debatable about the bugginess of Flash under OS X. One thing is for certain though: Flash is very resource intensive on OS X. There is a very noticeable slowdown of the machine while any Flash games (i.e. all of the stupid Facebook games my wife plays) are opened in a browser (either Safari or Firefox). When these apps are closed, the system magically starts responding like it should.
Coincidence? Hardly.
is not the Flash who needs the support of Apple.
Flash is so buggy on Mac OS and I’ve had enough of it. I installed something to monitor CPU usage and Flash uses 90+% of the resource every single time.
If a web site has a flash opening and I do not see a “skip” button I leave the web site right away.
If a web site is built with Flash and does not offer a HTML version, I leave right away too.
So many people are using Flash for Flash’s sake and do not consider what the end-user need. When I visit a web site I just wanna grab the info I’m looking for and leave. And Flash makes that very difficult.
If I had to choose between Apple products and Flash, I would choose Apple any day.
People like Apple products because of their beautiful design and ease of use. If HTC (or anyone else for that matter) wanna catch up they have a VERY long way to go.
According to the swedish site rejoy bloggen Geohot has posted news of a new note-yet-titled jailbreak and he claims that his method will ‘probably’ work on the iPad too! Not good news for Apple, especially considering their latest development isn’t even released yet.
I have to agree with @shirley here. If i go to a web page that is flash only i will leave that page. I think flash is over hyped and once HTML 5 is fully supported and the set standard we may be able to finally see the end of flash sites online.
I don’t understand why developers feel the need to use proprietary software (Flash, Silverlight, etc…) to develop for the web. Obviously it is not necessary (look at YouTube reencoding a decent portion of it’s videos for those who choose not to use Flash). It’s another program tha users have to download, it IS a resource hog on OSX, and is easily replaced by using an open platform such as Java.
A web developer that really knows what they are doing can replicate Flash elements using web standards (such as Java) that does not require extra software. Also, in the next 5 years (worst case scenario, 10 years) we will see much more extensive support for the video tag in HTML 5.
Does Flash need Apple? Probably not, although Apple’s rejection of Flash programming has already started to make an ever-so-slight impact. However, with the advent of HTML 5 and the grass-roots Web Standards movement building steam, I do believe that Adobe, MS, and other producers of web media players have some serious competition. It will be interesting to see how this will impact the future of web media.
I can not beleave that we see flash on the iPad or the iPhone this year.
“If a web site has a flash opening and I do not see a ’skip’ button I leave the web site right away.”
“If a web site is built with Flash and does not offer a HTML version, I leave right away too.”
If html5 ever did take over Flash, these things wouldn’t go away, they would just be harder to skip.
The web is an open platform.
If Apple chooses not to include ubiquitous APIs such as Flash and Silverlight, the market will turn on them.
Imagine trying to sell iPads to a the average consumer after disclosing that it won’t run everything posted on the net. (say what?)
This is a throwback to the 90’s when Apple computers were perceived as being “less compatible” than their Windows counterparts. Very few games, and spotty or no support from software vendors.
In this case, it’s due to an overt decision by Apple; software venders and web developers WANT to support this platform!
GL with your mission Steve.
“If a web site is built with Flash and does not offer a HTML version, I leave right away too.”
Well Shirley, I must say that you are missing quite a big part of the web:))
You know, the website is not always to give the content only. Very often it is also to create an impression. And I think no one will try to argue that Flash has a big advantage in this field. And you know, today flash is not something that you can just ignore. If Apple considers Flash buggy, there is no problem in joining the forces with adobe to make it work as it should. There are many cases when Apple did this.
Otherwise it will gradially loose the power. Why should I buy a car that will drive only 75% of the roads? As soon as you hit a road of the remaining 25% this car suddenly becomes not-so easy-to use…
The only reason for Apple to reject Flash is the dynamic processing, which will allow flash applications to avoid AppStore. This is the only thing that Apple is afraid of and prefers to cover it by “buggy” flash…
Jason Mayer Studio wrote:
>> Flash needs iPhone/ iPad support!!!!
Maybe, but the iPhone / iPad doesn’t need Flash support!
It’s a really nice feature to be able to build iPhone Apps with Flash CS5. However, if the Flash Player is such levish with resources and battery life like Apple says, it’s a good decition to ban him from Mobile Safari!
So, Adobe should work on the Flash Player – if it’s a lightwave, fast plugin, which spares battery life, then I see no problem to include it into the mobile webkit.
=)
It only says it will support “Flash Built” apps. Think bigger! You wont need the lame proprietary add-on of a flash player but you’ll be able to use the app. How you ask? HTML5!!!!! Nice!!!! Can’t wait!
Apple just changed their T&C regarding apps, they can not be written by third party applications ie CS5. such a shame Adobe put so much resources into this. never again trust apple
Back to the old time of Microsoft and the DOJ breaking it apart.
But now its going to be Apple, and as Apple does not have HomeLandSecurity issues, apple could become the Computer, the Ipod and the phone companies.
That would be nice.
that was a slap to the face ! adobe move to android !
Adobe, if I might make a suggestion…
You have spent quite a good deal of time and development effort creating the Packager for iPhone and I am sure it works excellently. Apple’s restrictions however do not mean that you are “doomed” and have to get rid of this amazing feature. You are currently at the center of the media spotlight and have an amazing opportunity both to “get back” at apple and to bring about a much needed change in the idea of “open” technology.
I strongly encourage you to consider publishing your packager and encouraging developers to develop for jailbroken devices and sell their products on one of the two current “app-stores” (Rock and Cydia). Along with CS5’s iphone packager bundle in the latest jailbreak, or include a link in the documentation. This will bring TONS of media attention to the concept of jailbreaking and allowing your iphone to install whatever apps it wants, run on whatever carrier it wants, and be modified however you want it to the best of its ability.
I understand that Adobe may not want to take the legal risk of getting sued by apple (though under what charges I do not know), but if you all are serious about being a company against evil, and about providing a platform for developers to use on ANY software then I sincerely recommend that you consider this option for CS5.
First, let’s set the record straight: I own an IMac 27″, 3 PCs and work with a Mac Pro last generation. Due to my work (Video Editor) I’m used to work with many different setups and computers, as well as with Windows and MAC OSX. I’m surrounded by Apple “Fan-boys” and Windows “Fan-boys”. I always try to remain open minded and remember that trends come and go and at the end of the day you should use the tool that best suits your requirements; and in my experience, if you are lucky and can afford it, you should use a mix of them, because they tend to be inferior in some aspects and superior in others.
Sorry about this long intro, but I think we should try to approach these kind of debates with an open mind, not just trying to defend everything our favorite brand brings out. Back to the debate about Flash: I have to admit I just couldn’t believe such a device didn’t have Flash support, I mean, it’s like bringing out an e-reader that doesn’t read pdfs: you can argue about the quality of a format, how resource intensive it is and how badly programmed it is, but you cannot oversee the importance of Flash in the Web nowadays, the same way you cannot dismiss bluntly something that has greatly helped shaping what we call “Web 2.0″. And I’m not even saying that you should implement it without being worried about those flaws that Steve Jobs sees in Flash, but what about giving us the OPTION OF USING IT OR NOT. As easy as that, if you are concern about it as user, you just disable it. Job done, nobody complains. Surely enough that would be the best option, but obviously not the most profitable one for Apple.
So, at the end of the day the decision is only a business decision. My take about it, they will sell a lot of IPads and many end users will say it’s fantastic, others will be just angry when they realize they cannot watch some of their favorite pages. I think Apple should keep being what they used to be and stop going the old Microsoft Way (do what I say), or they will became MS.
Last thought, all of you who say Apple shouldn’t fix Flash flaws: remember we are talking about a device (IPad) whose main reason to exist is Web-browsing; I think you have to make it work with most of the web pages.
Alberto
Btw: HTML5? Well that’s a good one, I didn’t know it has taken over and is so widespread; I guess I was the only one who didn’t know…
Alberto –
Yup, you’re the only one
HTML 5 isn’t something thats being released all at once – browsers are gradually adapting portions of it with each version.
HTML 5 video has been stalled slightly by browsers supporting different codecs, but there are some fantastic javascript plugins which can help you with fallbacks.
Flash is an animation tool – its absolutely fantastic for that. If you want heavy animation, Flash is great. If you’re just looking for a sliding background, or some little animations, css + javscript is certainly the way to go.
how can i compile to Rock or Cydia on Flash CS5????