A long-standing relationship between Apple and Adobe. Adobe is also the founder of the garage that now has become a legend in the work, we already know. Apple is their first big customer, their Postscript Language replaced our new Laserwriter printer was used. In many years, one of the shareholders of Apple are Adobe, with its 20% stake. The two companies work together to create the desktop publishing industry, many of these happy moments, but that part of the golden age is over, we parted ways. Apple went through the process of dying, Adobe Acrobat products by virtue of their access to the enterprise market. Today, the two companies still work together for the creative industries in customer service – Adobe’s Creative Suite software customers, there is about half of Apple users. In addition, we almost have no other common interest.
I would like to point hastily write about my views on Adobe Flash technology to facilitate the customers and the critics a better understanding of why we in the iPhone, iPad and iPad on blocking it. Adobe has said that our main application to store product protection program, the starting point also for business reasons, but in fact it is because of technical reasons. Adobe claims that we are a closed system, but Flash is open, but actually the opposite. Let me explain what.
The first is "open."
Adobe Flash technology is 100% proprietary, exclusive of these patents as Adobe, but Adobe also its future development, and prices have absolute control. Despite the wide range of popular Adobe Flash technology, this does not mean that it is open, because it completely Adobe control exists only for the Adobe. No matter from which point of view, Flash technology is a closed system.
Of course, Apple also has a number of patented products. While the iPhone system, iPod and iPad is a patent, it We still believe: that all network-related standards should be open. So Apple chose to abandon Flash HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript and other open standards. Apple’s mobile devices using these standards have a high-performance, low power consumption characteristics. HTML5 standards in this new network has been Apple, Google and other companies to adopt, it allows developers to develop better graphics, printing and animation, does not require third-party browser plug-ins (eg Flash) can be converted. HTML5 is fully open, take care of it by a standards committee, of course, Apple is also a member.
Apple even develop open standards for the network. For example, Apple’s open source project from a start to build the WebKit, which is a completely open source HTML5 rendering engine, it is also the core of Safari browser, the browser used in all of our products. WebKit has been widely accepted. Google it for the Android browser, Palm also use it, Nokia is using it, RIM also recently announced plans to use it. In addition to Microsoft, almost all of the smart phone browsers use it. In order to make technology more open WebKit, Apple has it as a mobile browser standards.
Secondly, the "entire network."
Adobe keep saying can not connect the Apple device, "the network" because 75% of Internet video using Flash. They did not mention the point is that almost all of the videos have a different format – H .264, iPhone, iPod and iPad support this format. Youtube has an estimated 40% of the online video, Apple’s mobile devices are tied with the application of the iPad is to provide the best browsing experience. In addition to Youtube, such as Vimeo, Netflix, Facebook, ABC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, ESPN, NPR, "Time", "New York Times," "The Wall Street Journal," "Sports Illustrated," "People," " National Geographic, "many, many other companies can support, iPhone, iPod and iPad user does not have much loss of video.
Another reason Adobe is Apple’s device can not play Flash games. This may be true. More fortunate is that in Apple’s application store has 50 000 games and entertainment applications, many of them still free. iPhone, iPod and iPad will be more and more of the game, far from being comparable to other platforms.
Third, on the reliability, security and performance.
Symantec recently pointed out, Flash in 2009, the most innovative safety record. We also have first-hand information, display Flash is one of the reasons leading to crashes Mac. We have cooperation with Adobe, to try to resolve this problem, but they still persist unchanged for years. We did not want for Flash, reduce the iPhone, iPods and iPads reliability and security.
In addition, Flash on mobile devices is not well run. By convention, we have been asking the past few years Adobe Flash can run well on mobile devices – any mobile device. Progress but still nothing. Adobe has said publicly, Flash support for all the early 2009 launch of the smart phone, and then the second half of 2009, mobile phone, and then the first half of 2010 mobile phone, and now they have to say that the second half of 2010. I think they will eventually introduce new products, can be glad that we do not have patience to wait. Who knows how it will perform it?
Fourth, life time
In the video, in order to extend battery life, mobile devices must decode in hardware, software decoding if the electricity will cost more. Now mobile devices including a decoder, called H.264, which is an industry standard for all Blu-ray DVD player, this standard is Apple, Google, Vimeo, Netflix, and many other companies to accept.
Although Flash has also recently included in the H.264 support ranks, but now almost all Flash website requires the older generation decoder, it can not run in the mobile chip, so I had to resort to software. Difference is amazing: for example, H.264 video on the iPhone can play 10 hours, but can only play with software decoding less than five hours.
When the web page and then use the H.264 video coding, it can not use Flash technology. And they can run well on Apple’s Safari, Google Chrome browser, without plug-ins entirely, in the iPhone, iPod and iPad on effectiveness.
Fifth, with the touch screen.
Flash is designed for the computer and the mouse, rather than the finger-controlled touch screen. For example, many of the Flash pages have a "flip" feature, when the mouse over the above will bring up a menu or other element. Apple’s revolutionary multi-touch interface does not use the mouse, there is no "flip" the concept. Many of the Flash pages in order to support the touch devices need to write. If the developers need to rewrite the page, why not use more advanced technology HTML5, CSS or JavaScript?
Even if the iPhones, iPods and iPads able to run Flash, can not resolve this problem, most of the Flash site to support the touch device, or to rewrite the code.
Sixth, and most important point.
Flash aside the closure of arbitrary, technical shortcomings and do not clearly support both touch equipment, there is an important reason that we do not support it. We have discussed the site uses Flash video and interactive content of the downward trend, however, still required the developer to accept Adobe Flash, development and application in our device.
We know injury experience, so that third-party interference is between the platform and developers will eventually create a low-standard applications, it will hinder the platform’s expansion and progress. If the developers increasingly rely on third-party development libraries and tools, then select only the third new feature, developers can enjoy the platform superiority. We can not allow third-party domination, not third-party developers to develop for what, what can be developed.
Worse, once the third party to provide a cross-platform development tool, they may not increase as a single platform tool, unless the tool can adapt to all platforms. In this way, developers can only develop after the minimum standards of application. Reiterate that the detention of developers, so they can not use our innovative and enhanced products, which we can not accept the results, because they do not go to the competitor’s platform.
Flash is a cross-platform development tools. To develop for the iPhone, iPod and iPad developed the best application, this is not Adobe’s goal. Let them cross-platform development is the goal, but also Adobe applications to increase Apple’s platform is very slow. For example, although Mac OS X has launched nearly 10 years, Adobe fully accepted until two weeks ago before the introduction of the CS5. Adobe is the last fully accepted the Mac OS X third-party developers.
Our motivation is simple: we want to provide developers with the most advanced and innovative platform, we hope that they directly stand on the shoulders of Apple’s platform, to create the world’s best application. We hope to continue to enhance the platform for developers to create Gengrang exciting, more powerful, more interesting, more useful applications. To win-win situation, we sell more equipment, because we have the best applications, developers increasingly have a wider user base, users can choose more fun, also a wider choice of surface.
In short, Flash applies to PC era, exists for the PC and the mouse. For Adobe Flash is successfully run the business, we understand why it hopes to surpass PC. However, low-power mobile devices about, touch interface and the development of network standards, these are short-board Flash.
Media avalanche, lies in their content to Apple mobile devices, which prove that Flash is no longer the must-watch video, but also many other sites of non-essential. Apple’s application store 200 000 applications have tens of thousands of developers that Flash is not a necessity, without which it can also create a better, richer applications, including games.
The new era of development of mobile standards, such as HTML5, will win on mobile devices (computers will be the same). Perhaps Adobe should concentrate on building for the future HTML5 tool, not a criticism of Apple giving up all day thing.
Steve Jobs
April 2010
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