It turns out the iPad just might have Flash after all in one form or another. The device was assuredly borking numerous Flash elements during its demo, but the iPad did render New York Times Flash content correctly.
Where does this leave us? Well, the conspiracy theorists will argue that given the NYT’s close relationship with Apple (they have been working together), perhaps some Flash will work, and some not. Why have an YouTube application if it will run in the browser? Not an unfair point.
Apple needs to come out and make it plain whether the iPad can handle Flash; and if not, will it ever. We should need to be speculating about this. Apple, act like a normal company and define your product.
Even more, we are all forgetting another very important Flash competitor: Silverlight. Silverlight is quickly becoming a mass market plugin, with now more than a 50% install base and a growing crop of premium content based on it. What is the chance that Apple will let the iPad handle Silverlight? Probably quite low, at least in the short term. Silverlight took 3 years to reach the iPhone, just in demo form.
So, even if Apple does allow Flash, which is not at all settled at the moment, it will still break important streaming content if Silverlight is not supported. Recall that Silverlight is a Microsoft product that is being pushed by the the full weight of the companies budget. It will become a full Flash competitor.
If Apple does ban Flash, as it has done in the past and is at least still partially doing on the iPad, and never supports Silverlight, it will not just fail to provide the “best browsing experience,” it will fail to provide a real browser. I don’t want to buy a brand new bike that has training wheels welded on to the back.
And this is one of the most intrinsic problems that I have with the iPad: it wants to use apps where a browser is sufficient. Chrome OS is moving in the opposite direction, and I feel that they are at least moving into the future. The iPad is a regression.
As the internet becomes even more integrated into the daily life of the average consumer, we hardly need to sell them a new device that breaks it.
Call me contoversial but over the last few years I have realised that I could not give a fig about flash. The only reason I can be bothered to install it these days is for video and will this be soon replaced with HTML5′s support of Video, even youTube is going HTML5.
Flash used to be a great way to create a rich web experience however technologies such as Ajax and adoption of modern browsers with CSS support has given developers the ability to create an even better user experience.
We are long tired of the fancy flash animated intro we now seem to want speed and simplity (Google / Twitter).
The same applies for Silverlight, if it was not for DRM video and Sky Sports I would not have even bothered to install the plugin.
Will the iPad support Flash, I’m not sure I care. I used to love flash programming it and using flash embedded websites, these days the only times I notice flash being used is either video or a crappy banner ad.
Flash is a veteran of the web and many years fine service it has given us however everything has a time and maybe flash has had its.
In your last paragraph, you have it as a choice of either native apps or browser + plug-ins; Flash / Silverlight. Yet, developers now have a third option: HTML5. Under game-theory, Apple's resistance to plug-ins might well promote the open web standard. That would surely be a positive outcome – unless you happen to be Adobe or Microsoft.
“it wants to use apps where a browser is sufficient.”
You can say exactly the same for the iPhone.
But then again, Apple does not want to be “sufficient”. They want a tightly controled user experience. And that is easier to do with apps.
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Simple don't use flash, silverlight or air, just use html/css/javascript!
Rob,
HTML/CSS/Javascript can't do the things Silverlight or Flash can! The age of rich internet applications is here. So, stop being ignorant!
Tom, i'm not being ignorant, people who overly use these plugins for things that you can also achieve using web standards, are ignorant. Just look at the great javascript frameworks, for example hav a look at http://www.extjs.com, what can be achieved just using html, css and javascript.
Browser base is better anyway.
Great article
I think the technology should make life better not worse. RIA is for better user experience now. So a product should think more for customers about how to support the user's need. It should not prevent user from such technology.
So by using Flash, Silverlight or air the user experience is automaticly better ? I've seen and see many websites/web applications who use these plugins and have a really bad user experience.
I didn't mean that. I just want the customers to have more choices on one product. I like apple's products. But if I choose the iPad, I lose the right to choose flash on it. Don't make too many decisions for users. They know what they need.
Fck k silverlight!!!
Fckk you