• TV
  • MOVIES
  • MUSIC
  • SHOWBIZ
  • SOAPS
  • GAMING
  • TECH
  • FORUMS
  • Follow
    • Follow
    • facebook
    • twitter
    • google+
    • instagram
    • youtube
Hearst Corporation
  • TV
  • MOVIES
  • MUSIC
  • SHOWBIZ
  • SOAPS
  • GAMING
  • TECH
  • FORUMS
Forums
  • Register
  • Login
  • Forums
  • Gadgets
  • Mobile Phones
Why does Apple not support Flash for iPhone?
<<
<
1 of 2
>>
>
Steven L Hunter
07-11-2011
Why does Apple not support Flash? I don't get it? They have an app for Adobe Reader why not one for Flash? A lot of websites need this to use some parts of their website
Haruhion
07-11-2011
Effectively, "because you don't need it". Stubbornness really I'd guess. I'd suppose it's true that you don't "need" it, but surely it'd be nice to have the option.
Roush
07-11-2011
http://www.apple.com/hotnews/thoughts-on-flash/
Steven L Hunter
07-11-2011
Originally Posted by Roush:
“http://www.apple.com/hotnews/thoughts-on-flash/”

Fair enough response
alanwarwic
07-11-2011
Adobe Flash is an application interface and thus competes against APPS and adverts.

Apple make it quite plain that they ban products that compete with what they do.
chenks
07-11-2011
Flash is a big battery drain, so my thoughts are that is the primary reason.
Flash on OSX is a huge battery drain as well. It seems Adobe just can't get it right in that sense.

Besides HTML5 or WebM is the way forward, even YouTube are trialling HTML5 playback (and it's far better than Flash).
mmace
07-11-2011
Originally Posted by chenks:
“Besides HTML5 or WebM is the way forward, even YouTube are trialling HTML5 playback (and it's far better than Flash).”

html5 is the future, but these devices are now and the past.
Apple are supporting h.264 as their video codec of choice though in HTML5, another closed codec that people have to pay a licence for, just so happens some of that money goes to Applw.
Again WebM is the future, developed partly by Google, open and free to use, probably won't be seen on Apple devices

Don't forget, HTML5 isn't a standard yet and isn't expected to be for well over a year so to dismiss Flash for the past x years is stupid
Matt D
07-11-2011
Originally Posted by chenks:
“Besides HTML5 or WebM is the way forward, even YouTube are trialling HTML5 playback (and it's far better than Flash).”

Yup. YouTube Mobile has been using HTML5 for a while now, and it's far better than using the native app on the iPhone/iPad.

http://techcrunch.com/2010/07/07/you...-mobile-html5/
Thine Wonk
07-11-2011
Originally Posted by Steven L Hunter:
“Fair enough response”

From the man himself too, as it says at the bottom:

Steve Jobs
April, 2010
Roush
07-11-2011
Originally Posted by alanwarwic:
“Adobe Flash is an application interface and thus competes against APPS and adverts.

Apple make it quite plain that they ban products that compete with what they do.”

The usual spin, but it is a lot more than just that. Adobe's record when it comes to Flash is nothing short of disgraceful.

There have been 108 security vulnerabilities discovered in Flash Player this year alone.

http://www.securityfocus.com/cgi-bin...%20Player&CVE=

That's reason enough for it to be consigned to the scrap heap. The day browsers become capable of completely obsoleting Flash will be a good day for everyone.
psionic
08-11-2011
Originally Posted by Steven L Hunter:
“Why does Apple not support Flash? I don't get it? They have an app for Adobe Reader why not one for Flash? A lot of websites need this to use some parts of their website ”

Three reasons:
1. Battery life in the early models (before apps)
2. Security
3. They want a cut of all apps. Flash can circumvent that. They want everything to go through their own AppStore model and earn 30%.
stephen122333
08-11-2011
If you really want it try skyfire, web browser from the app store,
It works (at least for most of the web sites I have tried it on.
paul2307
08-11-2011
Because Steve Jobs didn't want you to have it , simple really
jonmorris
08-11-2011
I can't pretend Flash is great and doesn't slow things down, or drain the battery on my MacBook Air quicker than when it's disabled - but I am old enough to make my own decisions.

I can disable Flash, but it's nice to be able to enable it when I want/need to see something using Flash.
The Lord Lucan
08-11-2011
You have a choice... it's called Android.

I don't think Apple want their stores full of people complaining that the iPhone they installed Flash on is infected/crashing/not 'just working'

So there is a choice.. I like that Apple has not allowed Flash in iPhones and was a reason i purchased one. Steve saw Flash was dying much like CD's etc.. chose not to entertain it. There better options out there, safer, faster, more stable.. options.
Dark 1
08-11-2011
If Apple had simply allowed Flash onto iOS, there would have been far less incentive for web content providers to look for alternatives, and we'd be stuck with it indefinitely.

It's just a pity it hasn't been similarly banished from Android. That just prolongs the pain even longer.
Cubite
08-11-2011
Originally Posted by psionic:
“Three reasons:
1. Battery life in the early models (before apps)
2. Security
3. They want a cut of all apps. Flash can circumvent that. They want everything to go through their own AppStore model and earn 30%.”

Reason 4 - GREED!!
Stiggles
08-11-2011
Originally Posted by Roush:
“The usual spin, but it is a lot more than just that. Adobe's record when it comes to Flash is nothing short of disgraceful.

There have been 108 security vulnerabilities discovered in Flash Player this year alone.

http://www.securityfocus.com/cgi-bin...%20Player&CVE=

That's reason enough for it to be consigned to the scrap heap. The day browsers become capable of completely obsoleting Flash will be a good day for everyone.”

Actually, the usual spin is "the battery life is bad" which in itself is absolute nonsense.
jonmorris
08-11-2011
Flash can cause problems that, in turn, drains the battery. But not everything in Flash will do that.

Let people make their own decisions. If I have a battery powered smartphone and opt to run a game rendering kick-ass 3D graphics at 60fps and the battery dies in an hour, do we ban games? No, we use common sense and say that if you're doing certain things it will HEAVILY impact on the standby/talktime. From the release of the first mobile phone, we knew that the more you used it, the quicker the battery died - and the standby times advertised are for no usage at all (and a number of other factors, like distance to the base station, the network registration period etc).

Apple could easily point out the problems with Flash, and even shipped iOS devices with it disabled by default (like OS X not including Flash support until you download it yourself) - and then pushed its own alternatives, but simply barring it was rather childish. But Steve Jobs often was childish when he had a bee in his bonnet about something.
John_Elway
09-11-2011
Originally Posted by Cubite:
“Reason 4 - GREED!!”

The real answer, finally
Matt D
09-11-2011
Originally Posted by Dark 1:
“If Apple had simply allowed Flash onto iOS, there would have been far less incentive for web content providers to look for alternatives, and we'd be stuck with it indefinitely.

It's just a pity it hasn't been similarly banished from Android. That just prolongs the pain even longer.”


Indeed.

Sure, the main reason was probably money/control, not wanting apps & games to bypass the App Store, etc., but... I think the end result has been good overall. The lack of Flash on iOS devices has helped drive the decreased reliance on Flash by various sites and services. I think you're right that if Apple had allowed Flash, more sites would still use it, or not offer an alternative, and we'd be stuck with it for longer.

[Just look at the share iOS has of digital traffic in the US and the "EU5" (UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain). It's quite a large market to cater for...]

I don't need Flash on my iPhone/iPad... iPlayer works via the browser (iPad and iPhone) and an app (iPad); 4oD and ITV Player both have apps; YouTube works via the browser and an app; Freeview TV can be streamed via the browser (TVCatchup) or an app; Sky News, BBC News, and C4 News all have apps; etc. etc. etc. All that's really left are adverts (I don't want those), browser games (I don't play them), and Flash-based websites (ugh!). Flash can get stuffed.
linkinpark875
09-11-2011
Download the Puffin app and you get flash on the iPhone easy.
thedrewser
09-11-2011
http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-...obiles-1039691

Adobe announces it will no longer be supporting Flash for mobile devices. That seems to be the end of the debate then, doesn't it.
jonmorris
09-11-2011
Yes and no.

Firstly, they've got AIR which they're continuing to support - and there are already apps on Android using that (as well as other OSes). Video streaming via Flash was always poor, so nobody would miss that aspect.

Secondly, they'll continue to support the versions of Flash they've already released, including patches. That means every mobile will still support Flash as used today. My phone won't stop working with Flash.

We can all see that Flash may eventually die out, but at least we can still view that content until it does go, to be replaced by something better - whatever that may turn out to be.
clonmult
09-11-2011
Originally Posted by psionic:
“Three reasons:
1. Battery life in the early models (before apps)
2. Security
3. They want a cut of all apps. Flash can circumvent that. They want everything to go through their own AppStore model and earn 30%.”

3 is the primary driver, which ties in nicely with the previously mentioned number 4 - GREED (aka "control")
<<
<
1 of 2
>>
>
VIEW DESKTOP SITE TOP

JOIN US HERE

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Hearst Corporation

Hearst Corporation

DIGITAL SPY, PART OF THE HEARST UK ENTERTAINMENT NETWORK

© 2015 Hearst Magazines UK is the trading name of the National Magazine Company Ltd, 72 Broadwick Street, London, W1F 9EP. Registered in England 112955. All rights reserved.

  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Complaints
  • Site Map