What's this whole battle with Apple and Adobe about?
If you've jumped on the whole iPhone/iPad bandwagon you might have heard complaints from critics and the community in regards to Apple's lack of support for Flash. For the non-technology saavy common questions are "What does this mean?" And "Does it affect me?"
To answer, we'll first have to explain what Flash is.
Flash is a component created by Adobe that adds multimedia, video, animation and interactivity to websites. Likely you've seen flash everywhere on the web without really knowing it. This website, for example, hosts a multitude of flash widgets, banners, games and applications. The twitter widget on the right side of this page is a Flash application as well!
Why do developers use Flash?
To date, this is the best and most compact method to include multimedia into a website. If it weren't for Flash, it would take us hours to browse multimedia heavy websites like YouTube.
But I can view YouTube on my iPhone/iPad!
The YouTube app is Apple's one concession to the world of Flash. Most would agree YouTube is staple.
So why not other Flash?
With Flash being so widely spread, you might wonder why Apple chose its rather harsh stance to not support it. The answer seems to encompass a complicated history of butting heads between the two large corporations. What is apparent though is that Flash is going to be around for quite some time as many websites include or are completely developed in this programming language.
How does this affect me?
Depending on your savvy this may affect you a little or a lot. We've started to see a trend in companies who want to appeal to mobile users developing a smaller featured iPhone/iPad version of their site. But this still means those users are losing out on the full experience. What would be preferable for companies and consumers alike is if these two companies could work together to provide a more universal product. But for those who have gotta have the newest and greatest in technology, check out these 10 iPad alternatives sporting either Google's Android operating system or Microsoft's Windows operating system that provide a slightly more customizable experience that plays nicely with Flash.
http://technology.canoe.ca/Microgalleries/ipad_alternatives/home.html?&pic=0
What do you think of the iPad?
This is a tough subject as people we've encountered seem to feel strongly one way or another. As web developers we're having a hard time letting go of Flash. And perhaps I'm still sour from my experience buying the iPod Mini only to have the iPod Nano come out one week later. What do you think? Tell us your thoughts!
To answer, we'll first have to explain what Flash is.
Flash is a component created by Adobe that adds multimedia, video, animation and interactivity to websites. Likely you've seen flash everywhere on the web without really knowing it. This website, for example, hosts a multitude of flash widgets, banners, games and applications. The twitter widget on the right side of this page is a Flash application as well!
Why do developers use Flash?
To date, this is the best and most compact method to include multimedia into a website. If it weren't for Flash, it would take us hours to browse multimedia heavy websites like YouTube.
But I can view YouTube on my iPhone/iPad!
The YouTube app is Apple's one concession to the world of Flash. Most would agree YouTube is staple.
So why not other Flash?
With Flash being so widely spread, you might wonder why Apple chose its rather harsh stance to not support it. The answer seems to encompass a complicated history of butting heads between the two large corporations. What is apparent though is that Flash is going to be around for quite some time as many websites include or are completely developed in this programming language.
How does this affect me?
Depending on your savvy this may affect you a little or a lot. We've started to see a trend in companies who want to appeal to mobile users developing a smaller featured iPhone/iPad version of their site. But this still means those users are losing out on the full experience. What would be preferable for companies and consumers alike is if these two companies could work together to provide a more universal product. But for those who have gotta have the newest and greatest in technology, check out these 10 iPad alternatives sporting either Google's Android operating system or Microsoft's Windows operating system that provide a slightly more customizable experience that plays nicely with Flash.
http://technology.canoe.ca/Microgalleries/ipad_alternatives/home.html?&pic=0
What do you think of the iPad?
This is a tough subject as people we've encountered seem to feel strongly one way or another. As web developers we're having a hard time letting go of Flash. And perhaps I'm still sour from my experience buying the iPod Mini only to have the iPod Nano come out one week later. What do you think? Tell us your thoughts!
