Apple vs. Abode and the Future of Flash

Traskconsultancy™ has been a large fan and developer of Flash since the early days of Flash and the Internet (1996). It is a tool unlike any other at providing highly branded dynamic content. Flash has continued to evolve and is currently supported by 99.3% of all Internet users. Although the platform has never been better, used by the majority of top sites and Fortune 500 companies, it's relevance has never been as unclear.

The uncertainty, in a word: Apple®

Apple® Corporations dominance in mobile computing and its refusal to support Flash on its mobile products has created a dilemma for the Flash platform. Admittedly, Flash may be a more rich media experience then many mobile devices, with small processors and a critical focus on battery life, can support. And, it is not an Open standard. Apple's two primary justifications for omitting support. Although both are true, neither has much to do with the Apple® decision.

Flash is a self contained programming environment, Flash application can run independently across platform (Mac, Win, Linux) even without being embedded in a browser. Traskconsultancy™ feels this is the reason that Apple® has banished Flash from it's iPhone and iPad devices. With Flash enabled many of the unprecedented profit and control leverage listed below would be negated. Developers could create Flash Apps and circumvent Apple® fees and control..

• Large fee from telecoms and network provides ATT which provide Internet access
• 30% fee for all applications sold as well as full discretion of which applications can be offered.
• 30% on media subscriptions (recurring)
• 40% fee on advertising sold through its new iAd division. Advertising at the operating system level, integrated with GPS and full usage and demographic information, this has the potential the make Google and Facebooks ad models seem lemon aid stand like

Apple's strategy of vertical and horizontal market dominance is something out of capitalism's greatest hits e.g. John D. Rockefeller and Standard Oil. New York Times Magazine called it “The Death of the Open Web”. However, with over 75 million iPhone and iPod touch devices sold, millions of new mobile sales per month, the iApple mobile (non-Flash) market could easily total 100 Million by the end of 2010. Whatever our individual feeling about what Apple inc is doing, we have to respect those numbers, that is a lot of eyeballs with a valuable demographic. As Kleiner Perkins’ John Doerr, the unparalleled technology guru and venture capitalist said: iPad ‘will rule the world’. Barring a huge surge in the Google Android® mobile market or some resurgence from an apparently asleep Microsoft®, it is what it is.

What to Do?

Traskconsultancy™ strategic development recommendations
Gartner a leading technology analysis firm predicts by 2013 mobile phones would replace PCs as the most common device for web access. This fact alone causes a rethink on how Internet content is delivered. The solution for mobile as well as non-Flash support is the same, dynamically deliver the best content that a device can support. The top sites all do this, adjusting content based on language, browser, speed, demographics etc.
Apples solution to offer rich media content, typically delivered via Flash, is the HTML5 standard. However HTML5 is an unfinished standard and is not expected to be finalized until 2012, what is available now is primitive and limited in browser support. We recommend the continued use of Flash and separating the media content so it can be delivered, in a less compelling way, to non-Flash devices. The site visitor does not even need to be aware, the site just adjusts. Traskconsultancy's Market Conversation System technology version 4 is deploying this capacity. Brand Guidance Program™ Clients Internet Presents will be upgraded to include these principles.

Reference

What is iAd?
iAd is a mobile advertising platform developed by Apple Inc. for its iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad line of mobile devices allowing third-party developers to directly embed advertisements into their applications. Announced on April 8, 2010, iAd is part of Apple's iOS 4 … Hosted and sold by Apple, the iAd platform is expected to compete with Google's AdMob mobile advertising service. Source Wikipedia

Source: June 10 Flash Penetration Statistics Adobe

Steve Jobs -Apple “Thoughts on Flash” I could rebuttal as many have, I would want to tread on Steve Jobs famous “Reality Distortion Field”

When will HTML5 be finished? 2012

Web Hypertext Application Technology Working Group

Apple charges a 30% commission on all paid apps sold through the App Store. Source techCrunch