Adobe to Stop Supporting Flash on Android From August 15th

System
System Posts: 446
edited June 2012 in iPhoneHacks.com
imageAdobe to Stop Supporting Flash on Android From August 15th

Back in November last year, Adobe had announced that it would discontinue development of Flash on the mobile browser. The end for Flash at least on the mob...

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Comments

  • uneazy
    uneazy Posts: 1
    It doesn't vindicate anything. Lack of Flash is still the biggest annoyance of my iPad. It doesn't matter if it has issues or not, it's still all over the web. And the difference between iOS and Android? Even after August 15th, there will be a hacked version of Flash to install on ANY Android device, including 4.1, and people will still have a choice to use Flash if they feel like this amazing HTML5 future is not here yet.
  • xtremee
    xtremee Posts: 33
    @uneazy time to move on .. Or move on to a site that supports HTML 5 .. I hardly run into a site that uses flash when u visit it on my iPhone .. Good riddance to crapware
  • dankvwguy
    dankvwguy Posts: 16
    im with extremee. not many sites i visit now ideas are only flash. they usually have some type of iOS compatible version of their site. its hard not too when providers realize how many iOS devices would access their site. no iOS support results in lost customer, lost customers results in lost profit...
  • Krillin
    Krillin Posts: 27
    touché Steve… touché Steve…
  • The sites that matter are already on html5. I rarely run into flash content on my phone.
  • David
    David Posts: 1
    I'm surprised that iPhone Hacks uses flash in their articles. You'd think that a site that caters to iDevices would know better.
  • iPhoneHacks
    iPhoneHacks Posts: 2,315
    @David Some of the video embedded are in flash. We try to use as much as HTML5 based video as possible, but since it depends on folks creating the videos there is not much we can do. We've seen this reduce drastically over the last few years.
  • djman10
    djman10 Posts: 94
    @iPhoneHacks
    And that's the reason Flash should have been supported on iOS originally and for many years after, with a set date in the future (the future in relations to then) for discontinuing it, as the industry moved on to HTLM5. The way Apple handled this meant that every time one hit a site requiring Flash, one had to run to a PC or Mac (or suffer the embarrassment of asking a friend with an Android). If Steve was so adamant about his position why did he not ban Flash on the Mac as well?
  • iPhoneHacks
    iPhoneHacks Posts: 2,315
    edited June 2012
    @djman just because some content is still in Flash doesn't mean Apple should be supporting it. At the end of the day, companies have limited resources and they need to prioritise their resources. We would prefer Apple to spend its resources on exciting future technologies rather than a dying technology like Flash. It must have been a hard decision for them, but to take the heat for it takes courage, which is why Apple is where it is today.

    Let's not forget that consumers could have easily voted lack of Flash as a deal breaker and not bought the iPhone, but as we've seen millions of people who have bought the iPhone haven't seen it as one.

    The other issue is, if Apple would have supported it and it would have worked poorly and caused huge drain in battery life (which it surely would have), you would have complained about it as well.

    The reason Apple didn't ban Flash on the Mac is because Macs have substantially more resources at their disposal then a mobile device. Check out the Thoughts on Flash article, it's a good read.

    Let's also not forget that creators of Flash have also agreed that it's not suitable for mobile devices and are killing it. As @xtremee has mentioned, it's time to move on. Its creators have already moved on.
  • uneasy
    uneasy Posts: 7
    I like this "it's time to move on" argument. You want ME to move on? The only thing I can "move on" is to Android, because I surely do not control which technologies are used on the web. And for some reason webmasters didn't get the Jobs' memo about Flash, they still use it on sites that matter to ME.

    And if Apple was so concerned about battery life, they could have given us the option to just disable Flash. But of course it's not the real reason why they blocked it, stop repeating their propaganda. Apple doesn't care about you, all they care about is 100% control of their precious ecosystem. Which is of course their right, but if you don't see it you've been seriously brainwashed.

    As for the "voting as a deal breaker" - maybe I will do that, one day, if not because of Flash, then some other stupid restriction of the platform (and there are many).
  • Lol e
    Lol e Posts: 10
    Propaganda? How does Apple profit from their decision to not support flash exactly?

    Did you know that their push for HTML5 will actually hurt them in the long run as more and more apps will be HTML5 web apps. It will be cost effective to produce one web app that's compatible with all mobile devices rather then individual native versions, so Apple will loose the advantage of their wealthy app market.

    Personally, I think it was purely a move to promote a better development culture that is aware of the efficiencies that need to be made in both the hardware AND software to keep that little device running as we expect and for how long we expect. You need to remember that it's no small feat reducing the power of what was a PC into such a small space. If Apple had allowed flash to run on iOS then developers would still be making flash content and Adobe would probably at least for now still be supporting it on mobile devices (at least for a couple of years longer). Apple has only given it a kick up the ass, yes at the consumers expense in the short term, however in the long run we will all reap the rewards.
  • LOL @ all of you. Puffin Browser anyone? It's been my sole browser since I've been using iOS, never had a problem with any website or browsing speed. No hacked flash or jailbreak tweaks needed.
  • Lol e
    Lol e Posts: 10
    Another example of the push forward for mobile devices... Cloud computing :p. Unfortunatly Puffin browser isn't ideal for anyone outside of the US (geo-location restrictions).
  • uneasy
    uneasy Posts: 7
    The real reason why Apple blocks Flash is because it can be used as a content delivery system, an alternative to the appstore. And that is where Apple makes their money.

    And of course this decision has hurt them. Apple, it seems, wants to repeat the same mistake they did in the 80s with Macintosh. We all know how people voted in the end. Open system always wins, simply because you don't have to wage "thermonuclear wars" with the whole world when you have one.
  • Puffin browser changed and it uses your current IP, so it isn't any problems with geo restricted website.
  • mark
    mark Posts: 1
    @Terence Tan
    The current Puffin Browser description states "Geo is US since our data centers are in US. Users outside US may not be able to view their local geo-restricted contents"
  • @Terence Tan
    The current Puffin Browser description states "Geo is US since our data centers are in US. Users outside US may not be able to view their local geo-restricted contents"
    I live in Ireland, never had a problem.

  • Rounak
    Rounak Posts: 269
    The real reason why Apple blocks Flash is because it can be used as a content delivery system, an alternative to the appstore. And that is where Apple makes their money.
    The HTML5 technology stack is the same sort of content delivery system, and Apple actively supports that.

  • uneasy
    uneasy Posts: 7

    The HTML5 technology stack is the same sort of content delivery system, and Apple actively supports that.
    Maybe now it is, but not 4 years ago when Appstore was empty and sites in Flash, like Kongregate, were a serious threat. Besides, you might see the day when Apple starts to screw with HTML5 too, just like Microsoft did when they wanted to promote IE. But you will find a reason to praise Apple for that too, I have no doubt about that.
  • uneasy
    uneasy Posts: 7
    Why is everyone in denial all of a sudden? Apple is completely consistent in blocking anything that can be used to bypass the appstore tax, the history of rejected apps shows that quite clearly.