Apple: “Flash Falls Short”

In a long essay attributed to CEO Steve Jobs, Apple (AAPL) has posted a long explanation for its refusal to support Adobe (ADBE) Flash products on the iPhone, iPod and iPad.

“I wanted to jot down some of our thoughts on Adobe�s Flash products so that customers and critics may better understand why we do not allow Flash on iPhones, iPods and iPads,” Jobs writes. “Adobe has characterized our decision as being primarily business driven � they say we want to protect our App Store � but in reality it is based on technology issues. Adobe claims that we are a closed system, and that Flash is open, but in fact the opposite is true. Let me explain.”

The summary version:

• Adobe’s products are “100% proprietary,” unlike HTML5, CSS and Javascript which are open standards. “By almost any definition,” he writes, “Flash is a closed system.
• Most Flash-based video can also be viewed in the H.264 video format, and can be watched on iPhones, iPods and iPads.
• While it is true you can’t play Flash games on those devices, there are plenty of games in the App Store, and many of them can be downloaded for free.
• Flash has “reliability, security and performance” issues. He says it is “the number one reason Macs crash,” and says “we don’t want to reduce the reliability and security of our iPhones, iPods and iPads by adding Flash.”
• Video in Flash eats more battery life than video in H.264.
• Flash was designed for using mice, not touch screens.
• “The most important reason,” he writes, is that “letting a third party layer of software come between the platform and the developer ultimately results in sub-standard apps and hinders the environment and progress of the platform.” Adds Jobs: “We cannot be at the mercy of a third party deciding if and when they will make our enhancements available to our developers.”

Concludes Jobs: “Flash was created during the PC era � for PCs and mice. Flash is a successful business for Adobe, and we can understand why they want to push it beyond PCs. But the mobile era is about low power devices, touch interfaces and open web standards � all areas where Flash falls short.” And he adds that “perhaps Adobe should focus more on creating great HTML5 tools for the future, and less on criticizing Apple for leaving the past behind.”