Adobe CEO says Flash feud with Apple is finished

By on Jun 2, 2011 at 3:15 PM
mobile June 2, 2011

Speaking during the D9 conference in California on Thursday, Adobe’s CEO, Shantanu Narayen said that his company’s feud with Apple, which was a result of Cupertino’s decision to omit support for Flash in its products, has come to an end. “Yes, the argument is over from our point of view,” Narayen said. “We are so excited about opportunities we have. We’re focused on that.” He added that Adobe welcomes, and is contributing to, the new HTML5 standard. Apple’s argument, which has been backed by many developers, is that HTML5 is more efficient than Flash — particularly when it comes to battery consumption — for presenting and viewing streaming video and other multimedia content. “At the end of the day, where Adobe makes its money is through our application tools, as well as our solutions, (and) being able to make that content and measure that content and manage that content,” Narayen told The Wall Street Journal.
Read

Tags:
, , , , , , , , ,
87 Comments

Related Articles

  • Batteman87

    Nice!

  • Anonymous

    And the tortoise finally crosses the finish line. 

  • http://twitter.com/mfg68 MFG

    Soooo…does this mean Flash in iOS 5? Doubtful. 

  • Anonymous

    I’m not a Apple fanboy.  But for me, it sounds like Adobe indirectly admit Jobs was correct, right at the beginning.  Despite lots of people argued iPhone and iPad would have sluggish sale due to the lack of Flash experience, Apple’s technology understanding and customer focus once again proven they made the correct technology trade-off.

    Adobe have to contribute to HTML5.  Like Narayen said exactly, Adobe makes money from tools.  Once Flash is gone (clear path to happen), they need to find a way of making money off the development tools for HTML5.

    • Neoprimal

      That doesn’t make any sense. Jobs was “right”? I don’t think so.
      An application doesn’t allow your device to achieve so and so battery life so you say eff all of you who want it, we won’t allow it. 

      What a world we live in now where we gladly allow device manuf. to tell us what we can and cannot have in a product. The easy way out for most is to simply get an alternative, but for someone who really wants an ipad/iphone and really wants flash – that’s a capital FU to them. Use what we tell you to use or get something else.

      I’m not saying that devices need to ship with compat. for every freaking thing but flash support is a pretty big deal in todays world. Maybe not tomorrow….but today, it is. Obviously things are changing, the iProducts have massive appeal and so, things are bending to their pov which isn’t necessarily a bad deal. HTML5 is a great technology, but I completely disagree in Apple not supporting flash in their devices. It’s as simple as putting up a disclaimer with an option to enable it or disable it at system level, or have it be completely up to browser choice, etc. 

      • Torsnow

        Listen buddy… I personally dislike Apple for the same reasons that you do (limited support of features that I want/need in products). However, saying that Apple is telling you to F Off because they don’t make a product tailored to YOU is ridiculous. If a car manufacturer doesn’t turbocharge their engines, do you get mad? No, you buy a car with a turbo in it. That’s your choice as a consumer. Every company can make the product they want, and you can buy it or not. Stop getting angry that they’re not considering your needs or feelings, they don’t have to!!!

      • Anonymous

        I agree with everything u said except the part about they’re not considering the consumers needs or feelings. I think they did consider them but have decided that flash was either too buggy or power hungry or unstable(causing crashes) or whatever to support.

      • Neoprimal

        Wow, you’re talking about a totally different scenario. Millions of people use Flash. That’s more like saying a car manufacturer decides the vehicle is to use a particular type of battery that’s not extremely popular vs. using what’s on the market. And I’m not mad. In fact, I’m indifferent. I was just disagreeing with the person who said that Jobs “was correct” because imho, he’s not. And yes, indeed….choice, but as I mentioned for the person that wants an ipad or iphone [and let me add, doesn't want to jailbreak] and flash, they’re screwed. And I think you’re wrong too, they should consider user needs and feelings – it’s consumers putting money in their pocket.

        One day they’re going to make a decision similar to this one that’s really going to mess up the Apple community.

      • Anonymous

        And let me add, if he does not like Apple products, please by all means don’t buy it. Like you said if you want a Turbo Car buy a damn Turbo car but don’t complain because the other company does not make a Turbo Car;)

      • AnonGuy

        Most people use flash in desktop oses, don’t act like that is a reason to fudge in a mobile component that ruins the user experience. I have a galaxy s with flash. It is not that good, and I’ve always has it turned off since day one because of battery and browser performance issues.

      • Anonymous

        Apple doesn’t force you to do anything. They simply don’t enable support, as they don’t wish to support it. You have the option to jailbreak your phone and install a third-party solution. End of story.

      • Steve Hillshire

        This is nothing more than Microsoft did with its dominance of the PC.  They controlled many “standards” for many years.  If Windows didn’t support it, it was doomed.  If Windows supported it, it was in.  Of course they were called evil for it and Apple is praised but that’s another story in the writing…

      • Anonymous

        You are so right.  We should have ANYTHING we want in our products, regardless of the fact they may or may not work!  That’s OUR decision!  

      • Anonymous

        And your a dumb fool. When you buy something you own it and so does the company because they are the ones that have to SUPPORT it. Don’t be a damn fool. Oh I forgot who I was replying to. You are a fool;)

      • http://twitter.com/jj_hh1 J Hamburg

        Yes, sure, and if it doesnt work you run whining to the Apple support and accuse them of their sluggish product because Adobe doesnt have a enduser support.

      • 1T2dirtnap

        I couldn’t disagree more. Adobe has all but admitted HTML5 will be better for battery consumption, which seems to be the underlining factor. Apple recognized this years ago and it has clearly paid off for them.

      • Anonymous

        Like I said above I use Click to Flash and I rarely if ever hardly find the need to click to enable flash in my browser. Most of the flash content is advertisement anyhow and since I enabled HTML 5 for YouTube, even that much less. Some of your points are valid, but let’s face it, like you said Flash, although a great tool when it was needed, is so yesterday! And since we have better and more efficient technology that can replace it, let’s embrace it and move on. If it’s true most believe that Flash’s days are numbered, than by all means drop it and move on because if we don’t it will just linger around that much longer.

      • Neoprimal

        Embracing it and moving on – YES! Absolutely agree. Removing choice? NO. Not right. It’s within Apple (or any company for that matter) prerogative to do so, it doesn’t make it right.

        If you depend on HTML5 and HTML6 is comes and Apple decides, no more HTML5 for you! You’d all gobble it right up, you know what? Good on you. But for the many who depend or want to use HTML5 for now, to me – it’s not right that any company does that. At least allow the customer a choice. This is my WHOLE point.It’s honestly amazing to me to see the way some of you respond to my post. You think I’m angry (I’m not), you think I don’t like Apple products (I don’t buy them, but I enjoy 1 or 2 as gifts) – when all I said is that I don’t agree. Wow, just wow. Do you see why people consider you guys “rabid”? Apple really has a gem in you, they really do. And the whole “I’m not an Apple fanboy or anything” tag ahead of an obviously fanboy-ish rant is.just.priceless.Anyway, my point is simply this – you don’t remove the ability of a Blu Ray DVD player to play regular DVDs, you just don’t. People can always CHOOSE to not use regular DVDs. But don’t take away that choice. Apple could simply have made an allowance for a system or browser option to disable Flash. That’s allllll I’m saying. So as bloated/inefficient/etc. etc. etc. as Flash may be, the people who WANT to use it, can – despite the amt. of hours it would take off their battery or how ‘unstable’ it would make the system. It was a tyrant move, is all I’m saying – turbo charged cars aside, lol ;)

      • Anonymous

        Clearly you dislike Apple and that’s cool but why mock the guy who feels his or her experience with Apple is better? I beg to differ. I believe my computing experience with Apple technology fits me just fine. In fact I love the experience. Do I think Apple products and services are superior? Well more than likely I would say yes but that’s no suprise. Let me explain: which is better a Honda or a Harley? Well that depends on who you ask? Right? But I am willing to bet you just about every Harley owner will tell you NO WAY a Honda is better. It’s what you like man! But I like Apple for much more than their cool products. I like the history of the company. Apple contributed to much technology for over 30 years and still so today. Look at thunderbolt! Sure they could have supported USB3 but intead they felt there was something better. I don’t have a problem with that! THEY are the technology company, NOT me. I am just the consumer. As far as Flash, please I don’t feel one bit that my browsing experience is in an fashion crippled by the lack of Flash! So again I ain’t missing anything;)

      • Neoprimal

        I wasn’t talking about/to you specifically, but as an example exactly where did I say I dislike Apple?
        One thing I pride myself on, is being able to appreciate a very wide variety of tech products. I have said in the past and just now that I don’t buy Apple, not because I dislike their products but I don’t believe in certain Apple “policies” and as such  won’t spend my money on them. That doesn’t for 1 second mean I dislike Apple. It simply means I spend my money elsewhere. You can like a company’s product and not buy it. I like Kia, I wouldn’t buy one.But that’s what I’m talking about. NOT agreeing with their decision on Flash is not = or synonymous to disliking them as a company or their products. It seems however, that there’s no way to make a point on this without either coming off as an “Apple hater” or something like that. It’s pretty funky. But I will leave it at that. Some people will understand, and some just won’t. The fact that you haven’t been crippled by not having Flash is not close to my point either – my point is simply that having a choice would be better on every level than not, and I stick to it.

      • Simon

        Neoprimal – you don’t seem to get the point…your choice is to buy a tablet/device that supports Flash….by repeating the same same arguments made by Apple competitors makes you an Apple-Hater…..let it go and enjoy your Flash on your Android or BB device…obviously there are millions of iOS users that don’t care about Flash…

      • Anonymous

        I totally agree with @Torsnow. Companies make what they see suitable for their consumers, if you don’t want it you don’t have to buy it. Every device has pro’s n con’s dude…and you really shouldn’t let any company rule your life, pretty pathetic if it does.

      • numetheus

        I have an android phone and find flash movies annoying. On my iphone, most places I went to were html5 compliant already, so when I played a video from viveo or college humor for example, it played in a native player with touch friendly controls and fast. On android, I get a tiny box with tiny flash controls. Sure I can go full screen, buy they are still tiny controls made for mouse use. I hope flash dies and we watch internet videos using a local player like it happens on iphone.

    • Anonymous

      Goofans (aka Apple Haters) will never ever admit that Apple has been right in ANYTHING they’ve said or done!  Our hatred for Apple, blinding as it is, is unyielding!  

  • Scott

    So… what exactly does this mean? Is this going to help flash go away a little quicker? Or is Apple going to support flash on their mobile devices? Or are we just going to sit around with our heads up our rears? Really, someone needs to make something happen. 

    • Jon McKinnon

      Stop buying iPants and Pope Jobs will get the message, but you don’t. The world is full of people unable to think for themselves and rush headlong to join the queue outside the church of apple with their indulgence money, assured it will make them look better/cooler/smarter/.. and/or enhance their otherwise meaningless existence. If you know what you want, you worship at a different church.

      • poseur

        This is such a tired line of thinking. So anyone with an Apple product is a sheep unable to think for themselves?

        Wow. So what does that make you, as someone who defines what they do by doing whatever Apple doesn’t?

      • Droidman101

        Apple=douchey
        Why?
        Linus Torvaldis, who created linux, gives a platform for others to build on for FREE.(apple takes advantage of this and charges)
        Bill Gates, yes the one who created microsoft, is in the process of giving away his billions to charity.
        And Steve Jobs …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….doesn’t license his OS’s to other hardware companies so he can overprice it, even though people don’t realize other OS’s do the same exact things for free

      • Jon McKinnon

        The tiresome part is that people still think apple is the future and are ignorant of the possibilities beyond their entrapment.  How can so many people have these devices which are essentially a portal to the web without the core component of that space being supported? Browsing for the masses is a poor experience but they don’t care or don’t know better.  I define myself as someone who wants the best that’s available and that’s not apple on so many levels. Ask the man in the street what’s the best phone and almost all of the will spew iphone hype or retweet the sycophancy of the media and their paymasters.  The icult has subverted sense and diverted progress up a blind alley and taken the souls of hundreds of millions with them and become the most valuable company by any measure on the stupidity and the money of fools.  You may say “well done them”. I think it’s a human tragedy. 

         Never confuse consensus with wisdom.

      • Anonymous

        First take a good look at yourself in the mirror. LOSER!

      • Jon McKinnon

        To indulge you, more-so myself, I did take a look… Nice. Do you have a point? Here or in any dimension?

    • numetheus

      To me, this sounds like Adobe throwing in the towel stating money is made in tools anyway so it doesn’t care if html5 takes over. They will still be successful in selling html5 development tools.

    • http://twitter.com/jj_hh1 J Hamburg

      People are already doing something: they use their iOS devices to surf the web and the Websites figured it out pretty quick that they should move on to a new era of open HTML5 useage and kick the flimsy flash content out. So dont worry too much – it’s not gonna take long anymore and this topic is forgotten.

  • Anonymous

    Sounds to me like Adobe just shrugged their shoulders and said, “Fuck it. We’re moving on. You don’t want Flash, don’t take it. We’ll give it to Android, develop tools for HTML 5, and we’ll all meet up on the other side.”

    I expect fanboys on all side to say this is some kind of victory, to which I say: you’re all idiots. This is just a company realizing when a fight isn’t worth fighting and finding a better way to use their resources.

    • http://twitter.com/shawnwill16 shawn williams

      u sure got it right….unlike the idiot apple fanboy sayin apple won…

      • Anonymous

        Nobody F’ing said Apple won just both parties moved on to what they think suits them best. But it is interesting to see how Apple at sticking to their guns in a way forced Adobe to further support HTML 5:)

      • Anonymous

        APPLE WON!!!! woooohooooo!!!

    • Anonymous

      I say kudos to both sides. Apple stuck to their guns, found alternative solutions, and still selling iStuff out the ying yang. Adobe realized the wasted effort and adapts.

      And the average user…..couldn’t give a @#$% less who wins this fight. :)

      • Anonymous

        Precisely.

      • poseur

        It can’t be that simple. Somehow, some way, this is because anyone who buys anything Apple is a mindless drone unable to string words into a sentence.

        There must be a way to include seething and illogical Apple hatred in this. 

    • Scott

      Your wrong! Adobe didn’t want to admit flash has security holes, it effects battery consumption, it’s unstable in a mobile platform. It’s because they have millions invested into their technology. Apple stuck with HTML5 and so has the majority of the Internet. So Adobe finally decides to give up on it’s dying platform or be left behind.

      • Anonymous

        I know I shouldn’t do this. Tragically, I am but a man.

        1) Anyone with a working brain stem knows that any software has security holes. Flash gets hit more frequently because, like Windows, there’s just a lot more of it being used. The more use it gets, the more attention it gets from guys wearing black hats, the more holes are found.

        2) Anything that increases processor utilization is going to decrease battery life. This is… this is not news.

        3) When I search for “Flash mobile unstable,” most of the links I get are from the time that Steve Jobs said it. I’m having a hard time finding some ostensibly objective research correlating it. Any links?

        Apple was forward thinking with HTML 5. I don’t know that the majority of the internet is using HTML 5 just yet; again, any links?

        Adobe isn’t stupid. You act like they were just going to blindly push Flash forever and not put forth any effort to get in to the HTML 5 game. That’s a silly assumption to make.

        You don’t need to respond to this. I just needed to pop off another post on this subject, and yours was the one I noticed.

      • Anonymous

        This. You should have posted it and I’m glad you did so people who haven’t been following the news can find all the needed information in one post.

        It was hinted that Flash may be used to help develop HTML5 videos and interactive elements so that designers with no programming experience can still do their jobs without having to learn JS/AJAX and CSS.

        I also liked how you pointed out that Flash’s daily security issues are only because it is ubiquitous, no different than Windows. We’ll be finding more CSS3, JS, and HTML5 security issues once people start incorporating those technologies more frequently in their websites.

  • Keymaker

    Flash is dead and adobe knows it. How many times have you been to a site and just leave cause you don’t wanna download and install the latest flash plugging, many. People want to be able to go to any site without freggin issues.

  • Anonymous

    Google says Flash rocks and that’s all I need to tell Apple “go screw yourself!”

    • Anonymous

      Faaaaa Q donk

  • http://twitter.com/gnomehole The Gnome

    Read differently… Apple 1, Adobe 0… everyone who believes flash belongs on mobile devices -1

    Game over.

    • Johnny Rotten Crotch

      Flash works great on my EVO. It’s nice to be able to go to any website and do what I want. It’s also nice that I don’t have to have an “App” for that. Video runs smooth over 3G and 4G. Game over???? How sad little man.
       
      You Apple guys keep letting oh Stevie tell you what to do. Keep bending over boys.

      • Zac Caslin

        Flash works great on my EVO for the 3 hours it lasts.

      • 1T2dirtnap

        Same here with my retired HTC DInc.

  • Anonymous

    Beautiful

    • Johnny Rotten Crotch

      Maybe you can give some lube to The Gnome. Unless you like it when Steve gives it to you raw.

      • http://apple.com Yes_iHave_an_iPhone

        U just iggnant..

  • Anonymous

    I don’t think it consumes more power than html5. At the end of the day both takes the same effort to display videos. The issue is that it is a plugin which is ugly but it is ubiquitous to ignore.

    • Anonymous

      Well, no not really.

  • Anonymous

    Sounds like a teenage girl telling her friends how she’s ‘so over’ her last boyfriend, then secretly crying herself to sleep each night while holding his picture.

  • http://www.droiddoes.com/ Norm

    It’s not over til apple files chapter 11.

    • LemonadeJoe

      That might be a while… considering Apple has enough cash on hand ( 29+ billion ) to buy sony outright.

      • Anonymous

        They have closer to 60 last time I checked.

    • Anonymous

      Flash is a waste… It’s worth nothing. Apple should never implement it into its products.. Would be pointless. I mean in all honesty how often do you use it with your surplus amount of Droids!?

      • Jebus

        I use flash everyday on my tablet, watch videos, trailers and so on. 

        I do agree that HTML5 is the future, but I’m interested in the now. 

        One poster said I hate having to download flash updates. You know whats more annoying? Browsing on an IPad and not being able to play video you want to see…

        Yes, I’ve used an Ipad and put it down the first time that happened. I wan’t near seamless web browsing and don’t have the patience for I’m right, I’m wrong. 

        WHEN HTML5 is more prominent then flash it will be equal, until then..

      • Anonymous

        Want to see those flash videos on an iPad? Use the Skyfire browser then.

      • Anonymous

        Yeah no one uses Flash anymore.. Its dead. Stop lying and trying to think you use Flash.

      • Droidman101

        I saw in a flash game a joke about an ipad….
        In it they said “Hey look at brave me joking about the ipad in a FLASH game”
        On honeycomb and on blackberry tablets you get to play flash games. On the ipad you can’t.
        Have fun without flash until html6 comes out with the ability to play games!

    • Anonymous

      Fyi That last email u sent me had the signature Sent from my iPhone. U need to delete that norm.

  • http://ocentertainment.net ocentertainment

    Hey Adobe CEO: Shantanu Narayen…..we, uh….we all stopped caring a while ago.

  • http://profiles.google.com/jeffpom Jeff Pommerening

    And in the end… nothing changes.  Still doesn’t sound like Flash for iPhone.

    In other news… I’m looking into learning to be an HTML5 programmer.  Apparently there will be money to be made there! LOL

  • Anonymous

    Seems like Adobe can’t continue to push Flash knowing that it won’t be supported on iOS. For better or worse, Apple have achieved what they set out to.

    I for one am very glad, Flash is a horrible technology and I’ll be very glad to see the back of it for good.

    • Anonymous

      Look I am an Apple fan, but to be fair, Flash was/is not horrible. I mean it served it’s purpose when it was needed during HTML4, but as they say “out with the old, in with the new”. Flash is getting long in the tooth, it’s crippled in the since of security and mobile. Again I am absolutely grateful that “Macromedia” gave us Flash (noticed I did not say Adobe;)) when we needed it most and for that Thank You Macromedia, we sure do miss you guys;)

  • http://www.apexcarpentryinc.com/blog/ Craig

    So it is all about control and not about the web experience. Flash works fine on my Iconia tablet.

    • iPwn

      Craig only 3% of Americans view flash on a daily basis and only 7% need to access a flash site on the go… Flash is so 2000

      • Anonymous

        I have to agree. I can maybe count on one hand how many time I came across a site that said I needed Flash since I owned the first iPhone.

      • Droidman101

        Only 3% view flash on a daily basis?
        HMMMMMMM
        Games? Most games are flash, and MORE than 10% play flash games daily.
        Seriously, look at your own statistics before you hit post.

      • Anonymous

        Totally true!! I bet as soon as all those foolish iPhone iPad and iPod owners realize how important flash is to them they will be knocking on steve jobs door demanding a refund. Sales will plummet. No one in the world will buy an i product again.

  • Jynx

    That guy looks like he has Downs Syndrome…Maybe that’s why they stopped the feud, because Jobs offered him all the chocolate milk he could drink…

  • Anonymous

    Hasn’t it been “over” according to Adobe at least twice now?

  • Joe112

    So Apple wins.??

    • http://twitter.com/Ballastatuz Joseph egbule

      yup like always

    • Anonymous

      More like…  Adobe just realized that in the iPhone rink, Apple will continue to skate to where the puck will be and score millions of $$ in profits,  so Adobe is beginning to take off their football cleats and lace on skates, because the game is still going and protesting the equipment rules is silly, if you really want to play.  

      For all of those who felt that apple should allow people on the iPhone rink with Flash Football cleats, because of the occasional football that gets tossed into the arena, well, Apple won’t support that as it’s a clumsy, inefficient, and potentially dangerous type of footwear on their rink, they don’t want to assume the liability of it of the players getting injured by using the cleats on their ice, so they are preventing it where  possible, and explicitly stating that it’s the user’s or the cleat manufacturers fault.

      • Anonymous

        I like the analogy;)

      • Anonymous

        Holy crap!!!! My BGR bookmark is redirecting me to ESPN!!! WTF???

  • James Bond

    I paid $32.67 for a XBOX 360 and my mom got a 17 inch Toshiba laptop for $94.83 being delivered to our house tomorrow by FedEX. I will never again pay expensive retail prices at stores. I even sold a 46 inch HDTV to my boss for $650 and it only cost me $52.78 to get. Here is the website we using to get all this stuff, MadCent. com

  • Anonymous

    Millions of web sites and almost as many enterprise applications use Flash. And I doubt that HTML 5, 6 or even 10 will change that fact, because there are a huge number of Flash developers and a massive investment globally in Flash apps.

    My guess is that as competition intensifies in the tablet space Apple will eventually support Flash out of the box or face being a second class citizen. This will depend to some extent on the success of Android and other tablet OS such as QNX.

    When using an Android tablet or Playbook the web experience is vastly superior to iPad. Both those tablet OS support Flash AND HTML5.

    • Anonymous

      U r so right. Apple will support flash because not having it on their IOS devices is killing sales. I bet as soon as they begin flash support they will sell EVERY IOS device they can produce. HUGE MISTAKE not supporting flash from the beginning. Steve Jobs Is so stupid he isn’t qualified to run a hotdog stand let alone a 300+ billion dollar company. I mean seriously!!!?? What has he done for Apple since he returned? What new product or innovation has he come up with???? Fire his ass and get a CEO who will support flash!!

      • Anonymous

        LMFAO:)

  • Anonymous

    Again I give credit where credit is due and your points are valid and sorry if I came across rude, But understand just as you state anyone who speaks somewhat negative about Apple is labeled a “AppleHater”, the same is true the other way in that every person who appreciates Apple’s technology (myself), is considered an Fanboy, Steve Jobs C!@# Sucker, Apple Zealot, etc. and much more. It is stupidly funny:) So yes many Apple followers, buyers, and fans get defensive sometimes I guess. But let me make a point that just because I use Apple products I live in some sort of prison cell. Clearly not the case! And even if there is any truth to us Apple users living in some sort of shell (although not totally true), I would say it is more like a Luxury Apartment Complex. Just my opinion!!

  • http://twitter.com/jj_hh1 J Hamburg

    Adobe got quiet cause iOS users don’t care or complain as they wished they would. go

blog comments powered by Disqus