Category: Apple

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Apple Development iPad iPhone

We ❤ Choice

Adobe: “We believe open markets that allow developers, publishers, and consumers to make their own choices about how they create, distribute, and access content are essential to progress. That’s why we actively support technologies like HTML4, HTML5, CSS, and H.264, in addition to our own technologies.”

I love Adobe, and Adobe products, but… and there’s always a but, the article talks about openness and freedom, and yes all those technologies called out are open, but I still don’t get the article.

It’s about freedom, right? Here’s a fact for you. Developers have the freedom to choose to develop for the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad by choosing to use Apple’s development tools. They also have the freedom to choose to not use those tools and not develop for the platform.

I don’t get it guys, I really don’t.

Flash changed the web experience, admit it. Like other technologies before it, it opened the door, opened eyes, and led to a new standard that is poised to supplant it.

The other thing you have to remember is Adobe can run Flash on a bazillion other platforms. If those platforms, running Flash, start to outsell, or cause Apple to start losing market share, they’ll change their tune.

The Free FreeHand folks have something to say about freedom.

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Apple iPad Life

There’s an iPad for that

Chuck Hollis [via Mike Rohde]: “I don’t think I’ll be buying any more desktops going forward. I don’t think I’ll even be buying any more laptops going forward.

They’ve all been largely obsoleted (at least at my home) by a sleek $499 device that doesn’t really have any right to be called a “computer” in the traditional sense.”

Go read what Chuck has to say, it’s a fun story, and I’m sure it’s being repeated all over the world. The iPad will become “the” device for a large group of people. A lot of techies will claim it’s not useful and that’s a perfectly valid assertion. It’s not useful for them, the techno-geek, but for the average person that browses the internet, or watches movies, or reads a book once in a while, it could be the perfect device.

I know for a fact an iPad would be the perfect device for my wife 99% of the time. She mostly browses her favorite sites and checks out Facebook. Once we have the entire gamut of Facebook games running on the iPad, she’ll probably want one.

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Apple

Leave Apple Alone

Bloomberg (via Daring Fireball): “May 4 (Bloomberg) — U.S. antitrust enforcers are considering an investigation of Apple Inc. following a complaint from Adobe Systems Inc., according to people familiar with the matter.”

Yesterday, on Twitter, I asked “Can you develop XBox 360, Sony Playstation, or Wii apps using Flash?” There was a reason for that question. I was hoping someone would take the bait, but alas, nobody obliged. Once again I ask, can you develop XBox 360, Sony Playstation, or Wii apps using Flash? I’m fairly confident the answer is “NO.”

From the Microsoft XBox Developer site: “At this time, access to development tools for the Xbox 360â„¢ video game console is limited to developers working on approved titles for licensed publishers. This will change over time, so check back for more information in the future.”

At this time you can’t even develop for the platform. Sorry, I’m picking on Microsoft, but I’m most familiar with the XBox so it was easy to find information on developing for the platform.

Why doesn’t Adobe complain about lack of Flash support on those platforms? Money, that’s why. Adobe stands to lose money if it can’t sell it’s Flash development tools targeting the extremely successful iPhone and iPad. For some reason they’re not beating down the door at Microsoft, Sony, or Nintendo trying to get on their game platforms. They’re closed systems, but I guess gaming consoles are somehow different?

Yeah, but…

I’ve been carrying on a conversation with a co-worker about iPhone, and iPad, development and he’s not happy about Apple’s stance. He says he doesn’t have access to the platform because he has to invest in an Apple computer($599.00) and pay to join the iPhone Developer Program($99.00). For $700.00 you can develop Mac, iPhone, and iPad applications. I can see where that could be a bit intimidating, $700.00 is a chunk of change. But what does it cost to use Flash to develop on any platform? To purchase Adobe Flash Builder will set you back, that’s right, you guessed it, $699.00. Same price. There may be free tools, I don’t know, I don’t use Flash.

Why punish iPhone and iPad developers?

There’s an entire class of developers out there working hard to deliver iPhone and iPad applications, they’re using the preferred technologies, and quite a few of them are doing quite well. Hey, if a knuckle head like me can figure out how to write and publish an iPhone app, anyone can. Is Flash really a great development tool? Really? All designers aren’t necessarily developers, there are a few that bridge the gap, but not many. I’d venture to guess there is a lot of really bad Flash code running on the web today, Flash is the new Visual Basic, it gives folks something they can create with, that’s great, create away! My question is why do you feel you have to be able to write Flash code to run on the iPad or iPhone? Is there some code of ethics that says you have the right to create Flash based programs that can run everywhere? Why would someone think that? I have an idea.

If you want to create apps for the iPad or iPhone pick up a book, get a compiler, sign up to be an iPhone developer and you can create apps to your hearts content. I’m pretty sure you can create “Punch the Monkey” using Objective-C and Cocoa Touch.

I’ve rambled on long enough, have a great night.

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Adobe Apple Development iPad iPhone

Jobs on Flash

Apple LogoApple: “Symantec recently highlighted Flash for having one of the worst security records in 2009. We also know first hand that Flash is the number one reason Macs crash. We have been working with Adobe to fix these problems, but they have persisted for several years now. We don’t want to reduce the reliability and security of our iPhones, iPods and iPads by adding Flash.

In addition, Flash has not performed well on mobile devices. We have routinely asked Adobe to show us Flash performing well on a mobile device, any mobile device, for a few years now. We have never seen it. Adobe publicly said that Flash would ship on a smartphone in early 2009, then the second half of 2009, then the first half of 2010, and now they say the second half of 2010. We think it will eventually ship, but we’re glad we didn’t hold our breath. Who knows how it will perform?” – Now you know.

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Apple Development iPad

No iPad for testing?

Scobleizer: “Even the app developers never had their hands on iPads (I talked with several developers, even at “hot” companies like Evernote, while waiting in line, and they had to develop their apps without even seeing an iPad) so the marketplace couldn’t tell them before it shipped just how hot this would be.” – What company would do that? Yep, only Apple would feel confident enough in their simulator to not get beta units to developers. I don’t know that I’ve ever heard of a company doing this. I’d love to know how many applications that appeared on day one required bug fixes right away? Does anyone have any data on this?

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Apple iPhone Life

A little anger

Lee Brimelow (The Flash Blog): “Personally I will not be giving Apple another cent of my money until there is a leadership change over there. I’ve already moved most of my book, music, and video purchases to Amazon and I will continue to look elsewhere. Now, I want to be clear that I am not suggesting you do the same and I’m also not trying to organize some kind of boycott. Me deciding not to give money to Apple is not going to do anything to their bottom line. But this is equivalent to me walking into Macy’s to buy a new wallet and the salesperson spits in my face. Chances are I won’t be buying my wallets at Macy’s anymore, no matter how much I like them.” – Honestly I’m surprised Adobe would employ this fella. He’s the same guy that used porn in a post as an example of why Flash was needed.

Curly, the original knucklehead.If Adobe has a problem with Apple they have a perfectly good way to show it, stop creating product for Apple platforms. Will they do it, no, of course not. They have an established brand on the Mac with a huge following. It’s not like Apple is going to jerk the rug out from under them on the Mac, how can they. The Mac is what it is. Flash is what it is on the Mac. Steve Jobs chose to keep the new platform clean. It’s apparent he doesn’t like how cross platform applications look, feel, and perform on the Mac. I’m sure we’ll get crummy apps on the iPhone and on the iPad, but I don’t have a problem with their move. If you want to write code for the iPhone, or iPad, just download the tools, and get to work. Hey, if a knucklehead like me can figure this stuff out, you can too.

Adobe has a lot of different options in the mobile space, embrace those, if Flash becomes wildly popular on the other platforms Apple may have to “give in” at some point.

John Gruber’s take on it: “Consider, for one example, Amazon’s Kindle clients for iPhone OS and Mac OS X. The iPhone OS Kindle app is excellent, a worthy rival in terms of experience to Apple’s own iBooks. The Mac Kindle app is a turd that doesn’t look, feel, or behave like a real Mac app. The iPhone OS Kindle app is a native iPhone app, written in Cocoa Touch. The Mac Kindle app was produced using the cross-platform Qt toolkit.”

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Apple Development iPhone

Will 4.0 ban “cross-compiling?”

John Gruber: “My reading of this new language is that cross-compilers, such as the Flash-to-iPhone compiler in Adobe’s upcoming Flash Professional CS5 release, are prohibited. This also bans apps compiled using MonoTouch and Unity3D — tools that compiles C# and .NET apps to the iPhone. It’s unclear what this means for tools like [Appcelerator] and [PhoneGap], but it sounds to me like they’re on the wrong side of this new rule, and the folks behind Appcelerator already realize they might be out of bounds.” – I’m not exactly sure how things like the Flash to iPhone App conversion stuff works but if they’re running running Flash code through something that generates Objective-C code, which is then compiled, is that breaking the rules?

Food for thought.

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Apple Business iPad Mobile

Being first isn’t always good

Green Apple LogoScobleizer: “It’s sad that Bill Gates tried to get Microsoft to deliver the Tablet PC vision but Microsoft mostly failed where Apple has largely succeeded. Some because the market is more ready for a Tablet PC today (we have wifi in a lot of places now, and 3G coverage is getting there). Some because technology has evolved (battery life is dramatically better than back then and lighter too). Some because prices have come down.” – Think about Apple for a minute, their successes, their failures. The iPod, Sony was in this space long before Apple. Apple perfected it, brought us integration with the desktop, and great online store integration. The iPhone, there were many, many, other cell phone companies. Apple perfected the smart phone, brought us integration with the desktop, a great online store, and the web anywhere, at any time, the way we wanted it, and gave developers a way to make money and not have to worry about distribution. Now, we have the iPad, Apple has once again perfected, or at least have a great start to perfecting it. Apple brought us great integration with the desktop, a great online store, web anywhere, books anywhere, movies anywhere, and gave developers a great way to make money and not have to worry about application distribution.

See a pattern here? Apple may not be first, but they definitely know how to perfect the user experience.