You’re doing it wrong Adobe
The battle between Apple and Adobe is heating up yet again. Adobe today released their online ads saying how much they love Apple. In addition, they released a quote about the issue:
We believe that consumers should be able to freely access their favorite content and applications, regardless of what computer they have, what browser they like, or what device suits their needs. No company – no matter how big or how creative – should dictate what you can create, how you create it, or what you can experience on the web.
(Via Engadget)
Lets talk about the ad for just a moment. Notice how they put the emphasis on Apple taking away YOUR freedom, YOUR creativity, YOUR experience. Smart move. Make this a problem for the consumer, not for Adobe.
I do have a problem with Adobe insisting your choice is taken away. The consumer can decide to not purchase and iPhone or an iPad, or any other device Apple has running with an OS that prevents flash from running.
The other problem is the undeniable instability of flash in the browser. Simply put, it crashes… frequently. I have a problem with flash killing something almost everyday. So, until Adobe can produce a mobile version of flash and demonstrate its stability in the mobile environment (including other things such as memory usage and battery life), I agree with Apple.
In Apple’s thoughts on Flash letter, Steve Jobs is writes:
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.
New open standards created in the mobile era, such as HTML5, will win on mobile devices (and PCs too). Perhaps Adobe should focus more on creating great HTML5 tools for the future, and less on criticizing Apple for leaving the past behind.
Bottom line for me? I like both Apple and Adobe. I use macs, and I use creative suite. A lot of the stuff I do wouldn’t be the same without either of them. I have used Adobe products for years for web design, however, I never really like Flash. So there, I have a bias. I do agree with Apple. Maybe instead of trying to save your current business model, you can evolve and get into a new business model, or modify your tools to make open standards creation easier than the rest.