Interviews with Digital Media Thought Leaders
Apple, Occam’s Razor, and Adobe Flash
Podcast Audio | Posted by Phil Leigh on April 15, 2010
Phil Leigh
In the 14th century William of Ockham originated a logic principle later known as Occam’s Razor. Boiled down, it concludes that the simplest explanation for a phenomenon is usually the valid one. For example, although Ptolemy’s geocentric model predicted planetary locations with reasonable accuracy, it was much more complex than the valid Copernican heliocentric model. By implication the Razor endorsed the Copernican model and even anticipated it by 100 years. Similarly the principle implies that Oswald acted alone, President Harding died of natural causes, and that Special Order 191 was lost through carelessness and not espionage.
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Adobe’s Flash format accounts for about 80% of Web video, including YouTube. The only reason we can watch YouTube on our iPhones, iPod Touches, and iPads is because the videos play through a special application. But when we visit websites containing Flash videos and advertisements with such devices, we simply can’t see them unless the hosting websites created special applications enabling them to play. That’s the principal reason a year ago that Inside Digital Media started using the YouTube player to exhibit the videos we record and post at our website. The situation is further complicated by the fact that video podcasts must be in yet another format favored by Apple, because podcasts are downloaded while Flash typically is streamed.Although Steve Jobs has repeatedly explained that Flash is a resource hog sometimes causing Apple products to crash, many outsiders are skeptical. Pointing to the fact that Flash is installed on more computers than Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, they suggest other explanations sometimes leading to dark conspiracy theories. However, given the context of Adobe and Flash history, it appears that Jobs can be taken at his word as Occam’s Razor implies.
First, Flash’s popularity on the Web is partly a reflection of the fact that it is more compatible with Windows-based products than those from Apple. Thus, while Microsoft may not consider Flash to be a resource hog, it does not mean that it fails to be one in the Apple environment. Consider that Flash has been used for about 15 years. Thus, its original developers had far greater incentive to ensure compatibility with Window’s computers (i.e. PCs) as opposed to Macs. Even today PCs account for over 90% of computers in use. Thus, if there are technical reasons why Flash cannot be made equally compatible with the Window’s and Mac platforms, it seems certain that Adobe will favor Redmond.
Second, given the high level of self-esteem among Apple employees, Adobe’s historical reputation for arrogance no doubt compounds the problem. As Robert Cringely put it in Accidental Empires nearly 20 years ago, “The customer is so primitive that he or she is not even qualified to say what they need. Welcome to the Adobe Zone.”
Thus, Adobe invented a tool-kit enabling third-party developers to create programs in Flash that will automatically convert to applications capable of running on both Android and Apple platforms. Adobe calls it an “open platform” initiative, but Apple interprets it as an attempt to bypass its own tools.
Essentially, the two companies have potentially competing goals. Adobe wants Flash to be the default applications development platform whereas Apple wants to maximize market share for iPhones, iPads, and iPodTouches. If Adobe’s tool-kit became a de-facto standard and Apple added new features in a new iPhone OS release, Adobe’s tool-kit might be slow to adopt them. In such a scenario Adobe, and not Apple, will be determining when new third-party apps will be introduced on Apple products. It is not a tolerable situation in Cupertino especially in view Flash’s traditional worship at the altar of Redmond.
Accordingly, Apple’s new developer agreement basically requires that third party app programmers use Apple’s tool-kit. Adobe is left to howl in protest which regrettably they are doing with characteristic arrogance. In short, Flash does not play well with Apple products, and Adobe would do better approaching Apple with humility than arrogance especially considering the divergent financial performance of the respective companies recently.
Categories: Podcast Audio
Tags: Add new tag, Adobe, Apple, Flash, iPad, iPhone, iPodTouch, Occam's Razor, YouTube
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I usually enjoy your column - but you’re out of your depth here.
Flash plays fine with Apple products. The problem is Mr. Jobs deliberately hobbles Flash by not allowing Flash to access key components (namely the Graphics Processor Unit aka GPU). Here’s the findings of The Streaming Learning Center:
“It seems reasonable to assume that if the Flash Player could access GPU-based hardware acceleration on the Mac (or iPod/iPhone/iPad), the difference between the CPU required for HTML5 playback and Flash playback would be very much narrowed, if not eliminated.”
Here’s the link if you’d care to learn more:
http://www.streaminglearningcenter.com/articles/flash-player-cpu-hog-or-hot-tamale-it-depends-.html
Flash isn’t going anywhere. Google has recently announced they are incorporating Flash into their Chrome browser. When Flash 10.1 is released (within the next few months) Flash will be on tons of smartphones including Android, Palm and Blackberry… basically every one except the iDevices. We’ll see what consumers say about the lack of Flash on their iDevices at that point.
Jobs has enraged many Developers with his latest absurd dictum that Developers cannot use cross-compilers. This doesn’t just affect Flash Developer, there are many other methods of cross-compiling to the iPhone that are now prohibited that have nothing to do with Flash.
Watch for Apple and iDevices to begin a long, slow slide into niche market status - just as Mr. Jobs’ policies caused the Macintosh (which also had a huge lead - like the iPhone) to become a niche product.
Adobe made it’s bed with Apple when it decided not support OS X or put even the slightest effort into Flash for the Mac. Well, time to pay the fiddler! Steve’s judgment cometh, and that right soon…
FLASH IS DEAD - JOIN THE HTML5 REVOLUTION!
The main reason I would not want a Flash monopoly if I were Apple is that they are not obligated in any way to keep updates current. Apple can’t “force” them to write new code; they can’t be fired.
Apple IS a closed system, which is why it is popular. My Windows machine takes about 3.5 minutes to start up, not including the inevitable virus or OS updates. My macpro takes 15 seconds, except for an occasional update, which is no restart many times.
I really don’t want Adobe’s system in my Mac system. Apparently, neither does Jobs. There are no real monopolies to the web, other than Flash. No browser monopolies, and no web tool monopolies.
Since there are obvious workarounds, I would think a web developer would want to see Apple force 150 million users to go to an open web video standard. More work and mo money.
I think Phil is perfectly within his depth. Apple does not want Adobe dictating when and how it will integrate with their mobile OS, and for once Apple’s own interests will be a boon for developing a more open video experience, even if accidentally.