iPad vs. Flash: Battle of the Tech Standards Titans
April 11, 2010 by Nate Winter
Let me be the first to inform you, iPad is here! Okay, I’m more like the 10 millionth person to inform you of that since Apple released the much-anticipated tablet device last week.
But maybe I’m the first person to inform you that, while Apple claims iPad is “the best way to experience the web,” the device won't display Adobe Flash content. You know, Flash, the technology that accounts for some of the most interesting and visually stunning experiences on the web. Yeah, iPad won’t display it.
And if you’re thinking you can just download the latest Flash plug-in like you do on your computer, you’d be wrong. iPad doesn’t offer the flexibility of a laptop or desktop operating system in terms of browsers, plug-ins, etc. It’s a closed system, and Flash isn’t a part of it.
We know Apple well enough to realize this isn’t an oversight. iPhones don’t display Flash content either, but Apple excused that by saying the technology drained the battery too quickly. Apple could’ve easily made Flash an option that users enable to view certain websites, or disable to conserve battery life.
Tech pundits have read between the lines and surmised that Apple is politically intolerant toward Flash. It’s a bold position to take, which is why Apple hasn’t publicly admitted it.
Faults with Flash
There are legitimate reasons to dislike Flash, and many developers outside of Apple are vocal about the technology’s faults.
Insecurity-- Flash content and the browser plug-ins that display it are the easiest points of entry for viruses and other malware. With Apple’s reputation for immunity to viruses, you can't blame it for wanting to eliminate any weak spots in the security of its devices.
Non-compliance with web standards-- There are recognized standards for what technologies work best on the web, and Flash isn’t one of them. It just doesn’t work consistently across different platforms. Plus, it requires a separate download. Apple.com outlines the latest web standards, citing them as vital for iPad compatibility.
SEO unfriendliness-- Flash content is not easily read by search engine spiders, making SEO (search engine optimization) efforts difficult on sites where Flash prevails. Flash experts maintain that there are ways around this and that Flash is becoming more transparent, but for SEO, Flash just doesn’t work as well as plain old HTML.
Strong Competition-- Technologies like JavaScript and Ajax offer some of the animation and other rich media experiences generally attributed to Flash, but they comply with web standards and don’t require additional plug-ins or downloads.
Loss of Control-- Apple has a control complex. Complete control over every aspect of the product is ingrained in its process and culture. It sounds sinister, but it’s what allows Apple products to work so seamlessly. Accepting Flash leaves too much of the iPhone and iPad user experience in the hands of Adobe.
Support for Flash
But despite its shortcomings, Flash has been a part of the web ecosystem for years, and won’t go away overnight. When it works well, it delivers the kind of experiences that wow us. We’re so used to regular HTML sites that when a truly innovative Flash site crops up, it takes us by surprise. That part of Flash will be difficult to do away with.
Flash is getting more powerful and more flexible, too. ActionScript has blown it wide open, making Flash programming faster and easier. And its renowned clunkiness is being overcome by techniques for pulling Flash content from a database and editing it with a CMS (content management system).
The Response
I don’t fault Apple for disliking Flash and pushing for its demise. However, can you really make a web-centric product like iPad and call it “the best way to experience the web” without Flash support? I’m interested to see what the customer response will be and if users will demand an option to enable Flash.
In the event of an uproar, would Apple bow to public pressure and allow Flash on iPad? That’s not generally Apple’s style, but we’ve seen the folks in Cupertino cave in before. Remember when it dropped iPhone’s price $200 just one month after its release? The resulting outcry was so loud that Apple gave $100 refunds to everyone who bought it at the original price.
Apple’s change of heart toward Flash would be far cheaper and more subtle than a big public refund. A Flash-enabling option could be part of an iPad software update that users would download for free. But for Apple, this isn’t about what would be cheap or easy; this is political. And if Apple’s political opposition to Flash has resulted in a product that offers anything less than "the best way to experience the web," we should be hearing about it any day now.
