It’s been a pretty basic disagreement that we all thought would be over quickly. Apple decided not to include Flash on the iPad. That seems to be the event that sparked all this. Steve Jobs later wrote a detailed letter as to exactly why Flash was left out in the cold. Now, it seems Adobe feels the need to fire back. They have been running huge ads in support of Flash on quite a number of websites today. They begin with a big “We [heart] Apple” banner and end with an incendiary remark about your freedom being taken away:
“What we don’t love is anybody taking away your freedom to choose what you create, how you create it, and what you experience on the web.”
This new ad campaign comes in concert with a new Freedom of Choice channel on Adobe’s website. I understand what Adobe is trying to say here, but I’m just having a hard time buying into it. Adobe hasn’t really been that interested in freedom until they got locked out of Apple. Flash, a very important part of the web as we know it, is also the bane of many users and developers alike.
While Jobs’s Thoughts On Flash aims to explain why Flash is a problem in it’s current state, Adobe’s new ad campaign and website barely get to the primary issues. Even the included open letter to Apple does not address the main points. It all reads like ad copy. Adobe simply seems to be trying to sell us Flash with ideals of freedom on the web with no real reasons as to why Flash is needed.
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.
When markets are open, anyone with a great idea has a chance to drive innovation and find new customers. Adobe’s business philosophy is based on a premise that, in an open market, the best products will win in the end — and the best way to compete is to create the best technology and innovate faster than your competitors.
The emphasis here is mine, but exactly highlights the problem many have with Flash. If they want anyone to jump on the Flash bandwagon and support their cause, they need to follow their own advice. We need to see Flash running quickly and efficiently in the mobile arena. If it can’t really do so as it is on full-fledged computers, I’m not sure that’s even possible.