Steve Jobs is not a big fan of a Flash Player for the iPhone according to an eFluxMedia article earlier this month. That’s not stopping Adobe from moving forward with plans to offer a Flash Player for the iPhone anyway. CNet is reporting that Adobe’s CEO, Shantau Narayen, stated that the company is committed to working with Apple to ensure Flash applications can run on the iPhone.
Adobe has even gone as far as beginning to develop the new Flash player themselves using the software development kit (SDK) which Apple provided to third-party developers to create applications for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Of course, it still isn’t clear whether or not Apple will make a Flash player available to download via their iPhone App store if developed. There may be some renewed pressure for Apple to do so, though.
Earlier this week, we reported that Microsoft had licensed Adobe Flash Lite for the Windows Mobile operating system. That will give Window Mobile devices the ability to access Flash applications. If Apple doesn’t follow suit with a Flash player for the iPhone, then Windows Mobile may be considered as having a competitive advantage against the iPhone.
Read more from the CNet article.
I think it would not be a good strategic move for Apple to not allow a Flash player to be offered for the iPhone. Flash is just used too much on the Internet for the iPhone not too have it. Also, it’s too easy to correct the competitive advantage Windows Mobile will have by offering a Flash player.
If for some reason Apple blocks the offering of a Flash player for the iPhone Adobe may have a lawsuit against the company. After all, I think Adobe can clearly make the case that their product is well regarded on the Internet. It is also a product they know people want on the iPhone. Not allowing the Flash player would quite frankly be anti-competitive. If someone from Microsoft had made a statement as decisive as Steve Jobs about a Flash player not being appropriate for the iPhone then you know that people would be screaming about an anti-trust case.
If I was a betting man I think we will no doubt see a Flash player for the iPhone. I just don’t see how Apple blocks it while still looking their customers in the eye let alone a judge if Adobe sues. It honestly would have been better for Apple to warningly adopt a Flash player for the iPhone before Microsoft licensed it. Now if it is adopted it will simply look like Apple is merely doing so in response to Microsoft’s adoption.