Skip the navigation
News

Adobe escalates feud with Apple over Flash

But fails to make its case, analyst argues

By Gregg Keizer
May 13, 2010 12:44 PM ET

Computerworld - Countering recent attacks against its Flash technology by Apple Inc., Adobe Systems Inc. today launched a Web-based ad campaign and issued an open letter written by its co-founders.

The letter, written by Chuck Geschke and John Warnock, who currently serve as co-chairs of Adobe's board of directors, mentions Apple by name only once, but is clearly written as a response to Apple CEO Steve Jobs' anti-Flash fusillade of two weeks ago.

Geschke and Warnock touted Adobe as a leader in what they called "open markets," and argued that their popular technologies -- the PostScript page description language, the PDF format and Flash -- stood for free choice.

"We believe that Apple, by taking the opposite approach, has taken a step that could undermine this next chapter of the web -- the chapter in which mobile devices outnumber computers, any individual can be a publisher, and content is accessed anywhere and at any time," said the pair in their letter.

Elsewhere on Adobe's site, the company posted a message titled "We [heart] choice," and claimed "Openness is at Adobe's core." Adobe also launched a Web advertising campaign using that same theme, with banner and display ads running on several sites.

One analyst said Adobe is waging the wrong campaign. "All the talk of 'open' and 'closed' doesn't matter," said Michael Gartenberg, an analyst at Altimeter Group. "That might be of interest in the coffeehouses of Silicon Valley, but we've moved beyond the point where the tech-savvy insiders make market decisions. The mass market makes the decisions."

Geschke and Warnock also indirectly rebutted Apple's decision to ban software built using an Adobe tool from the App Store, the online mart for users of the iPhone, the iPod Touch and the iPad.

"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," said Geschke and Warnock. "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."

Although the row between Apple and Adobe has been simmering for some time -- driven primarily by the former's refusal to allow Flash onto its mobile devices -- the quarrel got much louder last month when Apple changed the licensing language of its software developers kit, or SDK. The new license forbids developers from using rival programming tools, including one Adobe debuted in Flash Professional CS5 that takes applications written in Flash's ActionScript and recompiles them to run natively on the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad.

Adobe has played the "open" card before in the increasingly acrimonious debate over Flash on the iPhone. Three weeks ago, Mike Chambers, the principal product manager for developer relations for Adobe's Flash platform, accused Apple of creating a "closed, locked-down platform" with its iPhone operating system and associated App Store, and claimed that Flash was one of the "open platforms" that would eventually win out over proprietary technologies.

Chambers leveled his charges as he announced that Adobe would halt further development of its cross-platform compiler.

"When markets are open, anyone with a great idea has a chance to drive innovation and find new customers," argued Geschke and Warnock today. "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."

"Again, that's an inside-the-Beltway, inside-baseball argument," said Gartenberg, and it illustrates Adobe's misguided belief that decisions over competing technologies have an impact on the market. "But we're not inside baseball anymore. Adobe needs to show and explain what users are missing out on if they don't have Flash. And they haven't done that."

Gartenberg also noted that Adobe is alone against Apple in the battle for hearts and minds, and he argued that that was another mistake on its part. "We haven't heard anything from any other voices," Gartenberg said. "Adobe needs to get more people on board, whether that's developers or mobile platform makers. It has to be more than just Adobe."

Some iPhone developers have expressed unease or disgust with Apple's decisions to bar Flash from its mobile devices and block the use of Adobe's cross-compiler. But there's been no widespread public outcry from programmers.

"I'm interested in creating the best product out there, and using the best tools to create that product. Right now, that means using Apple's tools," said Jonathan George, CEO of Boxcar, a company that produces push-notification software for the iPhone. "Frankly, it's Apple's ballgame, and [if] someone else doesn't like it, they can get off the field and go sit in the stands."

"The only way this will work is if Adobe can convince Apple's customers to put pressure on Apple to make a change," said Gartenberg. "But with Apple selling a million iPads in just 28 days, Apple must be feeling pretty good about its position."

Gregg Keizer covers Microsoft, security issues, Apple, Web browsers and general technology breaking news for Computerworld. Follow Gregg on Twitter at Twitter @gkeizer, or subscribe to Gregg's RSS feed Keizer RSS. His e-mail address is gkeizer@ix.netcom.com.

Read more about App Development in Computerworld's App Development Topic Center.



Additional Resources
Forrester Consulting - Optimizing Users and Applications in a Mobile World
WHITE PAPER
Solving application issues over the WAN requires careful consideration. Based on their independent research, Forrester Consulting offers recommendations on how to tackle application performance issues, insufficient bandwidth and the inability to quickly restore users in a disaster.

Read now.

Security KnowledgeVault
WHITE PAPER
Security is not an option. This KnowledgeVault Series offers professional advice how to be proactive in the fight against cybercrimes and multi-layered security threats; how to adopt a holistic approach to protecting and managing data; and how to hire a qualified security assessor. Make security your Number 1 priority.

Read now.

Cut Communications Costs Once and for All
WHITE PAPER
New IP-based communications systems are being deployed by small and midsized businesses at a rapid rate. Learn how these organizations are enabling faster responsiveness, creating better customer experiences, speeding office or mobile interactions, and dramatically reducing existing communications costs.

Read now.

App Development White Papers
The Keys to Distributed & Agile Application Development
How leading firms are winning with strategies for efficient application development, without relying on co-location.
Overcome Top 7 Admin Challenges of Active Directory
As Active Directory's role in the enterprise has drastically increased, so has the need to secure the data. Gain insight on creating repeatable,...
Insiders Can Ruin Your Company. Take Action.
Did you know that 80 percent of threats to an organization come from the inside? The threat from insiders is often overlooked in...
Top Solutions and Tools to Prevent Devastating Malware
Custom malware frequently goes undetected. According to Forrester Research, the best way to reduce risk of breach is to deploy file integrity monitoring...
Streamline Compliance and Increase ROI
Streamline, simplify, and automate compliance related activities; especially those that impact multiple business units. This white paper from NetIQ, outlines solutions that will...
All App Development White Papers
App Development Webcasts
Reduced TCO for Communications Applications with New Oracle SPARC Servers
In this webcast learn how Oracle's new SPARC T4 servers and SPARC Supercluster deliver the security, performance, and scalability required for 4G network...
Optimizing Networks for the Cloud
Join guest speaker, Rohit Mehra, IDC Director of Enterprise Communications Infrastructure, to explore current trends, discuss best practices for optimizing Data Center and...
Apps QuickStart Series Part 2: Designing and Deploying SQL Server on VMware vSphere
Download this webcast to learn about the design considerations for virtualizing SQL workloads, performance and scalability information and high-availability options, as well as...
Apps QuickStart Series Part 1: Designing and Deploying Exchange 2010 on VMware vSphere
Download this webcast to learn the virtual hardware design considerations for Exchange 2010, deployment using the building block approach, options for high-availability and...
Customer Spotlight: How IPC The Hospitalist Company Implemented Oracle on VMware
Have you been looking to hear about customer's experiences with the new VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager product? View this webcast to learn...
All App Development Webcasts
Newsletter Sign-Up

Receive the latest news test, reviews and trends on your favorite technology topics

Choose a newsletter
  1. View all newsletters | Privacy Policy
IT Jobs