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Tablet Musings

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Re: Tablet Musings

#31

Post by SamAtt »

jcnnghm wrote: post #3

Not including flash on a tablet seems like a mistake to me. It's one thing on a cell phone, but quite another on a device that will probably be positioned as a casual use computer.

One of the things you have to consider is Apple's strategic goals beyond the Tablet or even the iPhone.

There's a larger strategic issue here. HTML 5 is going to reduce a lot of the need for Flash and Flash in turn is going to be forced back into it's traditional market of providing streaming media solutions. In that role they are Apple biggest competitor both in format (Quicktime) and content (streaming media competing with iTunes)

By keeping Flash off the iPhone and the tablet Apple is taking their very high income audience and telling web site developers "Support us or risk losses in advertising". In doing that they're using the iPhone and the tablet to further the company as a whole. Something that might be worth losing a few sales in the short run

Re: Tablet Musings

#32

Post by tentonova2 »

jcnnghm wrote: post #3

Not including flash on a tablet seems like a mistake to me. It's one thing on a cell phone, but quite another on a device that will probably be positioned as a casual use computer.

I don't think it's necessarily a mistake if your goal is to strong-arm the industry towards abandoning Flash.

Re: Tablet Musings

#33

Post by axod »

boucher wrote: post #30
axod wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There will always be crazys using silverlight/flash/java applets for ridiculous things. Best avoid them.

As a developer, that is sound advice. As a user, it's silly. I don't get to decide which websites use flash and which don't, and technical limitations don't dictate which sites I want to visit.

It works for me. That's why I've never been interested in adblocking software. If a site annoys me, I just don't go there any more.

That's why I've hardly ever read any of the nytimes articles that get submitted here. Because they put them behind an irritating signup wall. There's accounts you can find on google but I really can't be bothered.

It's not like there's a shortage of websites doing the same thing.

Re: Tablet Musings

#34

Post by wmeredith »

brk wrote: post #12
axod wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The future isn't flash (IMHO). I think leaving it out makes absolute perfect sense. It also makes commercial sense - they don't want people playing flash games on the web, they want them buying games from the appstore.

The future isn't flash Yeah, well the future also isn't here yet. Flash still has much relevance for any web-surfing focused product shipping today.

I'm not sure about this. Or I should say I am sure this is wrong for me and I'm not sure about anyone else.

I do about 1/3 of my internet surfing on my iPhone, at least an hour or two a day and I rarely miss the Flash. In fact, I'd say I'm actually glad it's not there. Most of my major online annoyances are Flash powered.

Re: Tablet Musings

#35

Post by wallflower »

tentonova2 wrote: post #32
jcnnghm wrote: post #3

Not including flash on a tablet seems like a mistake to me. It's one thing on a cell phone, but quite another on a device that will probably be positioned as a casual use computer.

I don't think it's necessarily a mistake if your goal is to strong-arm the industry towards abandoning Flash.

"Were Flash Lite to gain momentum, it might make Adobe the Microsoft of mobiles, and Flash Lite the new Windows. That also makes it obvious why Apple wants to choke Flash to death before it falls into position as the new lowest common denominator in proprietary platforms on a new crop of mobile devices...

And you thought the iPhone was just Apple's way of muscling into the mobile business! No, it’s really a proactive battle against a wide swatch of proprietary platforms promising to plague a new wave of mobile devices."

http://www.roughlydrafted.com/RD/RDM.Tech.Q2.07/879DD82D-559...

Re: Tablet Musings

#36

Post by wensing »

simonw wrote: post #17
brk wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The future isn't flash Yeah, well the future also isn't here yet. Flash still has much relevance for any web-surfing focused product shipping today.

Yes it is, it's just not yet evenly distributed.

The challenge comes when a business must make the majority of its revenue off those that haven't yet received the future. Still supporting IE6, aren't we?

Re: Tablet Musings

#38

Post by roc »

brk wrote: post #12
axod wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The future isn't flash (IMHO). I think leaving it out makes absolute perfect sense. It also makes commercial sense - they don't want people playing flash games on the web, they want them buying games from the appstore.

The future isn't flash Yeah, well the future also isn't here yet. Flash still has much relevance for any web-surfing focused product shipping today.

Except perhaps for any high profile Apple device attached to the App Store (the case in question).

Almost every mainstream site has verified mobile Webkit compatibility and/or dedicated applications. The group of people who still need Flash in that scenario is small enough that leaving it out wouldn't likely have a measurable effect on adoption.

For a web product from a company that can't command as much market attention, shipping without Flash might well be a death knell. But Apple's different. The App Store is different.

Re: Tablet Musings

#39

Post by tcdent »

ryanwaggoner wrote: post #8
csuper wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unfortunately - I bet a lot of this is dead on. I can't imagine the device being more open than any other Apple product is.

But that's just it...Apple's products vary widely in their degree of openness, from the iPod / iPhone / Apple TV on the end to their computers on the other end. So is this thing more like a computer (you buy it, you own it, hack it to hell and put anything you want on it), or an iPhone (you're basically renting this device from us, and we're going to dictate exactly what you can do with it)?

It's my understanding that the original reason behind the closed architecture of the iPhone was to keep the device secure on cell networks. Most of the restrictions are there to protect outside access, which is a good thing for the less savvy users. Plenty believe the App Store and SDK were an afterthought, added only after people grumbled about the restrictions of web-only apps, which were the simplest way to guarantee 3rd party software was safe.

Without the risk of an insecure cellular network, greed would be the only motivating factor in keeping this a closed device.

Re: Tablet Musings

#40

Post by atarashi »

tcdent wrote: post #39
ryanwaggoner wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But that's just it...Apple's products vary widely in their degree of openness, from the iPod / iPhone / Apple TV on the end to their computers on the other end. So is this thing more like a computer (you buy it, you own it, hack it to hell and put anything you want on it), or an iPhone (you're basically renting this device from us, and we're going to dictate exactly what you can do with it)?

It's my understanding that the original reason behind the closed architecture of the iPhone was to keep the device secure on cell networks. Most of the restrictions are there to protect outside access, which is a good thing for the less savvy users. Plenty believe the App Store and SDK were an afterthought, added only after people grumbled about the restrictions of web-only apps, which were the simplest way to guaran…

the original reason behind the closed architecture of the iPhone was to keep the device secure on cell networks

That's probably true for the iPhone, but it doesn't explain the closed nature of the iPod Touch. The two devices share the same core OS, but it wouldn't be difficult to let iPod Touch users download apps outside of the app store. So if its not about protecting the cellular networks, and it's not a technological barrier, what's left? I guess you could argue it's about control or about enforcing a consistent (and "safe") user experience. I'm hoping they don't apply the same thinking to the Tablet.

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