Apple plans to push HTML5 by creating new, 'innovative' websites
Apple's newly formed "creative technology team" will be responsible for creating new, interactive HTML5-based content on the company's website to support owners of iOS devices like the iPhone and iPad.
A new job listing from Apple advertises a position for a "Creative Technology Manager" to lead the new creative technology team. The position, a part of the company's worldwide marketing communications group, will spearhead new HTML5-based content on Apple's website.
"This individual will be responsible for driving web-standard (HTML5) innovation that enhances and redefines the marketing of Apple's products and services to millions of consumers," the job listing reads. "Work will also include exploring opportunities with apple.com, email and mobile/multi-touch experiences on the iPhone and iPad."
It states that the person will lead a team to develop interactive prototypes for HTML5 websites "to evaluate innovative ideas and approaches to standards-based" development. The job will require the person to explore new types of content on apple.com, including websites specifically designed for mobile and multi-touch browsers.
Apple has recently added a handful of interactive HTML5 features to its website. This month, it released a new movie showtimes section of its Movie Trailers page, which allows users to automatically find the nearest theater and check showtimes on a desktop or iOS device.
And in August, a new option to compare Macs was added to Apple's online store. That HTML5-based web feature allows customers to review the hardware specifications and prices of multiple machines at once.
In June, Apple highlighted the interactive capabilities of HTML5, showing off features such as a 360-degree view of the entrance to Apple's iconic Fifth Avenue store in New York City, or an embedded trailer for the upcoming movie "Tron." These demonstrations were accomplished without any browser plugins and can be viewed in a a browser that supports HTML5, like Apple's own Safari.
Apple's promotion of HTML5 is part of the company's stance against Adobe Flash, which Chief Executive Steve Jobs slammed as unfit for mobile devices in a letter published earlier this year. Flash-based Web content is not available on iOS devices.
When the iPad launched earlier this year, Apple also launched a new section of its website to show off other sites that are iPad ready. Many of the featured sites offer embedded HTML5 video, and all of them rely on Web standards, including CSS3 and JavaScript, without relying on Flash.
A new job listing from Apple advertises a position for a "Creative Technology Manager" to lead the new creative technology team. The position, a part of the company's worldwide marketing communications group, will spearhead new HTML5-based content on Apple's website.
"This individual will be responsible for driving web-standard (HTML5) innovation that enhances and redefines the marketing of Apple's products and services to millions of consumers," the job listing reads. "Work will also include exploring opportunities with apple.com, email and mobile/multi-touch experiences on the iPhone and iPad."
It states that the person will lead a team to develop interactive prototypes for HTML5 websites "to evaluate innovative ideas and approaches to standards-based" development. The job will require the person to explore new types of content on apple.com, including websites specifically designed for mobile and multi-touch browsers.
Apple has recently added a handful of interactive HTML5 features to its website. This month, it released a new movie showtimes section of its Movie Trailers page, which allows users to automatically find the nearest theater and check showtimes on a desktop or iOS device.
And in August, a new option to compare Macs was added to Apple's online store. That HTML5-based web feature allows customers to review the hardware specifications and prices of multiple machines at once.
In June, Apple highlighted the interactive capabilities of HTML5, showing off features such as a 360-degree view of the entrance to Apple's iconic Fifth Avenue store in New York City, or an embedded trailer for the upcoming movie "Tron." These demonstrations were accomplished without any browser plugins and can be viewed in a a browser that supports HTML5, like Apple's own Safari.
Apple's promotion of HTML5 is part of the company's stance against Adobe Flash, which Chief Executive Steve Jobs slammed as unfit for mobile devices in a letter published earlier this year. Flash-based Web content is not available on iOS devices.
When the iPad launched earlier this year, Apple also launched a new section of its website to show off other sites that are iPad ready. Many of the featured sites offer embedded HTML5 video, and all of them rely on Web standards, including CSS3 and JavaScript, without relying on Flash.
Comments
As bad as Flash is, let's face it... HTML5 thus far has proven far less capable than Flash. The HTML workarounds are not as sophisticated or interesting as a clever Flash implementation.
Isn't it too early to be calling time on HTML5. When I visit Flash sites on my MBP, my thighs begin to burn.
As bad as Flash is, let's face it... HTML5 thus far has proven far less capable than Flash. Adobe should really commit to cleaning up their code and make Flash leaner and more stable. The HTML workarounds are not as sophisticated or interesting as a clever Flash implementation.
When you say HTML5 I assume you are speaking about a combination of JavaScript and other technologies used to duplicate Flash functionality. What we're really missing right now is a development environment to make these things more accessible for developers. Until then, the likes of Strong Bad will probably remain in Flash.
HTML5 (borrowing your usage to reflect all the technologies people tend to talk about under the umbrella of this term) is blossoming and will easily replace Flash for nearly everything in time. This is a good thing, because HTML5, JavaScript, SVG—they are open standards available to everyone and not controlled by a single company. As much as I make use of Adobe's tools in web development and design, I do not like one bit that they control Flash.
As bad as Flash is, let's face it... HTML5 thus far has proven far less capable than Flash. Adobe should really commit to cleaning up their code and make Flash leaner and more stable. The HTML workarounds are not as sophisticated or interesting as a clever Flash implementation.
Seems like capitalist are also very good at spending other peoples money, the big difference is only a few benefit under that form of capitalism. Having spent many years visiting a notoriously socialistic nothern European country which has an extremely high income tax compared to the US and seeing its citizens have by law, 4 weeks paid vacation, 100 percent health care coverage, mother and father leave (not at the same time) for 9 months, a housing market that is affordable to most of its citizens, free college education, etc... The US has many great things going for it, it does produce excellence and successful entrepreneur like no where else. The downside is a society with little safety net for the poor or middle class when illness or disaster strikes. Modern western style countries don't have homeless people like we do, they don't have citizens selling their homes to pay for medical bills, they don't have lawyers chasing ambulances and politicians that are owned by big corporations. So if you think returning to a Thatcher / Reagan government is where we need to go you have not been reading your history books.
Seems like capitalist are also very good at spending other peoples money, the big difference is only a few benefit under that form of capitalism. Having spent many years visiting a notoriously socialistic nothern European country which has an extremely high income tax compared to the US and seeing its citizens have by law, 4 weeks paid vacation, 100 percent health care coverage, mother and father leave (not at the same time) for 9 months, a housing market that is affordable to most of its citizens, free college education, etc... The US has many great things going for it, it does produce excellence and successful entrepreneur like no where else. The downside is a society with little safety net for the poor or middle class when illness or disaster strikes. Modern western style countries don't have homeless people like we do, they don't have citizens selling their homes to pay for medical bills, they don't have lawyers chasing ambulances and politicians that are owned by big corporations. So if you think returning to a Thatcher / Reagan government is where we need to go you have not been reading your history books.
Wow! you really tied that right into the topic...
As bad as Flash is, let's face it... HTML5 thus far has proven far less capable than Flash. Adobe should really commit to cleaning up their code and make Flash leaner and more stable. The HTML workarounds are not as sophisticated or interesting as a clever Flash implementation.
As Xian Zhu Xuande stated, it?s not just HTML5 that is chipping away at Flash?s market, but a combination of HTML, CSS and JS. And they have been very successful already. Just look at all these smartphones. This couldn?t have happened with Flash and Adobe is still working to get Flash on more than few percent of the Android-based phones.
Then there are the OSes built from this technology. WebOS, Chrome OS and others. I don?t see any Flash OS from Adobe. Frankly, HTML5 (with or without CSS and JS) isn?t supposed to be a 1 to 1 competitor to Flash. That?s Silverlight?s job. These open source standards are just making the web better and as a result are chipping away at Flash
It?ll be a long time before any of these open standards can fully best everything that Flash has to offer right now, but there are aspects of HTML5/JS/CSS that are better than Flash, like video streaming. Add in HTTP Live Streaming?s ability for encryption and you have a real competitor to the last remaining reason why companies feel they have to stick with Flash for modern browsers.
Wouldn't it have been easier to just partner with Adobe and make everyone happy?
Wow! you really tied that right into the topic...
Socialist governments traditionally do make a financial mess. They always run out of other people's money. ?Margaret Thatcher, 1976
We can't return to this kind of thinking.
nice ? but when will we be able to add a little HTML5 to the web using iweb?
And have iWeb auto-create mobile sites for handheld devices.
As bad as Flash is, let's face it... HTML5 thus far has proven far less capable than Flash. Adobe should really commit to cleaning up their code and make Flash leaner and more stable. The HTML workarounds are not as sophisticated or interesting as a clever Flash implementation.
How can you draw a comparison between a coding language for web site development and a multimedia application creation platform? Do you understand what HTML5 is?
When you say HTML5 I assume you are speaking about a combination of JavaScript and other technologies used to duplicate Flash functionality.
I was just going to say the same thing about the common misunderstanding of the difference between HTTML 5 and JS/CSS. HTML 5 for most practical purposes to the people around here is the <video> tag. Everything else is JS/CSS. Both powerful tools for what they are designed to do. Trying to make that combo replace Flash is just too much effort. Unless JS gets a true timeline with keyframes and tweening, there is no point. The canvas tag in it's current ideration is just lame considering you have to repaint the whole canvas if you want to move one pixel. There are many very worthwhile things that JS is the perfect tool for, replacing Flash just isn't one.
And in August, a new option to compare Macs was added to Apple's online store. That HTML5-based web feature allows customers to review the hardware specifications and prices of multiple machines at once.
Oh, putain!
What's so 5-ish about that comparator? ``<div id="compareOverlay"...>...' '?
As bad as Flash is, let's face it... HTML5 thus far has proven far less capable than Flash. Adobe should really commit to cleaning up their code and make Flash leaner and more stable. The HTML workarounds are not as sophisticated or interesting as a clever Flash implementation.
There are some things HTML+CSS+Javascript can't do... For everything else, there's MasterCard... Uh, wha?
Seriously though, if we look at the kind of sites Flash is used for, and video delivery, HTML/5+CSS+Javascript takes care of most of that. There are some really good Flash sites that could only be done in Flash, but those are few and far between. The current demand of the web audience can be satisfied well without using Flash.
The other use of Flash is web animated banners, etc. which consume less bandwidth than if it were video elements. But they are the most annoying.
So if we're talking complex animations, then yes, Flash and all that is great. But it's not used widely, and it, to me, is mostly annoying ads.
If we're talking deep interactivity, then Flash can be great. But if you look at things like Facebook (don't knock it) they actually deliver a high level of interactivity and user interfacing that even scales to Internet Explorer 6.
So, there are people that push Flash to the very limits, but for a lot of it out there, HTML/5 + CSS + Javascript is really the way to go, plus HTML5 video.
Adobe has some choices to make. Flash is not dead, not by any stretch of the imagination. But it's popularity for new major web ventures could be waning.
Apple's newly formed "creative technology team" will be responsible for creating new, interactive HTML5-based content on the company's website to support owners of iOS devices like the iPhone and iPad.
I think this is a head fake for what they are really up to... iAds for the general web. Google be warned!
I think this is a head fake for what they are really up to... iAds for the general web. Google be warned!
Let's not warn Google
I was also thinking it's unnecessary for Apple to spend any time on demonstrating html5 capabilities on Apple.com. Apart from improving MobileMe/iWork and perhaps building some dropbox-type functionality into Me, most people on the net are not really that interested in the Apple sites but rather the content and material everywhere else.
I think this is a head fake for what they are really up to... iAds for the general web. Google be warned!
Interesting concept. I thought about that as well while reading the iAds development documentation. The problem is that the current iAds delivery format is completely incompatible with the common website structure. In addition, the iAds format is designed to allow it to overlay the base content. This would require the website to relinquish complete control to the iAd which isn't going to happen. That is why current ad banners send you to a landing page and the user has to hit the back button to return to where they left off. Unfortunately with all the JS and Ajax going on, the back button has no clue where you left off so you land on the originating home page instead.
And have iWeb auto-create mobile sites for handheld devices.
Yeah, I'm ready for a big iWeb upgrade myself. I'd like to get rid of my web host and WP install for an all apple (MobileMe) solution but only after I see some improvements. Sometimes it feels as though I'm waiting for apple to simplify my digital life. They have a lot of work still to do.
Seems like capitalist are also very good at spending other peoples money, the big difference is only a few benefit under that form of capitalism. Having spent many years visiting a notoriously socialistic nothern European country which has an extremely high income tax compared to the US and seeing its citizens have by law, 4 weeks paid vacation, 100 percent health care coverage, mother and father leave (not at the same time) for 9 months, a housing market that is affordable to most of its citizens, free college education, etc... The US has many great things going for it, it does produce excellence and successful entrepreneur like no where else. The downside is a society with little safety net for the poor or middle class when illness or disaster strikes. Modern western style countries don't have homeless people like we do, they don't have citizens selling their homes to pay for medical bills, they don't have lawyers chasing ambulances and politicians that are owned by big corporations. So if you think returning to a Thatcher / Reagan government is where we need to go you have not been reading your history books.
??? Was this intended for a different blog?
Interesting concept. I thought about that as well while reading the iAds development documentation. The problem is that the current iAds delivery format is completely incompatible with the common website structure. In addition, the iAds format is designed to allow it to overlay the base content. This would require the website to relinquish complete control to the iAd which isn't going to happen. That is why current ad banners send you to a landing page and the user has to hit the back button to return to where they left off. Unfortunately with all the JS and Ajax going on, the back button has no clue where you left off so you land on the originating home page instead.
That is how iAds in the App Store work. If (and when) Apple moves iAds to the web as a whole I would imagine they would change that to accommodate the different environment. They?d also have to have some fallback for older browsers, but that isn?t that hard to do.
An unforeseen card in Apple favour could be ad blockers that seek out Flash content. Using open standards these ad blockers would have to be much more intelligent. This could mean a non-Flash-based ad system for browsers would inherently give Apple?s product more eyeballs thus making it more desirable to advertisers. I don?t know if Google?s ad service for the handsets is moving to a non-Flash based service, but I would expect they are.