Adobe concedes HTML5 video support for iOS in Flash Media Server

Posted:
in iPad edited January 2014
After a heated public battle with Apple over Flash support in iOS devices, Adobe has conceded, announcing support for serving Apple's devices with standard HTML5 video from its Flash Media Server product.



A press release from Adobe announced a "new version of Adobe Flash® Media Server that can now deliver Flash technology to Apple iPhone and iPad devices," causing some confusion among users who know that Apple's devices do not support Flash at all.



In reality, Adobe will simply be adding the ability for its Flash-branded server product to serve standards-based HTML5 video in addition to Flash video.



Adobe later noted that, "with Adobe Flash Media Server 4.5, media publishers now have a single, simple workflow for delivering content using the same stream to Flash-enabled devices or to the Apple iPhone and iPad."



The move to add non-Flash output to its existing Flash development workflow was the solution Steve Jobs recommended Adobe take in April of 2010 when he penned "Thoughts on Flash," which ended the with the comment, "perhaps Adobe should focus more on creating great HTML5 tools for the future, and less on criticizing Apple for leaving the past behind."



Jobs roundly criticized Flash as being a proprietary technology controlled by Adobe, and noted that the majority of Flash content was simply web videos locked in the Flash format, much of which was already available to iOS users in non-Flash versions, such as with YouTube, Vimeo, Netflix and others.



Jobs also called out Adobe's Flash Player as having reliability, security and performance issues, noting that Adobe kept promising a mobile version that it simply could not ship throughout 2009 and into 2010. "We think it will eventually ship, but we?re glad we didn?t hold our breath," Jobs wrote. "Who knows how it will perform?"



Adobe has since shipped a mobile Flash Player for other platforms, including Android, but it continues to deliver the same performance, security and battery life problems that its desktop version exhibits. Fortunately, the majority of Flash content is simply web video and, as Jobs recognized a year and half ago, most of it is now available via alternative open standards.



Adobe's new support for the open HTTP Live Streaming protocol Apple developed and supports in its iOS mobile devices and on Mac OS X will help developers deeply invested in Flash to reach new audiences of iOS users and further erase the need for the Flash plugin on any platform.



Adobe's new video server tool will not benefit developers who create websites based on Flash or applets or games built in Flash, none of which is accessible from iOS devices or from PCs that have not installed Adobe's Flash Player plugin.

«13

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 46
    That's all I got.
  • Reply 2 of 46
    alfiejralfiejr Posts: 1,524member
    The White Flag Goes Up at Adobe HQ.



    Bye Bye Flash. We Won't Miss You.
  • Reply 3 of 46
    Adobe will be stupid not to concede. With millions of iOS devices being sold, they will concede or lose out.



    Steve Jobs was right. Someone had to lead the pack out of the Adobe Flash fold, and Apple did.
  • Reply 4 of 46
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by OC4Theo View Post


    Adobe will be stupid not to concede. With millions of iOS devices being sold, they will concede or lose out.



    Steve Jobs was right. Someone had to lead the pack out of the Adobe Flash fold, and Apple did.



    While Flash dies, Premier Pro grows in power.



    And both are Apple's doing.
  • Reply 5 of 46
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Woodlink View Post


    That's all I got.



    1999 faxed saying they want their comment back.



    This "first" stuff is sooo 20th century.
  • Reply 6 of 46
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,130member
    People/companies in a once-dominant position always go down kicking and screaming. This validates what Steve Jobs was saying since day one.



    Adobe knew it could not further what is essentially an unstable platform that could be (barely) tolerated on a PC platform but had no business whatsoever being on a mobile platform where performance, stability, efficiency, low-power usage was required.



    I'm curious how the Flash-fanboys will spin this story. I'll bet they won't raise a whimper and will simply scurry to some dark corner and hope that no one will call them on it.



    Goodbye Flash. You will NOT be missed.
  • Reply 7 of 46
    I truly detest flash. Whenever I've had slowdown problems on my Mac, Flash has usually been the culprit.

    Unfortunately, it is still pretty dominant. I tried removing flash from my Mac, but the number of websites that complained with popups became too much, and I reinstalled it.



    I am definitely in Steve's corner on this one. Killing Flash will be another one of his great achievements! It couldn't happen soon enuf for me.
  • Reply 8 of 46
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Applecation View Post


    I truly detest flash. Whenever I've had slowdown problems on my Mac, Flash has usually been the culprit.

    Unfortunately, it is still pretty dominant. I tried removing flash from my Mac, but the number of websites that complained with popups became too much, and I reinstalled it.



    I am definitely in Steve's corner on this one. Killing Flash will be another one of his great achievements! It couldn't happen soon enuf for me.



    Surprised if you haven't tried "click to flash" yet.



    On topic...buh bye flash! It was great in the beginning, but the relationship was over long ago.
  • Reply 9 of 46
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member
    Do people even use FMS anymore? I gave up on it in 2004 I think, when it was still Macromedia. It was expensive. We were beta developers so we got at no charge but they wanted a few thousand dollars for that product, retail price, back then. I haven't kept up but I just never hear about anyone using it now. I developed a few applications with it but it needed a different port which was usually blocked. This was before http streaming became prevalent. I would be interested to hear if anyone else can shed some light on the history and current status of the product.
  • Reply 10 of 46
    When a corporation like Adobe doesn't have the balls to admit they lost and cannot even mention the competing technology that will be a ubiquitous standard you really have to question their leadership.
  • Reply 11 of 46
    LOL Flash got kick in the balls.



    HAHAHA...
  • Reply 12 of 46
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Hmm… I'm glad to see Adobe focusing on areas where they can make a profit supplying video but I'm not sure I'd claim Adobe conceded unless they are also recommending FMS and HTTP Live Streaming for other performance and power-limited devices beside the iOS family.
  • Reply 13 of 46
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    Hmm… I'm glad to see Adobe focusing on areas where they can make a profit supplying video but I'm not sure I'd claim Adobe conceded unless they are also recommending FMS and HTTP Live Streaming for other performance and power-limited devices beside the iOS family.



    I find it interesting that so many big vendors are adding Apple HTTP Live Streaming but not giving credit where credit's due.



    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTP_Live_Streaming



    VLC will of course credit Apple when 1.2 of VLC is released.
  • Reply 14 of 46
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mdriftmeyer View Post


    I find it interesting that so many big vendors are adding Apple HTTP Live Streaming but not giving credit where credit's due.



    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTP_Live_Streaming



    VLC will of course credit Apple when 1.2 of VLC is released.



    Wow! Android 3.0. But wait, Apple never gives anything away and creates no open standards¡





    PS: You know if Google created it and Apple incorporated it we'd be hearing about Google's generosity every fraking day on this forum.
  • Reply 15 of 46
    Quote:

    Fortunately, the majority of Flash content is simply web video



    "Simply web video"? What the heck does that mean?
  • Reply 16 of 46
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by sflocal View Post


    I'm curious how the Flash-fanboys will spin this story.



    Probably like this...



  • Reply 17 of 46
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,130member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by inkswamp View Post


    Probably like this...







    LOL!!!! So very true!!!
  • Reply 18 of 46
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by inkswamp View Post


    Probably like this...







    He's not QUITE dead.
  • Reply 19 of 46
    It was a long, drawn out, public battle. And now it's almost done.
  • Reply 20 of 46
    freerangefreerange Posts: 1,597member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


    While Flash dies, Premier Pro grows in power.



    And both are Apple's doing.



    Oh please. Give it a rest. Adobe has very little market share with Premier Pro and has had to discount it heavily to get people to switch, and STILL has very little market share. FCP X is on v1 and will soon be adding many of the features the pros want. Further, you have to be a complete fool to jump in bed with Adobe as they build bloated, buggy, hard to use, counter intuitive products that are grossly overpriced and which lock you into extortion down the road with each new release. Meanwhile, Apple has set yet another new standard of excellence that will once again revolutionize a market. For those that complain about backwards compatibility, they still have the previous version to work with on their archive projects.



    BTW, I've got some 8 track tapes I'd like to sell you!
Sign In or Register to comment.