No Flash Support on the iPhone

[rjlawrencejr]

Flash = VOIP? I don't see a connection

I have seen a couple of posts hint at the possibility that there's no Flash support due to concerns VOIP might be implemented on the phone. I don't see the connection between the two.

For those of you wondering how to turn off Flash support in Safari: go to preferences and security and there you will see a box to turn off all plug-ins.

While there will be no support for Java, there will be support for javascript. Please, don't confuse the two - they are not the same.

 

[nbs2]

I wonder would all those who are not happy with it's 'release candidate feature set limitations' buy one if it were say only $300 ???

I think the majority of folks both on and off MR would be willing to trade flash capability on their phone for $300.

I'm reserving judgement until I'm sure that I'll be able to buy the thing first, but I'd venture that most of the frustration isn't the lack of flash (or java or memory or solid details) - it comes from the lack coupled with the high price. If the phone was free as cheap, I'd venture to guess that only the die-hard complainers would be spouting about the lack of flash/java.

 

[nickspohn]

I'm really loving all these posts that are talking about how bad the iphone is that little details have emerged about, yet alone being released yet.


What if it's true that the iPhone will have flash?

 

[Counter]

I'm really loving all these posts that are talking about how bad the iphone is that little details have emerged about, yet alone being released yet.


What if it's true that the iPhone will have flash?

The world will crack in half.

It will do as advertised; the complete internet.

 

[cgray24]

Apple, has historically been very limited on its flash use on their site and now seems to be further pulling away from it, which leads me to believe they are working on creative software of their own to complement Final Cut Studio and Aperture and to compete with Adobe and Microsoft's creative solutions. I mean out of any company that 'should' be in the creative software business, it should be apple and someone other than microsoft needs to keep adobe on their feet now that they acquired macromedia.

Another example of why the move for Safari on Windows may have been a step for the future, to get a market share for future deployments of their own plug-ins.

My thinking anyway, maybe Steve is just pissed at Adobe. I really dont know, just guessing.

 

[Counter]

My thinking anyway, maybe Steve is just pissed at Adobe. I really dont know, just guessing.

With their collaboration and success on bringing the entire Adobe Creative Suite 3 to a Universal Binary I'd say they're pretty damn close. God knows where this has come from.

 

[junebug1]

I have seen a couple of posts hint at the possibility that there's no Flash support due to concerns VOIP might be implemented on the phone. I don't see the connection between the two.

For those of you wondering how to turn off Flash support in Safari: go to preferences and security and there you will see a box to turn off all plug-ins.

While there will be no support for Java, there will be support for javascript. Please, don't confuse the two - they are not the same.

So if this is correct and the iPhone doesn't support Java how do we know for sure if there will be support for javascript. If there is then it appears that at least meebo.com will still function which gives us access to IM capabilities, but I'm still not sure about cbs.sportsline.com functioning. I can't seem to get an answer as to whether it uses Java or javascript as one of the main reasons I would get the phone is to be able to check my Fantasy Football stats while at the bar. Does anyone have a solid answer it this will still work? Thanks.

 

[Reverend Wally]

I bet that eventually flash will be added to the iPhone. And Java.

 

[inkhead]

I'm sorry but whoever posted this rumor on macrumors, is just evil. Are you trying to buy stock? Where is your integrity? "Coming out of WWDC.." So did you just stand in the crowd, and you heard a voice out of the crowd mention it? Or did you get word from somebody who has an iPhone, and not someone who played with it last month?

You just so happen to be wrong. I'll bet the macrumors site owners $5,000. You reporting something like this isn't responsible when you know it affects stock.

For the people who came to this thread "apple really broke my heart today", you are sheep. Cattle to be herded. I am at WWDC. I heard someone say "me and your mom!" Should I assume that the guy slept with all your moms? You are jumping to horrible conclusions about a device not even out, that will be seeing more updates than Mac OS X on a regular basis.

Seriously people, stop jumping, ranting, raving, and think. Anything is no different than me looking at A picture of you, and assuming you only have one kidney.

 

[inkhead]

javascript and JAVA are nothing alike. No even in the some field of programming.

 

[maokh]

The real truth of it is Adobe....not Apple.

Adobe is very silly about the usage of flash products on anything but desktop/laptop computers. If you really dig deep in the EULA, you will find some language in regards to mobile and embedded applications of flash, and how this is prohibited without "special consent". Adobe is not going to just rubber stamp anything that crosses the desk.

They know that flash is going to be *BIG* on the mobile platform. And they want to make big on licensing and distribution.

They dont want the iphone to interfere too much with Verizon and Adobe's exclusive 1 year agreement involving flashcast on the mobile handset.

 

[inkhead]

Adobe has nothing to do with it. Flash up to version 8 is open sourced. Apple wrote all the flash players till now. It's really got nothing to do with this, considering plenty of cingular phones have flash 7 support.

 

[inkhead]

Yes the iPhone has javascript. You can't load 98% (my fake stats!) of the internet with javascript off.

So if this is correct and the iPhone doesn't support Java how do we know for sure if there will be support for javascript. If there is then it appears that at least meebo.com will still function which gives us access to IM capabilities, but I'm still not sure about cbs.sportsline.com functioning. I can't seem to get an answer as to whether it uses Java or javascript as one of the main reasons I would get the phone is to be able to check my Fantasy Football stats while at the bar. Does anyone have a solid answer it this will still work? Thanks.

 

[pubius]

riiiggggggghhhhhhht

Thank you. Seriously, I hate flash on websites. It's either annoying ads with flashy graphics and (wtf?!) sound or home page intros for lifestyle websites. As soon as I see that a company website is 100% flash, where I can't bookmark anything but the home page, the company loses a lot of my respect, if not all of it.

Flash also eats up quite some system resources, as others here have mentioned. I don't like how my Macbook starts the fans when there are more than 2 big flash banners on a website. Imagine how that would drain your iPhone's battery!

PS: I'm using the beta of Safari 3 right now. Works great, never crashed, inquisitorX plugin works and it's damn fast compared to FF. Still, it's interesting that my Mac knows words like "Mac" and "iPod", but not "Macbook" or "iPhone"

ok. i'll comment about this in a second. but first...
apple has primarily (go ahead and try to dispute me on this) been a tool of the creative world... for years and years. and although the ipod has been able to push non-apple people to buy ibooks (macbooks), i would tend to say that this is still true. now, let's think about the websites that the creative world must visit... ad agency sites, model agency sites, talent sites, photographer sites, design sites, illustrator sites, etc.. after more years than i can count in this business, i would say at least 50% of those sites are flash based. now of course there are plenty of designers out there against flash, that's all fine and good, but that's not what we are talking about here. forget animated banners (although it's the creative world that makes these also), i'm talking about the internet that most of us use.

so, mr. crowbar, this may not be the internet that you use. but it is the internet that apple's core users have been a part of for the past 11 years (flash inception). also, if flash is eating up your computer's resources, you either need to update your system or stop visiting the worst flash-designed sites out there. well coded flash should run like a breeze.

flash is part of the internet. there is no turning back, only moving forward.

 

[atp]

Go get a simple phone. You'll be glad you're not worrying about it when it gets scuffed, dropped, nicked, etc.

Then take $350 and go buy the Nokia N800. I love mine - Flash support is limited but quite enough for browsing 99% of sites. The best aspect is all the free open source software you'll run for ebook reading, movie watching, net chatting, pdf viewing, GPS mapping, etc. I read or surf on it when not on the laptop and the text renderer is beautiful. Some drawbacks and niggles, but basically most of what you've been salivating about doing on the iPhone, I've been doing for nearly six months on my Nokia for much less and without an expensive data subscription (it's wifi).

One drawback is you can't make a simple phone call with that. It's not a mobile phone.
Oh,sorry! You make that call with the simple phone and then use n800 for surfing. Sry, my mistake for not reading everyhing.

 

[goosnarrggh]

The real truth of it is Adobe....not Apple.

Adobe is very silly about the usage of flash products on anything but desktop/laptop computers. If you really dig deep in the EULA, you will find some language in regards to mobile and embedded applications of flash, and how this is prohibited without "special consent".

And here's the online form any device manufacturer can fill out to begin negotiations with Adobe for access to all the necessary source code:

http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/mmform/index.cfm?event=mmform&name=flashplayer

Should somebody email this link to Apple?

 

[surferfromuk]

I think the majority of folks both on and off MR would be willing to trade flash capability on their phone for $300.

Agreed!

I'm thinking about what Steve said in the keynote 'it's the full safari browser' which means a near full OSX implementation and he told developers to 'go away and write it on the mac' and it'll run on the iphone. So even if this turns out to be true and not more enemy action/disinformation it's going to be a real easy fix. They obviously want a development industry behind this product. The iPhone 'hardware platform' that you buy on 29th June is really just the beginning...

And if you can afford one it's probably the only phone ever made that's gonna get a tech-nerd laid.

 

[HiRez]

No Flash = deal killer for me. Period. Nice try, Apple, please try again when you are serious and I'll have my cash ready.

 

[goosnarrggh]

Adobe has nothing to do with it. Flash up to version 8 is open sourced.

If you're refering to Gnash (the GNU-sponsored Flash player project), well, it's not quite ready for prime time yet. YouTube support only started working in the last month or so. Apparently most of Flash 7 is supported as well as snippets of Flash 8 and 9.

The source code for the official Adobe Flash Player itself is still closed, but device manufacturers can apply for permission to a shared source license (to borrow a phrase from Microsoft).

Now, tools for creation of Flash content are a different matter - Adobe has published a full Flash specification which people are encouraged to use to write software which generates new Flash content. Several open-source tools are also available. But the license attached to the Flash specification explicitly prohibits any of the information contained therein from being used to write software that plays back (decodes) existing Flash content.

The Gnash people are getting around this little problem by insisting on strictly "clean room" reverse-engineering of Flash content - They insist that no code can be accepted from contributors who have actually read the formal spec. In that case, none of the developers can possibly have been presented with the license agreement in the first place, much less can they be said to have entered into a contract bound by it.

 

[twoodcc]

well this really doesn't bother me too much.

 

[RnSK]

Another moron for the pile.

Why? Because Apple won't be allowed to let it happen.

And why can't Apple let it happen? Because AT&T doesn't want it to happen. Imagine if Apple releases a real SDK. Guess what the first app written for it would be? You got it. A VOIP app. Imagine being able to use Skype on the iPhone. Hook up to a wireless network and make phone calls. That would be awesome. But guess who loses out on that? AT&T, thats who.

Do you...do you realize how many, and HOW LONG ATT has been selling VOIP capable phones?

Its ATT, not Sprint/Verizon; they don't make "overages" part of the business plan. Ask one of the other guys why your unused minutes are tossed instead of credited to your next billing cycle

ATT is about as scared of VOIP as I am of...you. Cluing up.

APPLE made these choices...for APPLE. Not for YOU.

 

[inkhead]

The "words coming from WWDC" are because Apple doesn't want to encourage people to build their applications entirely dependent on flash. Which makes sense because with the flash they put in they have to sandbox things, and certain features might not work. However developing in XHTML+javascript will absolutely work, so I think this is the only thing coming out of WWDC, is Apple encouraging people to not develop in flash.

 

[Counter]

I'm sorry but whoever posted this rumor on macrumors, is just evil. Are you trying to buy stock? Where is your integrity? "Coming out of WWDC.." So did you just stand in the crowd, and you heard a voice out of the crowd mention it? Or did you get word from somebody who has an iPhone, and not someone who played with it last month?

You just so happen to be wrong. I'll bet the macrumors site owners $5,000. You reporting something like this isn't responsible when you know it affects stock.

For the people who came to this thread "apple really broke my heart today", you are sheep. Cattle to be herded. I am at WWDC. I heard someone say "me and your mom!" Should I assume that the guy slept with all your moms? You are jumping to horrible conclusions about a device not even out, that will be seeing more updates than Mac OS X on a regular basis.

Seriously people, stop jumping, ranting, raving, and think. Anything is no different than me looking at A picture of you, and assuming you only have one kidney.

You're jumping to conclusions by saying that this thread is wrong based on no evidence. MacRumors will have had strong enough reason to post it. You're putting it down based on nothing.

 

[celavato]

This has nothing to do with technology and everything to do with economics.

Remember that Steve said prior to WWDC that third-party application development will be possible, but that applications will be essentially Dashboard widgets. What could you do with that functionality and Flash? V-O-I-P. It's the exact same reason that the iPhone uses SMS rather than iChat/AIM. The iPhone's features suck because Apple is pandering to the demands of AT&T and other wireless providers.

Interesting. So will the multitouch iPod when it arrives in September/October provide WiFi and iChat (but no phone)?

 

[RnSK]

Ok funboy...

I'm sorry but whoever posted this rumor on macrumors, is just evil. Are you trying to buy stock? Where is your integrity? "Coming out of WWDC.." So did you just stand in the crowd, and you heard a voice out of the crowd mention it? Or did you get word from somebody who has an iPhone, and not someone who played with it last month?

You just so happen to be wrong. I'll bet the macrumors site owners $5,000. You reporting something like this isn't responsible when you know it affects stock.

For the people who came to this thread "apple really broke my heart today", you are sheep. Cattle to be herded. I am at WWDC. I heard someone say "me and your mom!" Should I assume that the guy slept with all your moms? You are jumping to horrible conclusions about a device not even out, that will be seeing more updates than Mac OS X on a regular basis.

Seriously people, stop jumping, ranting, raving, and think. Anything is no different than me looking at A picture of you, and assuming you only have one kidney.

Apple has in fact stated at WWDC that the iPhone doesn't support flash.

What now?