This is a guest post by Polemicist, a loyal blog reader and commenter. If you’d like to guest post on theiPhone Download Blog, please see theguidelines.
What ever happened tothis guy?
Developer Jonah Grant submitted an “Adobe Flash mobile” plug-in for the iPhone and iPod Touch’s Safari browser on Friday, July 27, 2025.
So why would Apple go out of its way to stop a product that has been around since the early 90’s in one form or another? Flash has become so much a part of the internet that it has been included in Windows CD’s since Windows 98.
Yes OK there have been security risks with Flash and Apple can say that those risks are the reason they do not allow Flash content. They can even block it due to the fact that Flash can execute arbitrary code. But if that is the case then they had better not let QuickTime run on the iPad or iPhone as itallows arbitrary code executionas well. Anyway both Apple and Adobe patch their security holes quite quickly so again not a good enough reason for saying no to Flash.
Apple can say that Flash content doesn’t run quickly enough on iPhones. That might actually be correct and in some cases a Flash enabled iPhone user might have to turn off Flash support so they can bypass for example an intro screen that is freezing their browser (wouldn’t that be inconvenient). The iPad on the other hand could easily cope with massive Flash content so that crosses that off the list of reasons.
Why do they takefast processorsthen underclock them?
Original & 3G:Samsung 32-bit RISC ARM 1176JZ(F)-S v1.0620 MHz underclocked to 412 MHzPowerVR MBX Lite 3D GPU[8]
3GS:Samsung S5PC100 ARM Cortex-A8833 MHz underclocked to 600 MHzPowerVR SGX GPU
I wonder if they are going to do the same with the iPad?
All things considered the only logical reason I can see for Apple to ban Flash content is that they might lose money. Because of this attitude from Apple I now want to see the iPad hacked so badly that a version of Snow Leopard can be installed on it.
But I digress. So let’s take a look at the issues here.
On the Official side of the fence we have:
On the Jailbreaker side of the fence we have:
Looks to me like the JB community will win. Once a version ofFlashis made that will run on Windows Mobile and Android devices the Homebrew guys I’m sure will take great pleasure in putting it onto iPad and maybe even the iPhone. Adobe would have to make the mobile version of Flash capable of being used on Apple products so they can show it off to Apple. Maybe (if we are lucky) that version might “leak” from Adobe.
I’m sure the JB community will happily pay a dollar or two for the Homebrew developer’s effort to port the mobile Flash to the iGadgets. I for one would donate to that cause. Picture just how annoyed Apple will get if this happens and how smug the looks would be on the Adobe team (at least while Apple wasn’t looking).
Imagine now an iPhone/iPad that can browse Flash based websites and then take that website and run it full screen. Going online and finding a few SWF games, downloading and playing them using an updated version of iFile. Watching a Flash based movie or TV channel right from the palm of your hand.
What a wonderful world that would be. I look forward to this Utopia. If not (like many Mac Fanboys) I will look forward to Windows Mobile 7.
What do you think?
