Apple, Adobe and false advertising

[Kudistos Megistos]

So, it looks like Apple are continuing to refuse to support flash, even though they claim that the iPad is the world's greatest browsing experience or something. Naturally, Adobe are a little upset by this, and one of their employees has shown us what browsing without flash will be like.

Furthermore, Apple's promo for the iPad clearly shows it supporting flash, even though that won't happen. Naughty, naughty.

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/01/ipad-flash/?intcid=inform_relatedContent

Also, I doubt anyone will be able to get through that video without facepalming so hard that they give themselves a concussion. In fact, you'll probably start vomiting after the first ten seconds.

Of course, there might be one upside to this. Flash is sh*t and it would be nice if it disappeared and was replaced by something else. Unfortunately, although some websites are beginning to support H.264 video as an alternative to flash, Firefox might not be supporting natively it any time soon, owing to its proprietary nature. There was recently an attempt at a VLC plugin to do the job, but the reviews say it doesn't work.

[Covarr]

Flash has added about three nice features since Adobe bought Macromedia. I just LOVE fullscreen. It's also become slow, bloated, unwieldy, and unstable. And, a web browser without flash doesn't have to put up with those obnoxious flash ads, such as the ones that show a TV commercial with sound, and you can't turn it off or mute it (sites that show two at once are particularly bad).

Not having Flash isn't a great loss, IMO, as long as we still have desktop PCs.

[Bosola]

It doesn't matter. The fact is, Apple claim that the iPad has functionality it doesn't - functionality that will make a real difference to many of the customers buying the iPad. Whatever we think about how (certain sites) use Flash, there *are* quite a few people who will expect to use it on a regular basis. Want to view something on YouTube? Tough. Want to visit a corporate website? Just about every site I've visited involves Flash-based webpages. Want to play Flash games? A lot of people will, and a lot of people will find themselves very disappointed at an overgrown iPhone without either its portability or a netbook's functionality.

[titeguy3]

[waits for the nexus one to be released on the verizon network with full adobe flash 10.1 support so he can point and laugh at iTampon users]

This is Apple's Pinto. Their 32X. This will be the epic-fail-facepalm-of-the-century device that causes Apple's bubble to burst.

I don't need to openly criticize the iPad, it'll fail hard enough for the both of us.

As for flash, it *is* shit, but it's allure isn't in it's efficiency, it's in it's simplicity. you can make a flash application in a day without needing to know any programming. That's why people use it.

[Kudistos Megistos]

It's clear from Apple's promo for the iPad that they're aiming it at exactly the kind of people who will be lost without flash support, so this will be a big issue for all but the most loyal macfags. Anyway, even if flash shouldn't be on the tubes any more, it's still all over the place a device that advertises itself as being the ultimate browsing experience should be able to support it.

BTW, I hear that Jobs blamed flash for nearly all Mac crashes. lol. (And I thought Macs didn't crash )

Oh, and the iPad is a huge iPod touch, not a huge iPhone

[Marc]

I actually love the ipad's concept.

Not sure if its executed properly but a middle sized light touch only portable device with extra long battery life sounds awesome to me.  I'm thinking like Star Terk enterprise's tablets here.

It's actually a device I've been waiting for since forever.

Not sure if apple's execution is on the money but I can certainly see this spurring other companies to try their hand at it and perfect this to the point where it could be a must.

[Cupcake]

I'm a huge apple loyalist (despite my main machine being an EeePC, but shh, don't tell Mr. Jobs), but the iPad just pisses me off.  However, I can see to whom this device caters to; that being, not people like us, who actually need a computer all the time.  If you're like my father however, who just listens to music, checks his e-mail, and surfs the web (usually just Facebook, but without all the stupid useless apps), the iPad is PERFECT, but for someone like me, who listens to music, checks his e-mail, sits on aim, does everything possible on the internet, along with a bunch of other stuff, then it has no real use.

As much as I dislike the iPad, I'm also going to reserve final judgement until I hold one in my hands and play with it (probably at an Apple Store).  I also find less bad things to say about it, the more I think about who its catered to.  The only thing it should do, regardless of who its catered to, is multitask.

[Hellbringer616]

lack of multitask support is a drag. Even my touch pro can multitask..
All in all. good idea. could be fun for someone like my dad, who just like the above. Checks his e-mail, surfs the web for some quick info like directions, and listens to music (bit bigger then his iTouch though haha)

Being as i play a lot of PC games, i find it nifty. But uttely useless.

[titeguy3]

I actually think that the only way this would be a remotely useful device is if Apple took the opposite approach and made it 17" across (either to be laid flat on a surface or mounted upright), paper thin but with USB, Firewire, HDMI, and a cardslot, a high end gfx card and processor, and installed a custom version of OS X on it that was geared to run mouseless and keyboardless--exclusively via the touchscreen. *that* would be futuristic and cool. I'd have a hard time anti-Appling a machine like that. It would be especially cool since Apple has yet to release a tablet PC on the scene.

EDIT: Screw Apple. I'd like to see *anybody* release a tablet like that.