Adobe CEO Responds To Jobs’ Flash-Critique

Steve Jobs posted an open critique of Flash, elaborating the reasons why Apple has chosen not to allow Adobe Flash on their platform. The article contains several interesting pointers on why Flash could be an inappropriate platform for media consumption on mobile devices like the iPhone. In his letter, Job pointed out that Flash was a proprietary technology that scores low on reliability and security. The Apple CEO had also pointed out Flash’s growing irrelevance in the modern era where touchscreen devices and open development standards are becoming more and more dominant.

So, what does Adobe think of Steve Jobs’ opinion? In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen reiterated his earlier stand that Apple’s decision to not allow Flash on the iPhone OS is more of a business decision than a technology one. He further questions Jobs’ assertions that Flash is a dying technology.

Regarding Flash Being a Proprietary Platform:

Shantanu Narayen noted that the two companies each have “different views of the world” and said that he found it “amusing” that Apple has chosen to call Flash a closed platform. He cited the release of the latest Creative Suite software as an example where Adobe was “true to its position” to develop a technology that worked on multiple devices.

Regarding Flash’s Perceieved Technology Issues:

Narayen dismissed the statements made by Steve Jobs and instead called upon the acccusations as “a smokesreen” that distracted observers from the actual business motive behind Apple’s decision to ban Flash. Pointing out that several iPhone apps on the App Store today were built with Adobe’s technology. Narayen emphasized the relevance of Flash on the mobile medium. He further took note of Apple’s recent update to the App Developer licensing agreement and said that such attempts to restrict development made it evident that Apple’s decisions had nothing to do with technology”.

When being asked about Steve Jobs’ observations that Adobe was the number one cause of Mac crashes, Narayen defended his company claiming that such observations have only come from Apple, which could effectively mean that the issues may have something “to do with the Apple operating system.”

Narayen further dismissed claims that Flash was a battery hog and said these statements were “patently false”, blaming Apple for the “proprietary lock-in”, Narayen said Apple’s policies made it difficult for Adobe to work together with Apple to be able to innovate and solve pertinent issues.

Adobe’s Road Ahead:

Narayen explained that Adobe’s policies are rooted in the belief that it is best for businesses to create one set of applications that can work across multiple platforms. This, he said, does not benefit Apple’s strategy to lock customers down to their ecosystem. They also noted that the iPad was a “good first-generation device”, Narayen said he was excited about the innovation that was waiting to happen in the tablet area. He also revealed Adobe’s partnership with several companies in the launch of tablet PCs.

In conclusion, Shantanu Narayen said that he would ultimately let customers decide and hoped that multi-platform technologies would “eventually prevail”. You can watch the entire conversation between Alan Murray from WSJ and Shantanu Narayen in the video below: