Apple bans apps written using Adobe software

David Flynn
09 April 2010, 1:49 PM


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The Apple vs Adobe war has escalated, with the iPhone OS 4 SDK decreeing that iPhone and iPad developers can’t use Adobe software to create their apps.


Eager to smack down Adobe Flash at every opportunity, Apple has taken the unprecedented step of banning apps created with Adobe’s new Flash-to-iPhone Compiler in the forthcoming Creative Suite 5.

Under the rules of the iPhone OS 4 SDK, which was today released in a preview beta edition, apps must be written in native code (and ideally using Apple’s own Xcode software, of course) – apps created using “an intermediary translation or compatibility layer or tool are prohibited”.

Blogger Jon Gruber spotted the fine print in the just-published iPhone Developer Program License Agreement, which previously allowed programmers to use any tools they liked to churn out the code.

The move appears to be aimed directly at the iPhone Packager tool in Flash Professional CS5 – a flagship feature in Creative Suite 5 family which Adobe is set to launch next week. The tool allows developers to create apps in Flash and then translate the code into an iPhone app.

Gruber notes that the ruling affects other cross-compilers such as MonoTouch, which recompiles C# and .NET apps for the iPhone, “but the language in the agreement doesn’t leave much wiggle room for Flash CS5. It could hardly be more clear if they singled out Flash CS5 by name.”


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dbareis (New user):

Sounds like another reason not to by an iPhone to me.

09 April 2010, 3:05 PM (3 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

kaf (User):

The only thing I hate more than the Adobe monopoly on creativity tools, is a platform that tries to control its user base by restricting developers to using its own dev tools and environment.
I can't believe I'm saying this but, I'm with Adobe on this one.

09 April 2010, 3:13 PM (3 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

longerlife (New user):

Apple can't now hide behind excuses of buggy or slow, if they won't allow apps natively compiled. I will never buy another Apple device, this is the final straw, Apple is rotten to the core...

09 April 2010, 3:20 PM (3 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Phred (New user):

Quoting longerlife:
Apple can't now hide behind excuses of buggy or slow

Flash is buggy as hell, you can't even get it to run properly under Linux without it causing problems, and chews resources on even the most powerful machines, to boot there's no 64bit version to speak of that works effectively either for Windows, Linux or Mac OS.

Quoting longerlife:
I will never buy another Apple device, this is the final straw, Apple is rotten to the core...

Oh Boohoo! I really can't see what the problem is here, the iPhone is not a computer, neither is the iPad, they're application devices.

I've tried Flash lite on my old N95 and it would constantly send the phone into a tail spin and crash every time I tried to access a flash 'enhanced' site.

09 April 2010, 5:18 PM (3 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Phil S (New user):


Quoting Phred:
Oh Boohoo! I really can't see what the problem is here, the iPhone is not a computer, neither is the iPad, they're application devices.
--
Well done. But what developer wants to write an app 5 times for multiple devices when they can write it in one platform and run a tool that will result in an app for 5 devices. Not all apps can work like this but some can. I don't see why Apple needed to do this, other than being angry with Adobe. Apple are getting really spiteful, and it's only going to backfire.

The Apple has gone bad. Hopefully people start noticing (who's read about the new iAd feature enabling developers to have full screen popup ads every 3 minutes. Just what we all want. Thanks Apple.)


09 April 2010, 8:07 PM (3 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Luminal (New user):

Indoctrinated much. Millions of webpages run Flash without a hitch constantly. In fact right now I have a high quality Youtube vid going and two banner ads. CPU use? An astounding 3-8% on an el-cheapo Q8400 running Win7 x64. That it isn't native x64 doesn't seem to be exactly hamstring it? Works on lowly netbooks and even seems to work ok on my Macbook. That Apple doesn't want it on the iPhone or iPad is for the simple reason it serves content free of charge to users and that's a gigantic fly in Steve's soup. If Apple really cared so much about lazy, buggy programs, they'd delete 139,900 apps from the App Store.

09 April 2010, 9:00 PM (3 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Tin (User):

Quoting Phred:
to boot there's no 64bit version to speak of that works effectively either for Windows, Linux or Mac OS.


I've never had any problems with the Linux 64 bit Flash plugin. Works just as good as the Windows one... 64 bit on Windows on the other hand - did they even get one out yet?

10 April 2010, 11:23 AM (3 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Douglas (New user):

Gosh darn it, Apple sure are up themselves, aren't they? Now you can't write your applications in an environment you're comfortable with and convert it, you have to write it in theirs. Not everybody has the time or patience to learn another programming language. If someone wants to write a program in Flash or .NET and convert it to Xcode (or whatever), then they should bloody well be allowed to.

Microsoft were never this bad, and if they were, everybody would be crying foul.

This is inexcusable and yet another reason why I refuse to buy Apple products. Support your developers, Apple, and they'll support you with good apps. Do stupid things like this and expect them to vote with their feet.

09 April 2010, 4:25 PM (3 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Tony Grooby (User):

The EU Will Have something to say about this

09 April 2010, 5:07 PM (3 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

bluemoon4281 (New user):

I know Adobe won't do this but it be great if they threatened Apple to pull Flash/Adobe software from the Mac platform; all of Apple's precious creatives would be fleeing to Windows in droves.

09 April 2010, 5:16 PM (3 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Nathan_Never (New user):

Apple is becoming more and more arrogant and it is showing it's real face. The face of a greedy corporation which care only about profit and nothing about customers.
I am in the process of buying a computer and I was waiting for next MacBook update. I'll buy a PC now. Apple will not get one cent from me as long as it has this kind of policy.

10 April 2010, 12:42 PM (3 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Tony Grooby (User):

But the will have something to say about the anti-competiveness displayed by Apple

10 April 2010, 2:39 PM (3 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

TV Bis (New user):

As I have said all along, Apple is just another computer company out to make a buck any way it can.

It's very funny when you think about it because every company that starts of small, produces a few good products, ends up like it's main competitor who was accused of selling people out, being uncaring, pig headed and out of touch.

Apple has finally realized that to keep completive like MS you have to do things that may start hurting your loyal users.

I honestly don't know what goes on behind closed doors in these companies when the decisions are made but I really do think that they need to get rid of their current GEN X advisors and hire someone with a few more working brain cells.


10 April 2010, 8:56 PM (3 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Tin (User):

Quoting TV Bis:
Apple has finally realized that to keep completive like MS you have to do things that may start hurting your loyal users.


Apple has been doing dodgy stuff for years and claiming it's not their fault. You only have to spend a small amount of time looking at their history to work out they're worse than MS. The difference is that Apple has been far better at covering it up until recently.

10 April 2010, 9:53 PM (3 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Zig (New user):

I loathe Apple for selling me such a crippled device (iPhone - a toy not a smartphone) and also loathe Adobe for various reasons including failing to yet produce 64-bit Flash for Windows.
Now with this revelation I can't decide which company I loathe more. Aaarrrgghh!!!

11 April 2010, 4:08 PM (3 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Tin (User):

Quoting Zig:
various reasons including failing to yet produce 64-bit Flash for Windows.


I still don't understand why this is such a big drama to people... What advantage is there to a 64 bit browser on Windows where the 32 bit emulation is built in and supplied whether you want it or not?
The demand for 64 bit Flash on Linux was because it seemed pointless having 32 bit emulation just for Flash - which was the case for most 64 bit users.

11 April 2010, 5:12 PM (3 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

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