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Because Mac OS X is an open platform and Mobile OS X is not. Anybody can, and will, install plugins on OS X. Apple cannot now remove that feature from the OS. It would make no sense, given that the other browsers would support plugins, and the blocking of Flash would only see a mass migration away from Safari to Chrome/Firefox.
But, the iPhone/iPad represents a new computing platform where there are no plugins, and never will be, so Apple are not 'blocking' Flash, so much as creating a device and platform that is simply not compatible with the idea of Flash.
If Adobe were to open the specification, and provide an open source (MIT) implementation, then the WebKit team could integrate the Flash interpreter into the core of WebKit, using native APIs, and Apple might possibly accept it then.




Member since:
2009-04-27
Hold on Kroc. What about Safari? If Apple does intent to pursue a slightly better web for us, by helping us unleash Flash, why wouldn't they also block in on Safari?
Maybe you'll say they would lose market share. But if HTML5 was indeed ready I could see other browsers also following the trend.
So I naturally see this Flash approach with some confusion. They might be doing to protect their product and Apple Store, to make sure the iPhone/iPad don't halt due to an inefficient Flash app (I know they all are), or to do build a slightly better web for everyone?