Adobe hits back at Apple over Flash

The principal product manager for Adobe Flash developer relations has hit back at Apple for its restrictive Flash practices and said he is now focusing his efforts on developing for the Android platform.

Mike Chambers lamented Apple's decision to distance itself from the Flash application, most recently on its iPad tablet device.

Adobe had complied with Apple's licensing terms right through the Flash CS5 development cycle, according to Chambers, only for the firm to reject Flash-based applications from the App Store once they had been created.

Chambers explained in a blog post that Apple released a new draft of its iPhone developer programme licence last week which included a fresh clause effectively restricting "applications built with a number of technologies, including Unity, Titanium, MonoTouch and Flash CS5".

"While it appears that Apple may selectively enforce the terms, it is our belief that Apple will enforce those terms as they apply to content created with Flash CS5," Chambers wrote.

"Developers should be prepared for Apple to remove existing content and applications (100+ on the store today) created with Flash CS5 from the iTunes store.

"[Apple wants] to tie developers down to its platform, and restrict their options to make it difficult for developers to target other platforms. Fortunately, the iPhone isn't the only game in town."

Chambers now favours developing for the Android platform, and said that Adobe is working closely with Google to bring Flash Player 10.1 and Adobe AIR 2.0 to devices based on Android.

"I am going to shift all of my mobile focus from iPhone to Android devices and not focus on the iPhone stuff as much anymore. I am particularly interested in the Android-based tablets coming out this year," he said.

"We are at the beginning of a significant change in the industry, and I believe that open platforms will ultimately win out over the type of closed, locked down platform that Apple is trying to create."