I’ve been thinking about Flash, and about how Flash is not always the best things to use when it comes to portable devices. The only instances I can think of where it’s a problem is with iPhone and iPad, which makes this an Apple (or more specifically, Steve Jobs) issue, and not a Flash issue.
Another issue some have with Flash is that they believe that many functionalities of Flash can be reproduced with HTML5. HTML5 will be great, when all browsers support it. If designers are still making allowances for Internet Explorer (IE)6, then how long will we be excusing those who do not support HTML5? At the moment, browser support (and hardware support) for Flash seems to be much broader. I look forward to your comments on that one…
The other issue is devices. Since when do we need one device that does absolutely everything? This comes down to expectations. If we stop thinking of a portable device as being the be all and end all, we won’t worry about compatibility.
An iPhone, Blackberry, or whatever you use (let’s keep this to smartphones) is not the same as a desktop, so stop thinking of it as such! It doesn’t have to do everything that your laptop or desktop computer can do. Statistically, most people who own a mobile phone, own a smartphone. The number of people who own smart phones and do not own a desktop or laptop computer is probably very very small. Practically negligible. And most definitely smaller than the amount of Internet Explorer 6 users.
So, if we can stop thinking of portables as our only devices, we’ll stop worry about compatibility.
The most obvious restriction to portable phones, in particular, is form factor. No matter what you are using them for or which website you want to visit, you are limited to using a comparatively small screen. On the iPhone, for instance, the best way to view any website or search for anything at all is to use a specific application (that is, an App). I tried this recently searching for a restaurant and found it much easier to use Yelp! than to use Safari and Google. Naturally, if I was on a desktop, I would be using Google. But with a phone, apps are the way to go.
My prediction is that browsers on phone will be replaced by real, device specific apps that work correctly on the form factor, then we’re back to mobile websites, which is what many apps end up as anyhow.
It all comes down to expectation from the user. If we can expect devices to not need to do everything under the sun, we will see fewer complaints that a particular new phone doesn’t have certain capabilities. Mainly, because the mobile won’t need it! I know that looking back and seeing technology in hindsight is a cliché, but it does seem that users only demand new functions because they can. What if hardware developers said no?
Consider a cordless drill. It doesn’t have a circular saw blade, a hammer head and a vacuum cleaner stuck on it! There are other tools for those things. If we can think of portables as being specific kinds of devices and taking things that we would want to do while we’re mobile, rather than trying to cram everything into our pockets, software developer can concentrate on making more useful PORTABLE content.
A portable phone with portable content. Desktop devices with desktop applications.
I’m all for pushing technology to see what really can be done (such as my recent post on using the iPhone as a portable office), but if the lack of compatibility means that everyone suffers – that is, Flash isn’t available on iPhone so nobody should use Flash – I’d rather leave the thing at home! So if we can be happy with a portable device that does only what it needs to do, it won’t matter if it doesn’t support things like Flash.
Do you REALLY want to watch a newly released movie on a gadget small enough to fit in your back pocket? Isn’t that what the 52″ LED Screen in your living room is for?